Two of the British army horses that escaped Wednesday morning in central London, causing mayhem and injuring four people, were operated on and are in “serious condition” Thursday, authorities said. The five horses which tried or managed to escape “have all been recovered. Three of them are doing well, two of them are unfortunately in serious condition which we will monitor”, indicated the Secretary of State to Defense James Cartlidge on Sky News.
Two horses are in a serious condition after they galloped through London without their riders.
They were spooked by a loud noise near Buckingham Palace and ran through the city, colliding with vehicles.
https://t.co/JPIahWHpQopic.twitter.com/QO0DJBdXsY
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) April 25, 2024
“All horses are still under close surveillance”
These horses are called Vida and Quaker. They were “operated on last night, and one of them was transferred to an equine hospital. All horses are still under close surveillance,” the British army said on X. “Our horses are receiving the best care , and those who have not undergone surgery should return to duty in due course,” she added.
An update following the incident yesterday, where some of our horses were spooked in central London.
All three soldiers involved are expected to recover fully and to return to duty. (1/3)
— British Army (@BritishArmy) April 25, 2024
The incident broke out on Wednesday not far from Buckingham Palace, during an outing of a group of seven horses from the Household Cavalry, an elite unit which notably ensures the protection of the royal family and participates in various ceremonies .
According to the army, the animals were frightened by a falling piece of concrete carried by a crane and five of them then galloped off, throwing four riders to the ground, three of whom were injured. These three soldiers “are expected to make a full recovery and return to duty,” the army also said.
It is “extremely unlikely” that such events will happen again
Stunned Londoners then saw the horses gallop wildly, one covered in blood, on the avenues of the capital, overtaking motorists, crashing into taxis and buses and frightening cyclists. A taxi driver told the LBC channel that he felt a violent impact while he was sitting in his car, then saw “three or four horses” gallop away, leaving his vehicle dented, stained with blood and with broken windows. .
Some prestigious army cavalry regiments have stables in the British capital, and horses are regularly seen around government buildings in Whitehall, Buckingham Palace and nearby Hyde Park. These riders notably participate in the birthday parade of the British monarch traditionally organized in June.
According to James Cartlidge, it is “extremely unlikely” that such events will happen again, with the army training without incident every day in central London with almost 150 horses. But after this incident, animal protection associations urged military forces to stop using horses for parades, believing like the British NGO Animal Justice Project on X that “horses do not belong to us”.