“A number of military working horses became loose during routine exercise this morning. All of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp,” a military spokeswoman told The Washington Post. “A number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving the appropriate medical attention.”
The Household Cavalry is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army. The soldiers train their horses to work in large, noisy crowds and their horsemanship is on display during visits by heads of states, royal weddings and coronations. They also play a starring role in the king’s birthday parade, known as “Trooping the Colour.”
The horses are kept in stables in central London.
A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said an estimated four people had been injured at three different locations: Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and the junction between Chancery Lane and Fleet Street. The incidents took place between 8.25 a.m. and 8.35 a.m.
Pictures and footage of the horses were shared widely on social media. At least two horses, one black and one white, were seen bolting through the streets and sidewalks. A double-decker tourist bus had its windshield cracked and a Mercedes van had its windows smashed.
The owner of van, identified only as Faraz, told LBC radio that he saw “three or four” horses and that a white one hit his car and was left bleeding. One of the horses appeared to have blood on its chest and legs.
The City of London police force, which covers the financial district, said it corralled two horses near Limehouse, which is about five miles away from Buckingham Palace.
Bashir Aden, a construction worker, told the Daily Telegraph he saw a rider thrown after the horse ran into a car and one of his colleagues called the police.
“The man hit the floor hard. He was screaming in pain. You could see blood all over the parked car,” he said.
