Two of the five horses that rampaged through central London suffered serious injuries and have undergone operations, the British army said.
One has since been transferred to an equine hospital while the others remain under close observation.
The Household Cavalry conducted their annual inspection in Hyde Park on Thursday morning.
Defence minister James Cartlidge told Sky News: “Obviously it was quite dramatic coverage but I just want to stress that it was an exceptional event.
“There were five horses – they have all been recovered. Three of them are fine, two are unfortunately in a relatively very serious condition and, obviously, we will be monitoring their situation.”
Asked whether they were still alive, he replied: “As I understand it, they are in a serious condition but still alive.”
Three soldiers were among those injured. An Army spokesperson the three were taken to hospital and that a fourth was thrown from their horse but was unharmed.
The animals, which form part of the Household Cavalry, are understood to have become spooked by falling concrete during their daily morning exercise.
Horses may never return to service
Vets cannot be certain whether two of the horses that ran loose in London will ever go back into service.
An Army spokesman said: “We are hoping that both these horses make a recovery. Whether they will recover enough to return to official duties, it’s too early to know for sure.
“But they’ve been given the best veterinary treatment possible and remain under close supervision.
“Vida was the most visibly injured and the pictures of the horse running through London soaked in blood were horrifying. Vida was operated on overnight and is currently in stables at the Hyde Park Barracks under observation.”
Quaker was also operated on overnight but it was decided to move the horse to an equine hospital in the early hours for more specialist treatment.
“The extent of the injuries is not completely clear but we don’t believe at this stage there are any broken bones,” the spokesman said.
“The blood seen on Vida (the grey horse) was consistent with lacerations.”
Jane Dalton25 April 2024 16:39
Two horses in serious condition
Two of the horses who bolted and ran loose in London on Wednesday are in a serious condition, a minister has said.
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.”
He added: “They are in a serious condition, but as I understand, still alive.”
Asked about the condition of two of the horses by LBC, the minister said he “wouldn’t want to say more” than that they were in a serious condition.
Jane Dalton26 April 2024 05:10
Watch: Witness recalls chaos as horses ran through London streets
Witness recalls chaos as blood-soaked horses ran loose through London
A witness has recalled the chaos he saw as blood-soaked horses ran loose through central London after breaking free from the Household Cavalry on Wednesday, 24 April. Jordan Pettitt, a photographer with PA Media, was in Aldwych working when the animals charged past him. He was able to take pictures of the horses running past at speed. Mr Pettitt described the chaos to Sky News as a “surreal” moment. “It’s not something I would ever expect to see in London, nor would anyone,” he added, before wishing those injured a speedy recovery. Four people were taken to hospital after they were injured in the incident.
Jane Dalton26 April 2024 03:45
Horses were in flight-or-fight mode, says expert
Redwings Horse Sanctuary explained why the situation, which required two of the horses to be operated on, may have escalated so quickly.
“The incident that spooked those horses must have been fairly dramatic for them to have taken off like that,” Nic De Brauwere, head of behaviour at the charity told The Independent.
“When horses are in flight-or-fight mode, they will continue to run away from what they think could be a dangerous situation until they feel calm enough to relax.
“I imagine that they probably felt disorientated when they started to calm down and they didn’t have a solution as to how to find their way back home until they were caught.
“They probably would have known how to get back to the barracks and walked to that place if they were along their normal route. Horses are pretty good at recognising where they are.”
Jane Dalton26 April 2024 02:10
Watch: Horse charity boss defends Household Cavalry training
Horse charity boss defends Household Cavalry training: ‘Nothing cruel’
The chief executive of a horse charity has insisted there is “nothing cruel” about the way Household Cavalry horses are trained after several of the animals threw their riders and wreaked havoc across six miles of central London on Wednesday, 23 April. Speaking to Good Morning Britain the following day, The Horse Trust boss Jeanette Allen said the incident was a “one-off.” She added: “All the service horses that come here to retire come still really happy to work with really strong bonds with their riders. “99.9 per cent of the time no incidents like this ever happen.”
Jane Dalton25 April 2024 22:30
Campaigners want horses to go to sanctuary
Animal-rights campaigners said the horses should not be used by the military, and they called for them to be allowed to act out their natural behaviour, including running free.
A petition for the horses to go to a sanctuary has attracted more than 10,000 names.
Jane Dalton25 April 2024 21:00
Where the horses ran in London
A map of where the animals went:
Jane Dalton25 April 2024 19:30
Names of four escaped horses revealed
Army chiefs have revealed the names of four of the horses that broke loose: Vida, Trojan, Quaker and Tennyson.
Vida was the grey horse seen bleeding while galloping through central London, alongside black horse Trojan.
The Army said one of those operated on had been taken to an equine hospital.
A group of seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise in Belgravia on Wednesday when they were spooked by builders moving rubble.
The statement said: “Of the seven horses which were spooked, five tried to bolt, and four, Vida, Trojan, Quaker and Tennyson, broke loose. Two of the injured horses were operated on last night, with one transferred to an equine hospital. All remaining horses are being closely observed.”
Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the horses to be sent to a sanctuary.
Jane Dalton25 April 2024 16:58
‘We’ll rehome Household Cavalry horses,’ says UK’s oldest equine charity
The UK’s oldest equine charity has offered to rehome the runaway Household Cavalry horses should they be unable to return to military duty, The Independent can reveal.
Five people were injured after seven service horses — one of which was covered in blood — ran riot through central London on Wednesday, smashing into cars, buses and bringing parts of the capital to a standstill.
“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,” the defence minister James Cartlidge told Sky News this morning.
Read the full article from Emma Guinness here:
Holly Evans25 April 2024 16:04