Four injured by blood-covered runaway horses in London (2024)

Hello, thank you for following our coverage of today’s events.

Here is a summary of what we know so far.

• Five horses from the Household Cavalry bolted after throwing off their riders during their morning exercise in Belgravia when they were spooked by nearby builders moving rubble.
• Some of the horses collided with traffic and at least two of them suffered injuries.
• Ambulance crews treated four people in three separate incidents in Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street, in the space of only 10 minutes.
• All five horses were captured, two of which in Limehouse - five miles away from where the incident began.
• Three soldiers were assessed in hospital for their injuries, which were not thought to be serious.

A management consultant from London who saw two military horses bolt through the capital said it was “gruesome” and “like a weird dream”.

Tula, 28, from south London, was on the 172 bus to Aldwych when she saw two horses gallop past her and said members of the public looked “shocked” at the incident.

She told the PA news agency: “I got off the 172 bus which ends at Aldwych and two horses went flying past. One black, one white.

“The white one was drenched in blood from the chest down and they were galloping through the traffic at speed.

“People were stopping in the street shocked. The horses were running into fast-moving traffic and seemed terrified. Some unmarked police cars were chasing after them, which didn’t seem to be helping.

“I felt shocked. It was pretty gruesome. Felt like a weird dream.”

A group of seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise in Belgravia, central London, on Wednesday when chaos erupted.

Ambulance crews treated four people in three separate incidents in Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street, in the space of just 10

Bobbie Pryor, a travel presenter for BBC Radio Two, said she contemplated throwing herself in the path of two of the runaway horses

She recounted witnessing the horses charging through the street outside Charing Cross station as she was on her morning commute.

She told Jeremy Vine’s lunchtime radio programme: “As I looked to the left I saw two horses coming towards me, I ran just to get across the road.

“It was coming at such a speed, I thought, I need to stop those horses, I need to stop those horses but they are huge and coming at speed.

Asked by Jeremy Vine how she would have attempted to stop them, she replied: “I have been around horses before but normally you try and put yourself in the way, if it is safe to do so.

“There was a clear road ahead and I was thinking if I don’t stop them they are going to go straight into those buses up there and that is really upsetting.

“Also you can’t get in the way, in the fact at least they are running in a straight line, you have got people either side, you have got glass windows, you could create a worse situation.

“At least if they run for a bit they may be able to run out of breath.”

A photographer has said he was surprised to see a bloodstained riderless white horse charge past him in central London on Wednesday morning.

Jordan Pettitt, 26, who works for the PA news agency, said: “There were two horses which came hurtling past.

The horse on the right, as I was looking towards it, was jet black and had a saddle on it. The one to the left, which also had a saddle, was a really distinct white colour.

“It had a really distinct red underbelly which we later found out was blood but it was so sharp and vivid that it seemed unlike blood as it was so saturated and rich.

“It was just two bright colours hurtling down this road and it went straight past me.

“It is probably the most unusual thing I have seen in central London so far. Seeing two riderless horses bolting down an empty A road in London is certainly unique and took me very much by surprise today.”

An eyewitness has described seeing one of the injured horses being restrained by police officers during her morning commute.

Megan Maurer told BBC Radio 2: “I saw three police officers or security guards running down the middle of Buckingham Palace Road, quite frantically, I would say.

“I looked up and I saw a horse being led in the direction coming towards me and the horse was very bloody. The poor thing looked like it was in really rough shape there was blood all over its legs and on its head.

“There looked like there was some form of injury on its head but it had been captured.”

She added: “It was not completely incapacitated, it was walking but it was covered in blood, it was such a confusing sight to see, it looked like it had an injury above its right eye.”

• The Telegraph understands that seven military working horses in total were on an exercise routine controlled by six riders.
• Four riders were thrown off their horses when they became spooked, possibly by the sound of nearby building work.
• Five horses escaped and ran out of control through London.
• The two remaining riders were able to keep control of their mounts.

Henry Bodkin, reporting from the eastern corner of Belgrave Square, said an electricity box has been knocked over along with three hire bikes and one hire scooter.

There are lots of metallic looking scuffs on the pavement in the size and shape of horse shoes as well as plenty of horse dung.

Roland, a worker for tour bus company, Toot Bus, said the scene was “total mayhem”.

“I saw horses come from the bus station in front of Victoria run around in a frenzy,” he said.

“People were running around to avoid them - it was total mayhem.”

The runaway horses are believed to have been first spooked by the sound of nearby builders moving concrete, according to reports.

The BBC said work being carried out by builders in Belgravia caused the horses from the Household Cavalry to bolt and unseat their riders while exercising this morning.

A taxi driver said he worried forhis passengers when thehorses narrowly avoided hitting his cab.

Black cab driver Robbie told BBC Radio London: “I was just outside Buckingham Palace on the Mall and heard loads of galloping and looked behind and there were about three or four horses.

“Two of them were sprinting up towards Trafalgar Square and there was a white one covered in blood as well.

“I looked in the rear mirror and saw them coming right up behind me, and at the time I had two punters in the back so I was worried about them,” he added.

“Luckily they swerved towards the middle of the road and carried on, but they were going at some speed.”

The London Ambulance Service has said it received three horse-related calls.

The first was at 8.25am about a person being thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road.

The patient was taken to hospital.

Two minutes later medics were called to nearby Belgrave Square and found two people injured by horses and took them to hospital.

A further call was made at 8.35am at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street and a fourth person was taken to hospital

The owner of a silver Mercedes-Benz people carrier has said one of the horses cut itself when it smashed into the car’s windscreen.

Faraz, who was picking up a client outside the Clermont Hotel by Victoria Station, told LBC that a white horse was injured from the impact.

Photos of the car show droplets of blood across its side door.

He told LBC: “I was just sitting by the car with my passenger.. I didn’t see the horse hit my car, I was like, smashed senseless, the people just came by my car to check ‘are you ok’.

“It was just like a smash, his head hit it very hard and then [went] down. I saw about three, four horses, and I think it was the white horse which hit my car.”

One horse was captured near Limehouse, east London, at least five miles from Hyde Park Barracks where the incident began.

“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.”

Army spokesman

“We’re pleased to confirm that all of the horses have been accounted for. We are continuing to liaise with the Army.”

Westminster Police

Four people have been injured in three separatelocations across central London.

One soldier was heard ‘screaming in pain’ after he was thrown from his horse outside the Clermont Hotel in Victoria.

Another man was seen lying on the pavement in Fleet Street after two horses were pictured galloping down the road.

City of London Police said two of the escaped horses have been contained.

The force said officers were waiting for an Army horse box to collect the animals and take them to a vet.

“At around 8.40am, we were called about horses that had become loose and were travelling through the City. Our officers have contained two horses on the Highway near Limehouse.

“We’re waiting for an Army horse box to collect the horses and transport them to veterinary care.”

City of London Police

• Five Household Cavalry horses bolted during exercises on Horse Guards Parade this morning
• Four people have been injured in three separatelocations in central London
• One soldier was thrown from his horse outside the Clermont Hotel in Victoria
• One horse was filmed near Tower Bridge with blood on its neck, chest and legs
• All horses have been recovered - two were caught by police near Limehouse, east London

The Household Cavalry is made up of the two most senior units in the British army: The Life Guards and The Blues & Royals.

The Regiment is divided between the operational unit, equipped with armoured vehicles, and the ceremonial mounted unit, theHousehold Cavalry Mounted Regiment, garrisoned atHyde Park BarracksinLondon.

All members of the Household Cavalry are taught to ride as they will rotate between the operational and ceremonial units throughout their careers.

The Mounted Regiment is often seen in public performingceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions.

Duties include the provision of a Sovereign’s Escort, most commonly seen on The King’s Birthday Parade (better known as ‘Trooping the Colour’) which takes place in June each year.

The Mounted Regiment will also take part in other occasions including state visits by visiting heads of state, royal weddings and coronations.

Whilst every soldier will have been taught to ride, the uniforms worn even when exercising the horses can be heavy and restrictive making control of the horse challenging for less experienced riders.

Big Bus Tours has confirmed that a horse ran into one of its parked buses. The company said none of its staff were injured.

“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.”

Big Bus Tours

The horse that collided with the bus was calmed by pedestrians who petted its nose and led it away from the road.

Tyne Marie, 19, who works for Big Bus Tours, said: “It completely smashed the windscreen while the driver was inside.

“He was not injured but he was very shocked. Apparently they lost control of the horses in Knightsbridge.”

“We were called at 8:25am today (April 24) to reports of a person being thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W.

“We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, and an incident response officer.

“Our first paramedic was on the scene in five minutes.

“The incident is still ongoing and we are working with our emergency services partners.”

Csilla, an employee at a coffee shop in central London’s Strand, witnessed the horses running down Fleet Street, in the direction of St Paul’s Cathedral.

“I saw a white horse running, he was bleeding all over his chest,” she said.

“A few moments later I saw another horse - a black one - running after him. And then a police car went down the road after them.”

Csilla said the horses were running near the pavement and pedestrians were forced to jump out of the way to avoid injury.

“We are aware of a number of horses that are currently loose in central London and are working with colleagues, including the Army, to locate them.”

A witness to the incident on Buckingham Palace Road said a horse bolted across the street into a parked car before galloping away. Bystanders screamed and ran as the animal raced towards them, witnesses claimed.

Bashir Aden, 48, a construction worker, said: “I saw a soldier falling down into the street after the horse ran into a car. One of my colleagues called the police.

“The man hit the floor hard, he was screaming in pain. You could see blood all over the parked car.

“The horses come down this route every day, but today the horse looked stressed or panicked. I saw the horse run away after it hit a bus. People were screaming and running all over.”

Mr Aden, who lives in Canary Wharf, east London, added: “The injuries looked very serious he looked really hurt.”

Pictures show a soldier lying in the street receiving treatment outside the Clermont Hotel in Victoria.

Buckingham Palace Road was closed following the incident with a cordon erected at the scene.

A blue tarpaulin tent was erected while ambulance workers attended to the injured serviceman.

A black horse was seen close to the incident in Victoria, and a silver Mercedes-Benz people carrier had suffered severe damage to its side panel with two of its rear windows smashed.