Military horses run loose in London, police recover them later

In several social media videos and images of the event which have gone viral, a black and a blood-soaked white horse could be seen running around Whitehall and Victoria.

According to reports, four people were injured in the incident.

Witnesses reported seeing a soldier falling to the ground, while an army spokesperson confirmed that a number of personnel and horses had been injured and were receiving medical attention, reported The Independent.

Officers of the City of London police later caught the horses and brought the situation under control.

The horses reportedly damaged several vehicles as they ran on the streets of the British capital.

Westminster Police  posted on X: "We're pleased to confirm that all of the horses have been accounted for. We are continuing to liaise with the Army."

Roland, a worker for tour bus company, Toot Bus, told The Indepnendent the scene was “total mayhem”.

“I saw horses come from the bus station in front of Victoria run around in a frenzy,” he said.

Army confirmed five horses were running loose in the city.

An Army spokesman has just told the BBC that five Household Cavalry horses were running loose in London earlier today.

All five horses have since been recovered. Two appear to be injured, but all of them are being assessed by a vet, BBC reported.

A witness said she felt distressed seeing a horse covered in blood.

“There was a lot of blood," she told BBC. “I was a bit distressed to be honest, looking at the poor horse."

She added: “At the time I was really confused but it felt like something chaotic was happening as there were police officers or potentially security guards sprinting down the middle of Buckingham Palace Road.

Why did the horses start to run?

According to reports, the horses were spooked by noise from nearby building works and then they started to run in the city.