Military horses run loose again in central London

Military horses have once again run loose in central London, marking the second such incident since April. On Monday morning, three horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment broke free from their riders while six were exercising, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The horses were quickly and safely recovered and returned to Hyde Park Barracks by the Army and Metropolitan Police by 09:55 BST. One horse sustained minor injuries, but no soldiers were harmed. In a similar incident in April, four other military horses were spooked by noise from a building site in Belgravia. The Army reported that one horse had minor injuries. A black cab driver captured part of the drama on his dashcam. The latest incident occurred when the lead horse, which was being led rather than ridden, became spooked by a London bus. This caused two riders to be unseated from their horses, which also became loose. Dashcam footage from a black cab driver showed the animals bolting from Seville Street to South Eaton Place, where one horse was recovered. The other two horses continued to Vauxhall Bridge via Belgrave Road before being stopped. The MoD confirmed that none of the three horses involved in this incident were part of the previous bolting event in April. Jack Hanbury, a 30-year-old finance worker from Battersea, was cycling to work when he heard the distinctive sound of hooves galloping along the pavement. He was traveling from Chelsea towards Hyde Park when he saw the three horses about 100 meters away. 'I pulled off the road to get out of their way,' Hanbury said. 'One of the horses veered onto a kerb to avoid traffic and fell over, hitting the hard ground and sliding for at least a meter before getting up and continuing. It's the last thing you'd expect to encounter on your way to work in the morning. ' An Army spokesperson confirmed, 'While exercising this morning, three horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment became loose from their riders. They were swiftly and safely recovered. One horse received minor injuries, but no further treatment is required, and there were no injuries to the soldiers involved. ' A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police added, 'We are aware that a number of horses were loose in central London and worked with the Army to locate them. We are pleased to confirm that all of the horses have been accounted for. We are continuing to liaise with the Army.