LONDON: Two of the five British Army horses that broke loose in central London on Wednesday (Apr 24) and galloped through the streets at rush hour are in a “serious condition”, a minister said on Thursday.
“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,” defence minister James Cartlidge told Sky News.
The British Army later wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the injured horses, named Vida and Quaker, were operated on late on Wednesday, with one transferred to an equine hospital.
The other horses involved are “being closely observed” but are expected to return to duty “in due course”, it added.
Seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise in Belgravia, near the regiment’s barracks off Hyde Park, when the chaos erupted on Wednesday morning.
Four service personnel were thrown from their horses, with five of the animals getting loose, reportedly after they were spooked by concrete being moved by builders hitting the ground.
Two horses then ran along busy roads, dodging buses, taxis and other traffic.
Three of the unseated soldiers were taken to hospital but all are expected to make a full recovery, the army tweeted on Thursday.
