Seven spooked cavalry horses career down London street covered in blood

Army personnel and pedestrians were hurt and vehicles damaged after chaos broke out on Wednesday morning.

The loose animals, wearing saddles and bridles, were seen running down the road near Aldwych.

Pictures and videos of the horses were shared on social media, one of which showed a black 4×4 with blue lights following the animals.

Footage posted by users showed a saddled white horse covered in blood running through the street alongside a black one.

London Ambulance Service told The Sun four people have been injured.

One soldier was said to be hurt and lying in the street outside the Clermont Hotel in Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria.

A blue tarpaulin tent was erected while ambulance workers attended to the injured serviceman.

“I saw a soldier falling down into the street after the horse ran into a car,” Bashir Aden told The Telegraph.

The construction worker, 48, continued: “One of my colleagues called the police. The man hit the floor hard, he was screaming in pain.

“You could see blood all over the parked car. The horses come down this route every day, but today the horse looked stressed or panicked.”

Tracy, 20, from London, said: “It was the street from Tower Bridge towards Limehouse Tunnel … just running past cars and an unmarked Range Rover following them.”

A taxi driver waiting outside the Clermont Hotel had the windows of his car smashed after a spooked horse collided with the Mercedes people carrier.

LBC spoke to the driver, Faraz, who was waiting outside the hotel when he felt something smash into his car.

He said he saw three or four horses near the vehicle and that one member of military personnel had been thrown off and injured.

A horse also crashed into a parked double-decker tour bus smashing the windscreen.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed seven Household Cavalry horses were on the loose in central London.

An Army spokesman said all of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp.

City of London Police said officers had contained two horses and were preparing to transport them to veterinary care.

The London Ambulance Service described it as an “ongoing and complex situation”.

It said paramedics had been called to three separate incidents involving the loose horses so far.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We are aware of a number of horses on the loose in central London.

“We are working with colleagues in the Army to locate them.”

A City of London Police spokesman said: “At around 8.40am, we were called about horses that had became loose and were travelling through the City.

“Our officers have contained two horses on the Highway near Limehouse.

“We’re waiting for an Army horse box to collect the horses and transport them to veterinary care.”

London Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 8.25am today (April 24) to reports of a person being thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W.

“We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, and an incident response officer.

“Our first paramedic was on the scene in five minutes.

“The incident is still ongoing and we are working with our emergency services partners.”

A Big Bus Tours spokesman said: “We confirm that one of our stationary buses sustained damage this morning during an incident involving horses from the Household Cavalry.

“One of the horses ran into the front of our parked vehicle. Fortunately, none of our team members were injured.

“Our primary concern lies with the welfare of the riders and animals involved in the incident.

“We are currently co-ordinating closely with Emergency Services to assist in any way possible.

“At this stage, we have no further comments to provide.”

An Army Spokesperson said: “A number of military working horses become loose during routine exercise this morning.

“All of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp.

“A number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving the appropriate medical attention.”

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission