Three soldiers are in hospital and a fourth person injured after Household Cavalry horses rampaged through central London smashing into cars, a taxi and a bus.
A group of seven horses and six soldiers were on an extended exercise in Belgravia on Wednesday morning when chaos erupted.
Four service personnel were thrown from their horses and five of the animals got loose, smashing into vehicles and causing a number of injuries.
The animals were spooked by the noise of builders moving concrete, causing them to bolt and unseat the riders, according to reports.
An Army spokesperson later confirmed that three soldiers were hospitalised and that the horses were receiving veterinary care.
“Our horses have all returned to Hyde Park Barracks and are undergoing veterinary care,” said the spokesperson.
“Three soldiers are in hospital receiving treatment – their injuries are not deemed to be life threatening.”
A fourth soldier who was thrown from their horse was unharmed.
Two horses, still wearing saddles, were filmed racing down Aldwych during the incident of “total mayhem” and in one clip the pair were seen being followed by an unmarked police car.
Two were caught by police some six miles away in Limehouse.
A soldier was also reportedly lying in the street receiving help near the Clermont Hotel and emergency services were spotted on Buckingham Palace Road in Victoria.
The drama began near Buckingham Palace Road where witnesses saw a serviceman thrown from his horse, and one of the loose animals crashed into a taxi waiting outside the Clermont Hotel, shattering the windows.
Another of the animals crashed into a tour bus, smashing the windscreen.
The London Ambulance Service said it received three horse-related calls.
The LAS said they were called at 8:25am on Wednesday to reports of a person being thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road.
Ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, and an incident response officer were sent to the scene, with the first paramedic arriving in five minutes.
The patient was taken to hospital and Buckingham Palace Road was shut while the incident was dealt with.
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.
Construction worker Bashir Aden said he saw a horse bolt across the street into a parked car before galloping away on Buckingham Palace Road.
The 48-year-old told the Telegraph: “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.”
A silver Mercedes Benz people carrier was also damaged with two of its rear windows smashed.
A witness told LBC: “I saw the horses come charging down…the horses hit the Mercedes van. The rider on it feel back [into the middle of the road].“The other woman lost control of the horse and she managed to grab the railings.”
They added: “The other horse charged down and hit one of the buses, smashed the whole front of the windscreen. The horses were injured from the glass.”
Meanwhile a black cab driver told BBC London they saw three horses gallop towards Buckingham Palace.
He said: “It sounded like a car crash, one was possible injured.
“Maybe that is why there are only two being seen.
“I pulled out of Buckingham Palace Road, there one of the riders was on the road on his back being tended to.
“There was a Mercedes Vito parked outside the Grosvenor Hotel with its side smashed in and covered in blood.
“All the windows were smashed so I am guessing the white horse has hit that running into it.”
Five Household Cavalry horses bolted during exercises on Horse Guards Parade.
Two of the animals were spotted galloping past Aldwych House in Holborn.
One witness told the Standard: “I saw them on East Smithfield, near St Katharine’s Docks. They were racing down Eastwards. At first, it was difficult to see if someone was riding them.
“It was only when they approached me that I saw that they were alone. The white horse has blood all over and they both looked spooked.
“It was a frightening sight for them and for everyone else.”
Another witness told the Standard they saw the animals “running past cars and an unmarked range rover following them” near Tower Bridge.
It is understood one of the horses hit a taxi and a bus.
Csilla, who works at a coffee shop in the Strand, witnessed the horses running down Fleet Street, in the direction of St Paul’s Cathedral.
She told the Telegraph: “I saw a white horse running, he was bleeding all over his chest.
“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.”
She described how pedestrians were forced to jump out of the way to avoid being injured by the animals as they ran close to the pavement.
Big Bus Tours confirmed that a horse ran into one of its parked buses. None of its staff were injured.
A statement 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.”
The City of London confirmed that officers contained two runaway horses on the Highway near Limehouse.
Chief Inspector James Minney said: “At around 8.40 we were called about horses that had became 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.”
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.
A spokesperson previously told the Standard: “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.”
In a video statement posted on X, Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Matt Woodward said the unit exercises around 150 horses on the roads and in parks every morning, partly to help desensitise them to city noise.
“This morning, however, a small group of horses were spooked by some construction works on a quiet side road in Belgravia where building materials were dropped from height right next to them. The ensuing shock caused all horses to bolt and unseated some riders,” he said.
After thanking the emergency services and the public for their help, he added: “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.
“As ever we are grateful for due consideration given by the members of the public to not making loud noises around our horses.”
