On Wednesday morning around 8:40 a.m. several horses charged through central London scattering pedestrians, damaging vehicles, and causing a spectacle. Out of the horses in the King’s Household Calvary that were spooked, five tried to bolt, and four, Vida, Trojan, Quaker, and Tennyson, broke loose.
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British Military officials confirmed on Thursday that the blood-streaked grey horse named Vida underwent surgery for lacerations and is alive but in serious condition. The dark horse Vida was seen running alongside is named Trojan.
A black stallion was the most seriously injured of the runaways and underwent life-saving surgery at an undisclosed equine hospital. It is believed this horse smashed into the side of a silver Mercedes Taxi.
(Note: The Sun and The Daily Beast are reporting Quaker is the dark horse that underwent surgery and remains in serious condition, while Sky News and Daily Mail reports it was Trojan.)
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense confirmed that it was Tennyson who collided with a bus, shattering its windshield.
Moment escaped Household Cavalry horses rampage through London pic.twitter.com/P5p4whYlXl
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) April 24, 2024
Five animals were involved in the dramatic incident, which sparked when the horses taking part in “routine exercises” were spooked after a construction site mishap led to concrete and rubble dropping from above and landing “right next to them.” This caused the horses to bolt and throw their riders. The Sun reported that the horses ran for over six miles.
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The horses were retrieved with the help of police after leaving a path of destruction.
Defence Minister James Cartlidge told Sky News:
There were five horses. They have all been recovered. Three of them are fine, two of them are unfortunately in a relatively serious condition and obviously we will be monitoring that condition. They are in a serious condition, but as I understand, still alive.
Four service personnel were thrown from their horses during the chaos, with the loose animals colliding with vehicles including a taxi and a tour bus. Paramedics responded to four people in three different locations – Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street – all within 10 minutes.
While some soldiers required hospital treatment for their injuries, none were serious. The British Army confirmed that the three injured soldiers are expected to fully recover and resume their duties.
The events are considered extraordinary as about 150 horses exercise daily in the city on the roads and parks as part of a routine to train and de-sensitize them to common noise. Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Matt Woodward said in a statement:
Thankfully, considering the frequency of exercise and numbers of horses involved, this type of incident is extremely rare, we continue to strive to minimise the risk of this recurring.
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According to an Army source speaking to The Sun, Vida is described as a “lively” horse and is known to be easily startled. There is a previous incident where she reportedly kicked a soldier in the head during the King’s coronation.
Later in the morning around 11 a.m. another incident took place during the ceremony of Changing The King’s Life Guard at Horse Guards Parade. During this event, a trooper was bucked from a horse after being spooked. A video appeared on YouTube showing the incident.
In the video, the observer asks, “What is going on with the horses today?”
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