Army horse injured after getting loose and bolting through London returns to service
An Army horse that was injured after galloping loose through the streets of central London earlier this year has returned to service.
Vida bolted after being spooked by builders moving rubble while he was on an extended exercise with six other horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry.
Equine charity The Horse Trust, which cared for the animal in Buckinghamshire, announced that Vida had returned to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) "after five months of respite".
According to the charity, Vida was given the time and space to recover both physically and emotionally and was often seen "rolling happily in the mud".
Three of the four other HCMR horses involved – Tennyson, Trojan and Vanquish – took part in Trooping the Colour in June after making "swift and successful" recoveries.
Jeanette Allen, chief executive of The Horse Trust, said: "It's been our honour to give Vida a place of respite and recovery.
"Vida has come to hold a particular place in our hearts, he's been a joy to care for, partly as we don't have to groom that muddy monster for parade!
"He's had a lovely time, and we are extremely proud of him as he sets off back to his role in the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment."
In June, animal rights group Peta had written to the HCMR's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mathew Woodward, calling for all five horses involved in the incident to be retired permanently.
Kate Werner, Peta's senior campaigns manager, wrote: "Tradition is never an excuse for animal suffering, and each horse deserves to live free from the stress they endure when paraded through a busy, loud capital city with a human on their back, all for the amusement of noisy, unpredictable crowds."
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