Five Household Cavalry horses, including one soaked with blood, have run loose in central London after throwing their military riders during their morning exercise.
At least one soldier was injured after the spooked horses smashed into cars outside the Clermont Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria.
Commuters said they heard the soldier screaming in pain after they saw him fall from his horse when the animal ran into a car.
The horses were spooked during their daily morning exercise on Horse Guards Parade, in Whitehall, at around 8.40am.
One of the horses has also seemingly ran into a double-decker bus, smashing its windscreen, while another reportedly crashed into a black cab.
Emergency services rushed to the help the injured soldier, who was seen being treated on the road.
A horse soaked in blood was seen galloping through the streets of London in terrifying scenes on Wednesday morning
Five blood-soaked Household Cavalry horses have run loose in central London after throwing their military riders during an exercise
At least one soldier was injured after a spooked horse smashed into cars outside the Clermont Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria
The horses were pursued by a police car before they were finally caught by officers on the Highway near Limehouse
Shocked drivers paused to film the blood-soaked horse run past
The distressed animals are now waiting to be picked up by the Army
One of the horses has also seemingly ran into a double-decker bus, smashing its windscreen
Bashir Aden, 48, a construction worker, told The Telegraph: ‘I saw a soldier falling down into the street after the horse ran into a car. One of my colleagues called the police.
‘The man hit the floor hard, he was screaming in pain. You could see blood all over the parked car.’
A silver Mercedes-Benz people carrier was also hit by another horse, with damage to its side and two rear windows broken.
Buckingham Palace Road was closed after the shocking incident and a cordon was put in place.
A blue tarpaulin tent has been put up around the injured soldier.
The horses ran through the streets of Victoria and got as far east as Aldwych before they were calmed and contained by police on the Highway near Limehouse.
Officers are now waiting for Army horseboxes to take the animals away.
A woman who saw the horse crash into the Mercedes told LBC: ‘One of the horses hit the Mercedes van and the rider was on it, fell back on this little middle bit of the road and the other woman lost control of her horse and she managed to grab the railings.
‘The horses were injured obviously from the glasses that they had broken. [The injured soldier] was laying there on the ground. He looked like he hurt himself pretty bad. It was terrible.’
Buckingham Palace Road was closed after the shocking incident and a cordon was put in place
Two of the horses were seen galloping through the streets of London covered in blood
Londoners were seen avoiding one of the horses as it ran along the pavement. One horse reportedly ran into a black cab
It is unclear whose blood has covered the horses
Passersby were shocked to see the incident unfold
The horses were running at some pace after the became spooked while exercising
Members of the public were seen comforting one of the horses after it ran loose
The Met Police said: ‘We are aware of a number of horses that are currently loose in central London and are working with colleagues, including the Army, to locate them.’
The City of London Police said: ‘At around 8.40am, we were called about horses that had became loose and were travelling through the City.
‘Our officers have contained two horses on the Highway near Limehouse. We’re waiting for an Army horse box to collect the horses and transport them to veterinary care.’
London Ambulance Service said: ‘We were called at 8.25am today to reports of a person being thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W.
‘We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, and an incident response officer.
‘Our first paramedic was on the scene in five minutes.
‘The incident is still ongoing and we are working with our emergency services partners.’
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
