(London) British army horses specializing in royal parades escaped Wednesday morning in central London after being spooked by roadworks, injuring at least four people, crashing into vehicles and causing mayhem before being controlled.
Londoners watched, stunned, by surreal scenes: horses galloping frantically, one covered in blood, on the avenues of the capital, overtaking motorists, crashing into taxis and buses and frightening cyclists.
The incident occurred not far from Buckingham Palace during an outing of a group of seven horses from the Household Cavalry, an elite unit which notably ensures the protection of the royal family and participates in various ceremonies.
Their soldiers belong to the Life Guards regiment, well known to tourists and renowned for the red tunics and white feathers that adorn their helmets.
These riders notably participate in the birthday parade of the British monarch traditionally organized in June.
“A number of army horses escaped during a routine exercise this morning,” an army spokesperson confirmed.
“All the horses were recovered and brought back to camp. A number of staff and horses have been injured and are receiving appropriate medical treatment,” he added.
Ambulance services said they intervened around 8:25 a.m. local time (3:25 a.m. Eastern time) to assist a person who had fallen from a horse near Buckingham Palace, an area where the stables of several prestigious regiments are located and where the view Horse patrols are common.
In total, ambulances were sent to three different locations and transported four people to hospital.
Falling concrete
According to the army, the animals were frightened by a falling piece of concrete carried by a crane and five of them then galloped off, throwing four riders to the ground, three of whom were injured.
Their lives are not in danger.
According to testimonies reported by the British media, an animal violently collided with a Mercedes taxi parked in front of a luxury hotel.
In front of the dented vehicle, the windows broken, and covered in drops of blood, the driver, Faraz, explained to the LBC channel that he felt a violent shock then saw “three or four horses” galloping away.
Buses were also damaged.
Another taxi driver, Robbie, told the BBC he saw them coming up behind him as he was driving.
“I looked in the rearview mirror and saw them coming right behind me, and at that time I had two customers in the back, so I was worried about them,” he explained .
“Luckily they moved to the middle of the road and kept going, but they were going fast.”
Police said they had subdued two of the escaped animals in the Limehouse district, more than eight kilometers east of Buckingham Palace.
In a statement, Inspector Myles Hilbery, of the City of London Police, praised the “courageous actions” of his officers in intervening and “avoiding further harm and suffering to horses and members of the public”.
Two agents thus found themselves having to calm the horses while waiting for the army to recover them.
In the process, animal protection associations called for an end to using horses for this type of parade, believing, like the British NGO Animal Justice Project on X, that “horses do not belong to us”.
reference: www.lapresse.ca