by Mick the Ram

In a distressing incident in central London, several military horses bolted and ran loose through the busy streets, injuring at least four people and colliding with vehicles.

The animals were taking part in routine exercises ahead of King Charles III birthday parade, which will take place in June, when noises from a nearby construction site spooked them and they threw their riders.

Two of the horses were seen running at great speed down Aldwych, in between London’s historic financial centre and the bustling West End theatre district.

One of them, had its front covered by what appeared to be blood, seemingly caused in one of the collisions.

The horses were eventually recovered and were taken for medical tests.

Sudden panic amongst horses

The chaotic scenes erupted shortly after 8.30am on Wednesday 24 April when five of the Household Cavalry horses suddenly reacted badly to a load crashing noises – thought to be the moving of cement by construction workers – in Belgravia, a smart neighbourhood, close to Buckingham Palace.

Stunned public

The horses actions led to four of the riders being unseated and these all suffered varying degrees of injuries. There then followed a period of pandemonium as the horses galloped down major roads in the capital, just as rush-hour was building.

The watching public and commuters were left stunned at the strange sight, desperately trying to get out of the way of the clearly distressed animals. A taxi waiting just along from the Palace appeared to have a window smashed and a parked up double-decker tour bus had its windscreen badly damaged.

Horse left bloodied after collision

There were two horses in particular who ran together, one which was completely white and had obviously hurt itself, although it was not clear exactly where on its body, but there was what seemed to be blood all down its front and legs.

Injured treated at the scene

The London Ambulance Service confirmed that it treated four people across three separate incidents in the space of ten minutes after the horses were able to run freely in what was a very dangerous situation. Around the Victoria bus station emergency services put up a blue tarpaulin as individuals hurt in the chaos, received treatment.

Shocked driver was sat in vehicle when hit

The taxi driver said afterwards that his car windows were smashed as he waited to pick up a client at the Clermont Hotel.

He explained how he hadn’t seen the horse and it was a massive shock when it hit his vehicle. “People walked up to ask if I was OK; it stopped all the traffic and the one military guy fell down on the island.”

“Total mayhem”

Another witness who worked for the tour bus company, said the scene was “total mayhem”. He recalled: “I saw horses come from the bus station in front of Victoria running around in a frenzy, with people trying to avoid them”.

One of the construction workers remarked: “I saw about five horses on the street, and one of them crashed into the bus. They were very scared, they ran like crazy”.

Horses belong to royal guards

All the horses were finally recovered, two of them nearly six miles from the initial incident. They were all understandably shaken and were taken back to their camp to receive the appropriate medical attention.

They all come from the Household Cavalry, a corps of the Household Division, made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army – The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals.

The regiments have protected the royal family since the 1600’s and as the ceremonial guard of the monarch, they are a regular feature of state functions in London.