Several stampeding military horses galloped through the streets of London on Wednesday morning, alarming pedestrians, side-swiping cars and buses and turning an ordinary rush hour into a frightening, almost surreal spectacle.
Four people were treated for injuries, including a soldier who was thrown from one of the horses, the London Ambulance Service said. The horses, which belong to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, a unit that parades in royal parades, are normally well-trained symbols of London’s royal past.
On Wednesday, however, they broke out in a panicked stampede that had more in common with the Wild West. Galloping past some of London’s most famous landmarks – from Buckingham Palace to Tower Bridge – they left a trail of damaged vehicles and shocked pedestrians, some of whom had to dart out of their way.
At 10.30am the Metropolitan Police said all the horses had been recovered and were back at their barracks in Hyde Park. But some had suffered injuries, including a white horse with blood splattered on its neck, chest and front legs.
The drama began shortly after 8 a.m. when the horses, apparently spooked by noise from a nearby construction site, threw off the military riders who were taking them for routine exercise. Pictures showed one of the soldiers being treated as he lay on the ground on Buckingham Palace Road.
Video footage captured a pair of riderless horses galloping in Aldwych, a stately area in central London. Their hooves clattered in the shadows of tall stone buildings as passersby scattered, buses jerked to a stop and cars honked their horns. The white horse, which wore a saddle and stirrups with its reins flying behind it, was later captured on video galloping near Tower Bridge.
Other photos showed the results of unexpected encounters between animals and a busy urban landscape: a double-decker tour bus with a broken windshield and a gray Mercedes van with a dented door and broken rear windows.
As the incident unfolded, newspapers and broadcasters began broadcasting live coverage, briefly taking over much of the city. The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “We are aware of a number of horses currently at large in central London and are working with colleagues, including the military, to locate them.”
Shortly before 10am, the City of London Police said its officers had rounded up two of the horses near Limehouse, an area bordering the city’s docklands. That indicated they had passed through central London, from Westminster through Covent Garden and past the financial district.
“We are waiting for a horse box from the army to pick up the horses and take them to veterinary care,” city police said in a statement.
An army spokesman told The Daily Telegraph that the horses had been recovered and returned to camp, but added: “A number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving appropriate medical attention.”
The Household Cavalry – made up of the two highest ranking units in the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals – is a common sight at royal parades. They attended King Charles III’s coronation last May and the state funeral of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.
The cavalry’s horses are trained to be comfortable on busy streets and around people, making Wednesday’s incident extremely unusual.
Tourists often pose for photos next to the horses as they stand guard outside the Horse Guards Parade, a ceremonial parade ground in Whitehall, north of Downing Street. The soldiers astride them only occasionally scold the tourists for getting too close or otherwise disturbing the animals.