Three Royal horses bolted in central London yesterday (July 1), marking the second time this has happened in three months.
The event occurred on Monday morning during a routine exercise when the lead horse, being led rather than ridden, was startled by a bus, according to a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
This caused two riders to be unseated, resulting in their horses also breaking free. At the time, six horses and five soldiers were conducting the exercise.
“They were swiftly and safely recovered,” an Army spokesperson assured. “One horse received minor injuries, but no further treatment is required and there were no injuries to the soldiers involved.”
By 9:55AM local time, all horses were safely returned to Hyde Park Barracks.
The animals had bolted from Seville Street to South Eaton Place in Belgravia, where one horse was recovered. The other two continued to Vauxhall Bridge before being stopped.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed their involvement, stating: “We’re aware that a number of horses were loose in central London and worked with the Army to locate them. We're pleased to confirm that all of the horses have been accounted for. We are continuing to liaise with the Army.”
Footage shared by a taxi driver on X (formerly known as Twitter) showed one of the horses running into a car while another trailed behind.
This follows a similar event that occurred back in April when reports detailed scenes of panic as several Royal horses broke free in London.
Images and videos quickly surfaced on social media, showing two riderless horses, one of which appeared to be covered in blood.
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) confirmed that four people were hospitalized due to the incident. Injuries were reported in various locations across central London, including Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street.
According to the Telegraph, three soldiers were assessed for injuries at a hospital, though none are thought to be serious.
The incident began when five horses named Vida, Trojan, Quaker, Tennyson, and Vanquish, from the Household Cavalry bolted after throwing off their riders during a morning exercise in Belgravia.
The horses were reportedly spooked by builders moving rubble nearby.
All five horses, including the two seen in social media footage, were safely recovered.
The injuries to the white horse were reportedly sustained after it ran into a Mercedes. Faraz, the owner of the car, told LBC: "I was just sitting by the car with my passenger. I didn’t see the horse hit my car; I was like, smashed senseless.
"People just came by my car to check ‘are you ok’. It was just like a smash, his head hit it very hard and then [went] down. I saw about three, four horses, and I think it was the white horse which hit my car."
Images of the Mercedes show blood droplets on the rear door, a significant dent, and a smashed window.
Quaker and Vida required surgery but were expected to fully recover, while Trojan, Tennyson, and Vanquish returned to duty after recuperating at The Horse Trust in Chiltern Hills.
Trojan, Tennyson, and Vanquish participated in Trooping the Colour last month.
"Tennyson will be riding in the prestigious Sovereign’s Escort at the rear rank of the second division on Saturday’s King’s Birthday Parade," the Army noted on its website ahead of the June 15 celebrations.
"Trojan and Vanquish will also be back in the public eye as part of The King’s Life Guard at Horse Guards, providing the ceremonial guard for the official entrance to the Royal Palaces on this, the most important date in the Royal Calendar," the release added.
"Tennyson will be ridden by Corporal of Horse Harvey, the Life Guards Squadron Equitation Instructor and the most experienced rider in the division, to give the horse extra confidence on this, his first major parade since the incident in April," the statement concluded.
.jpeg_IzTkO0?tr=h-40)
.jpeg_syuc5a?tr=h-40)
.jpeg_TLJ45i?tr=h-40)
.jpeg_IzTkO0?tr=h-184)
.jpeg_syuc5a?tr=h-184)
.jpeg_TLJ45i?tr=h-184)