London runaway horse in serious condition undergoes operation as cavalry inspection takes place – live

Vets cannot be certain whether two of the horses that ran loose in London will ever go back into service.

An Army spokesman said: “We are hoping that both these horses make a recovery. Whether they will recover enough to return to official duties, it’s too early to know for sure.

“But they’ve been given the best veterinary treatment possible and remain under close supervision.

“Vida was the most visibly injured and the pictures of the horse running through London soaked in blood were horrifying. Vida was operated on overnight and is currently in stables at the Hyde Park Barracks under observation.”

Quaker was also operated on overnight but it was decided to move the horse to an equine hospital in the early hours for more specialist treatment.

“The extent of the injuries is not completely clear but we don’t believe at this stage there are any broken bones,” the spokesman said.

“The blood seen on Vida (the grey horse) was consistent with lacerations.”

Animal-rights campaigners said the horses should not be used by the military, and they called for them to be allowed to act out their natural behaviour, including running free.

A petition for the horses to go to a sanctuary has attracted more than 10,000 names.

A map of where the animals went:

Army chiefs have revealed the names of four of the horses that broke loose: Vida, Trojan, Quaker and Tennyson.

Vida was the grey horse seen bleeding while galloping through central London, alongside black horse Trojan.

The Army said one of those operated on had been taken to an equine hospital.

A group of seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry were on an extended exercise in Belgravia on Wednesday when they were spooked by builders moving rubble.

The statement said: “Of the seven horses which were spooked, five tried to bolt, and four, Vida, Trojan, Quaker and Tennyson, broke loose. Two of the injured horses were operated on last night, with one transferred to an equine hospital. All remaining horses are being closely observed.”

Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the horses to be sent to a sanctuary.

The UK’s oldest equine charity has offered to rehome the runaway Household Cavalry horses should they be unable to return to military duty, The Independent can reveal.

Five people were injured after seven service horses — one of which was covered in blood — ran riot through central London on Wednesday, smashing into cars, buses and bringing parts of the capital to a standstill.

“There were five horses. They have all been recovered. Three of them are fine, two of them are unfortunately in a relatively serious condition and obviously we will be monitoring that condition,” the defence minister James Cartlidge told Sky News this morning.

Read the full article from Emma Guinness here:

Two of the five Household Cavalry horses that rampaged through central London suffered serious injuries but are still alive, according to a minister.

But what is the Household Cavalry? The Independent takes a look below

Read the full article from Alexander Butler here:

In an update on social media, the British army said that all three soldiers that were thrown from their horses are expected to make a full recovery. A fourth soldier was also forced to dismount but suffered no injuries.