Two horses serious after London rampage: Minister

Two of the five military horses that rampaged through central London on Wednesday (24) are reaportedly in serious condition, according to media reports.

The horses belong to the Household Cavalry, which acts as the British monarch's official bodyguard and takes part in ceremonial duties.

The horses broke loose during a morning exercise after they were spooked by the sound of building work.

The chaos erupted around 8.40 am when a group of seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry based at Hyde Park barracks were on an extended exercise in Belgravia.

The runaway horses, including one white horse drenched in blood, ran through the rush-hour streets of the capital.

They smashed into several vehicles, including a double-decker tour bus and a Mercedes-Benz people carrier, leaving four people injured.

By 10.30 am, all horses were recovered and returned to Hyde Park barracks.

Defence minister James Cartlidge told Sky News, “Three of them are fine, two of them are unfortunately in a relatively serious condition.” He said they were still alive and confirmed their names, Vida and Quaker.

The minister described the incident as an “exceptional situation”, adding that more than 150 army horses are on exercise in London every day.

Three soldiers were among those injured with a British Army spokesperson saying they were taken to hospital.

Pictures and videos of the horses were shared on social media, with a black horse colliding into a taxi and another smashing the windscreen of a double-decker bus.