Four people were taken to hospital after several war horses broke loose during a morning exercise and raced through central London, colliding with a vehicle.
Shocked witnesses described it as “complete mayhem” as runaway horses, including a bloody white horse, ran through the rush-hour roads.
Two vehicles were seen driving down a road near Aldwych. One collided with a taxi parked outside the Clermont Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, smashing the window of a Mercedes People’s Transport vehicle. The horse also collided with a parked double-decker tour bus, breaking its windshield.
It is understood the five horses, believed to belong to the Household Cavalry based at Hyde Park Barracks, were first thrown out during a routine morning training exercise at around 8.40am. The military said a number of soldiers were injured, including one who witnessed being thrown from his saddle. All animals were eventually contained.
Two of the horses were captured near Limehouse Tunnel, about eight miles away. Photos and videos shared on social media showed a black four-wheel-drive vehicle with blue lights chasing two horses between Tower Bridge and the tunnel.
The BBC reported that the noise of construction workers moving concrete in Belgravia may have initially spooked the animals.
London’s emergency service said it had received three calls about horses from separate locations. The first incident occurred at 8.25am when a person was thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road. The second attack two minutes later left two people injured in nearby Belgrave Square. The third incident occurred at 8.35am at the intersection of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street, and a fourth person was taken to hospital.
One witness, Roland from the tour bus company Tootbus, described the chaotic scene near Victoria. People were running around to avoid them. It was complete mayhem. ”
Another tour bus employee named Mahmoud said, “One of the horses hit the bus and then everything went out of control. I saw two horses galloping away without riders.” A jockey were able to tranquilize the horse. An ambulance was en route to assist the other injured rider.
A taxi driver called Robbie describes how he narrowly escaped death: “Two of them were running towards Trafalgar Square, and there was also a white person covered in blood,” he told BBC Radio London.
“I looked in my rearview mirror and saw them coming right behind me. There were two punters behind me at the time so I was worried about them. Luckily They swerved towards the center of the road and continued on, but at a considerable speed.”
Another taxi driver, Sean, said he saw three horses galloping towards Buckingham Palace.
He told BBC Radio London: “I exited the car from Buckingham Palace Road and found one of the riders on my back being treated. Outside the Grosvenor Hotel, a Mercedes Vito was parked with its side smashed and covered in blood. All the windows were broken, so I think a white horse ran into them.”
Bashir Aden, 48, a construction worker, told the Telegraph: One of my colleagues called the police. The man hit the floor hard and was screaming in pain. I could see blood all over the parked car. ”
Another witness, Megan Mora, said she was walking to work between Buckingham Palace and Victoria Station at 8.35am when she saw a police officer “running down the street” and another witness. A man was seen riding down the road on a black horse that was “very bloody.” The horse “appeared to have a head injury.”
“There was a lot of blood,” she told BBC News. “To be honest, I felt a little sad when I saw the poor horse.”
An Army spokesperson said: “A number of military horses came loose during routine training this morning. All horses have now been recovered and returned to camp. A number of personnel and horses have been injured and need proper treatment. I am receiving.”
