- Horses bolted through the city after being spooked by rubble on April 24
Three military horses who were left covered in blood after bolting through London are likely taking part in Trooping the Colour after making a ‘remarkable’ recovery.
Two horses bolted after being spooked by rubble being dropped through a plastic tunnel while on an exercise in Belgravia on April 24.
Images of the frightened horses covered in blood galloping through the capital were broadcast worldwide.
The Life Guards soldiers and five Military Working Horses that were injured in the incident ‘are continuing to make remarkable progress in their recovery’, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) said.
Three of the horses injured – Trojan, Tennyson, and Vanquish – are back on duty and ‘against all expectations, are looking likely to take part in the King’s Birthday Parade on June 15,’ the regiment said.
The celebration, held on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, will be attended by the King after he returned to public-facing duties.
Charles will inspect the soldiers from a carriage rather than on horseback, it is understood.
The remaining two injured horses – Vida and Quaker – are ‘enjoying a summer holiday’ in the country but look set to return to work in due course.
Three of the injured soldiers are back on duty and two are continuing to convalesce, but are also expected to make a full return to service.
Service personnel were thrown from their horses when the animals got loose. The horses smashed into vehicles, including a double-decker bus, and caused a number of injuries.
Ambulance crews treated four people in three separate incidents in Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square and at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street, in the space of 10 minutes.
Once Trojan, Tennyson, and Vanquish were well enough to travel after the incident, they were sent for respite at The Horse Trust in the Chilterns until they were fit to return to London.
On the same day that Trojan, Tennyson, and Vanquish left the Chilterns to return to Hyde Park Barracks, Vida and Quaker – the two most severely injured horses – were pronounced fit to travel and arrived at The Horse Trust for their respite care, having been discharged from veterinary care in London, the Army said.
Vida and Quaker ‘made a remarkable physical recovery and showed great enthusiasm and joy upon their arrival at The Horse Trust, galloping into fresh pastures’.
Cavalry Grey Vida, who was seen covered in blood galloping through central London, ‘wasted no time in turning from white to brown as he rolled in the grass’.
‘The horses appeared bright and in good spirits, clearly displaying a close bond with each other and the soldiers who accompanied them,’ the Army said.
‘The facility offers a serene environment for relaxation, ensuring each horse receives personalised and attentive care.’
The horses will remain with The Horse Trust for as long as they need before being assessed for their suitability to return to work.
Jeanette Allen, chief executive officer at The Horse Trust, said: ‘It has been a privilege to provide these wonderful horses with the space and time needed to fully recover.
‘It’s been so lovely to see Trojan, Tennyson and Vanquish enjoying such a relaxing break and now we have Vida and Quaker already loving their time here.
‘All five horses are much younger than our regular Service residents and seeing them running, rolling and generally having fun after such a challenging experience, is a real joy.’
Lieutenant Colonel Mathew Woodward, Commanding Officer HCMR said: ‘All five of the horses injured during the incident are recovering with remarkable speed and it is very likely that Trojan, Tennyson and Vanquish will participate in the King’s Birthday Parade later this month.
‘The remaining two, Vida and Quaker, are enjoying a summer holiday in the Chilterns thanks to The Horse Trust.
‘They are expected to make a full recovery and we look forward to seeing them back on duty in due course.
‘Of the two most seriously injured soldiers, one is continuing his recovery at home and the other at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Stanford Hall.
‘They are both considered likely to return to military service in the fullness of time.’
Six soldiers and seven horses from the Life Guards were on an extended Watering Order, an exercise to keep up the fitness of animals not involved in the public-facing King’s Life Guard duties.
But the animals were startled during the exercise and they fled through the city leaving five people, including three soldiers riding the horses, injured in three separate incidents during the six-mile rampage that lasted two hours.
Onlookers said one of the Household Cavalry soldiers was left ‘screaming in pain’ after he was thrown from his horse when it struck a car by the Clermont Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria.
They were finally caught in Limehouse, east London. Held at the side of the road by several officers, the white horse began bleeding out onto the road and was treated by vets at the scene.
Footage of two horses being caught outside Gordon House on the Glamis Estate in Limehouse, east London, appeared to show that the white horse had broken its leg.
Still drenched in blood, the horse’s back left leg was bandaged and the animal seemed unwilling to walk on it.
The police worked with soldiers to contain the horses before moving them into an Army horsebox.
The animals were reportedly calm and stationary by the time the police reached them.
Held at the side of the road by several officers, the white horse bled all over the road and was treated by vets at the scene.
Footage shows it bleeding profusely from its back leg as police gathered around to stem the flow.
As they passed through Wilton Crescent in Belgravia at 8.40am, it is believed builders were using a travelator with concrete when some of the concrete came off and hit the floor, causing a noise.
This is thought to have caused the horses to spook. Five bolted and two remained in place. Four soldiers were unseated and three were injured and taken to hospital. None are in a life-threatening condition.
One of the horses seemingly ran into a double-decker bus, smashing its windscreen, while another reportedly crashed into a black cab.
Emergency services rushed to help the injured soldier, who was seen being treated on the road.