Soldiers among four injured after loose Army horses bolt through central London

Three soldiers were among four people who were injured after several Household Cavalry horses bolted and ran loose through the streets of central London.

Four soldiers were thrown off their horses during an extended exercise in Belgravia, with one horse pictured covered in blood galloping through the city.

Lieutenant Colonel Matt Woodward, the Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, issued a video update in which he said the three injured soldiers were being treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

He said the horses were also safe, and were undergoing veterinary care back in barracks.

The animals bolted after being spooked by the noise of builders moving rubble down a rubbish chute.

Witnesses saw one soldier being thrown from his horse, while one of the loose horses smashed into a taxi waiting outside a hotel.

Speaking to LBC, the driver said a grey horse collided with his Mercedes people carrier, leaving blood splattered down the side.

Two horses were seen running in the road near Aldwych, one of which appeared to be covered in blood, and later near the Limehouse tunnel – five miles from where the incident began – before being caught by officers from the City of London Police.

A horse also crashed into a parked double-decker tour bus, smashing the windscreen, and one collided with a taxi, but no-one was hurt in those incidents.

One man, a worker for tour bus company Tootbus, described the chaotic scenes near Victoria, saying: "I saw horses come from the bus station in front of Victoria run around in a frenzy.

"People were running around to avoid them – it was total mayhem."

An Army spokesperson said: "A number of military working horses became loose during routine exercise this morning.

"All of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp.

"A number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving the appropriate medical attention."

And in a post on X, Lt Col Woodward expressed his "heartfelt gratitude for the swift responses" from both the police, ambulance services and the public for reacting as quickly as they did.

"This enabled swift treatment of our soldiers and helped us to bring our injured horses to safety," he said.

"Three of our soldiers have incurred injuries which are not deemed to be life-threatening and they're receiving treatment in hospital while our hoses have all returned to Hyde Park Barracks and are undergoing veterinary care.

"Thankfully, considering the frequency of exercise and numbers of horses involved, this type of incident is extremely rare and we continue to strive to minimise the risk of this recurring."

The London Ambulance Service said it had treated four people across three separate incidents in Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square and the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street, after the horses ran amok.

The Household Cavalry is a union of the two most senior regiments in the British Army – The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals.

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, based at Hyde Park Barracks in Knightsbridge, is the ceremonial face of the regiment, conducting regular mounted state and public duties.