LONDON (AP) — Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in serious condition Thursday after undergoing operations, a U.K. government official said.
The animals were among a group of four horses that broke free during routine exercises Wednesday near Buckingham Palace and caused chaos as they galloped loose through central London during morning rush hour.
“Three of them are fine, two of them are unfortunately in a relatively serious condition and obviously we will be monitoring that condition,” defense minister James Cartlidge told Sky News.
Neither was believed to have broken bones, but a horse named Quaker was transferred to an equine hospital for specialist care, an army spokesperson said.
“Vida was the most visibly injured and the pictures of the horse running through London soaked in blood were horrifying,” the army said in a statement.
The other loose horses from the Household Cavalry, the ceremonial guard of the monarch and a feature of state functions in London, are named Trojan and Tennyson.
Cartlidge said the army trains with about 150 horses every day, so the incident was exceptionally rare.
___ This story has been corrected to show that the black horse seen running with a bloody horse was named Trojan, not Quaker.
LONDON (AP) — Following operations on Thursday, two military horses that were startled by construction noise and threw off their riders after racing through the streets of London for miles were in critical condition. G. stated a government representative.
These animals were part of a group of four horses that, on Wednesday, broke free during routine training close to Buckingham Palace and caused mayhem as they charged through the heart of central London during rush hour. A fifth horse attempted to run but was unsuccessful.
According to defense minister James Cartlidge, “three of them are fine, two of them are unfortunately in a relatively serious condition and obviously we will be monitoring that condition,” Sky News reported. They are still alive, as far as I can tell, but they are in a serious condition. “.
Despite suffering injuries in the hospital, the three soldiers who were flung from their horses were anticipated to make a full recovery and resume their duties.
Three of the horses were anticipated to return to service, according to the British Army, but it was unknown what would happen to the two that had the worst injuries.
An army spokeswoman said that while it was thought that neither had fractured any bones, the horse Quaker was taken to an equine hospital for specialized treatment.
Vida, a white horse seen galloping down Aldwych, between the bustling West End theater district and London’s historic financial center, was treated for cuts. Vida was seen covered in blood.
The army said in a statement, “Vida was the most visibly injured and the pictures of the horse running through London soaked in blood were horrifying.”.
Trojan and Tennyson are the names of the other loose horses from the Household Cavalry, which serves as the monarch’s ceremonial guard and is a fixture of state events in London.
The horses had near misses with cyclists and a motorbike rider at a traffic light during the wild spectacle that was caught by shocked commuters and shared on social media.
Vida side-swiped a taxi that was turning into oncoming traffic after running a red light at an intersection, and Trojan, a black horse, was running alongside her.
When one of the animals crashed into a taxi outside the Clermont Hotel, it broke the windows, and when another animal crashed into a tour bus, it broke the windshield.
About five miles (eight kilometers) from the point of bolting, two of the horses were rounded up at Limehouse. All of the seized equines were returned to their Hyde Park barracks.
According to Cartlidge, the incident was extremely rare because the army trains with roughly 150 horses every day.
I can only emphasize the most important thing, but regrettably we have witnessed what has occurred. As far as we know, there have been no significant injuries to members of the public, and we will undoubtedly be monitoring the situation,” he told LBC.
According to Matt Woodward, commanding officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the horses were being trained for a forthcoming military parade when they became alarmed by the crash of building materials at a construction site in Belgravia, a fashionable neighborhood just west of the palace.
A day following the event, the regiment conducted its yearly inspection at Hyde Park, where more than 200 people and more than 150 horses participated to show that they were prepared for summer pageantry such as Trooping the Color and state visits.
Riding to the beat of a brass band, a small group of people gathered to watch mounted riders in uniforms of black, red, and gold with golden helmets.
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