Seven military horses, including one drenched in blood, broke loose from their routine exercise on Horse Guards Parade near Buckingham Palace on Wednesday morning and rampaged through central London, leaving four people in need of hospital treatment. The horses were spotted galloping through the City of London, miles away from their starting point, causing mayhem and leaving a trail of damaged vehicles and injured bystanders in their wake.
A silver Mercedes van was among the vehicles struck by the runaway horses, sustaining extensive damage and leaving two passengers injured. Witnesses reported seeing the horses running past cars and being pursued by an unmarked police car. The London Ambulance Service received three horse-related calls, including one on Buckingham Palace Road where a person was thrown from a horse.
The Household Cavalry horses, renowned for their ceremonial duties, were reportedly exercising near Buckingham Palace when they somehow broke free and bolted through the streets of London. Their escape caused widespread disruption, with traffic brought to a standstill and pedestrians forced to take cover as the horses galloped past.
Pictures of the damaged Mercedes van show a large dent in a side door splattered with blood, and at least two windows have been smashed. The driver of the van, identified only as Faraz, told LBC that he was sitting in the car with a passenger when he felt a sudden impact and saw three or four horses and a member of military personnel thrown off and injured.
“I was just sitting in the car with my passenger. I didn’t see the horse hit the car but then I just felt a smash…it was a shock,” Faraz recounted. “I was ok but the car was damaged. They stopped all the traffic.”
Witnesses spotted the animals running through central London, with two horses being caught in Limehouse – five miles away from Buckingham Palace, where the incident began. Footage shared on social media showed two of the animals being followed by an unmarked police car.
One witness told the Standard that they saw the animals “running past cars and an unmarked range rover following them” near Tower Bridge. It is understood that one of the horses hit a taxi and a bus. Big Bus Tours confirmed that a horse ran into one of its parked buses, but fortunately, none of its staff were injured.
A statement from Big Bus Tours said: “We confirm that one of our stationary buses sustained damage this morning during an incident involving horses from the Household Cavalry. One of the horses ran into the front of our parked vehicle.
“Fortunately, none of our team members were injured. Our primary concern lies with the welfare of the riders and animals involved in the incident.
“We are currently coordinating closely with Emergency Services to assist in any way possible. At this stage, we have no further comments to provide.”
A Met Police spokesperson confirmed at 10.30am that all the horses had been “accounted for” and that the force was continuing to liaise with the Army. An Army Spokesperson added: “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 number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving the appropriate medical attention.”
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of the Household Cavalry horses and the potential for similar incidents to occur in the future. The Army has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape and is working to ensure that all necessary measures are in place to prevent such incidents from happening again.
