Military Horses Break Loose in Central London, Causing Chaos and Injuries

In a startling incident during a routine morning exercise, several military horses broke free and galloped through central London, resulting in chaos and injuries to four individuals. Witnesses, taken aback by the unexpected spectacle, described scenes of “total mayhem” as the runaway horses, with one particularly striking white horse visibly drenched in blood, bolted through the streets teeming with rush-hour traffic.

The commotion unfolded near Aldwych, where two horses were observed darting through the roads. One of the horses collided with a parked taxi outside the Clermont Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, shattering the windows of the Mercedes people carrier, while another horse crashed into a parked double-decker tour bus, causing damage to its windscreen.

The incident occurred during an extended exercise involving a group of seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry stationed at Hyde Park barracks. At around 8:40 am, chaos erupted in Belgravia as four service personnel were forcefully thrown from their mounts, leading to five horses breaking loose.

Despite the initial pandemonium, all of the runaway animals were eventually contained. Two of them were apprehended near Limehouse Tunnel, approximately five miles away, with images and videos circulating on social media depicting a black 4×4 vehicle with blue lights in pursuit of the horses between Tower Bridge and the tunnel.

The London ambulance service received multiple distress calls from different locations reporting injuries caused by the horses. These incidents included a person being thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road, two injuries near Belgrave Square, and another at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street, resulting in a total of four individuals being hospitalized.

Witnesses shared accounts of the alarming scenes they witnessed during the ordeal. Roland, near Victoria, described how the horses charged through the area, causing people to scatter in panic. Bus worker Mahmood recounted the moment when one of the horses collided with a bus, setting off a chain reaction of chaos.

Cab drivers Robbie and Sean provided harrowing tales of narrowly avoiding collisions with the rampaging horses near Buckingham Palace, with Robbie describing the fear of protecting his passengers amidst the chaos. Bashir Aden, a construction worker, witnessed a soldier falling to the ground after a horse struck a car, while Megan Morra, a pedestrian, expressed distress at witnessing the injuries sustained by the animals.

An army spokesperson acknowledged the incident, confirming that all horses had been safely recovered and returned to camp. Both personnel and horses affected by the incident were receiving appropriate medical attention.