Reign it in! Moment Royal Horse Artillery soldier expertly controls panicked horse near Hyde Park following gun salutes for King Charles
A soldier of the Household Cavalry averted a crisis on Monday by skillfully controlling a panicked horse that had been spooked by nearby gun salutes marking the second anniversary of King Charles’ accession to the throne.
The mounted soldier, a member of The Blues and Royals (formerly The Royal Horse Guards), managed to bring her horse back into line when it stopped, but then swerved to the left after the gunfire in Hyde Park.
By the time the procession approached the park’s Apsley Gate, the wayward horse had been brought back into formation, much to the relief of the soldier and bystanders.
On Monday 9 September, two years after King Charles ascended to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8 September 2022, a 41-gun salute took place in Hyde Park.
The soldier’s calm and control of her horse prevented a repeat of the terrifying scene on April 24, when five horses from the Household Cavalry ran through central London after being spooked.
Today a horse was seen turning left in panic after being startled by nearby gun salutes marking the second anniversary of King Charles’ accession to the throne
The horse broke out of formation and appeared to be heading toward the source of the sound
A British Army spokesman confirmed in April that the animals were “scared of the construction work” when “building materials were thrown from great heights”.
Six soldiers and seven horses of the Life Guards were given an extended Watering Order, an exercise to maintain the condition of animals not involved in the public duties of the King’s Life Guard.
However, the animals were startled during the exercise and fled through the city. Five people, including three soldiers riding the horses, were injured in three separate incidents during the six-mile rampage that lasted two hours.
Bystanders said one of the Household Cavalry soldiers was heard “screaming in pain” after he was thrown from his horse when it hit a car near the Clermont Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road in Victoria.
They were eventually caught in Limehouse, East London. The white horse was held by several officers at the side of the road, began bleeding on the road and was treated by vets at the scene.
The injured horses were taken to a veterinarian and all the animals were returned to the army camp.
According to the Metropolitan Police, all the horses had been captured and found by 10.30am.
Images of two horses captured outside Gordon House on the Glamis Estate in Limehouse, east London, appeared to show the white horse had suffered a broken leg.
The mounted soldier remained calm as she attempted to regain control of the startled horse and get it back in line
For a moment it looked as if the horse would bolt from the procession
The horse was still covered in blood, its left hind leg was bandaged and the animal did not appear to want to walk on it.
Police worked with soldiers to restrain the horses before placing them in an army truck.
According to reports, the animals were calm and motionless when police reached them.
The white horse was held by several officers on the side of the road. The road was covered in blood and it was treated by veterinarians on the spot.
Footage shows the animal bleeding profusely from its back leg as police gather to stem the flow of blood.
Builder Tom Cahill watched the horses being collected by the army around 9:30am.
He said, ‘The horses stopped and the police caught up with them.
It looked like the white horse had broken its leg.
The mounted soldier remained calm as she tried to get the horse back in line
‘At first there were only a few police officers, but later they called in the army.
‘After they took the horses, they tried to clean up all the blood, but they didn’t have enough water.
‘There was so much blood they had to call the fire department to clean it up.
‘At first there were only a few police officers, but later they called in the army.
‘After they took the horses, they tried to clean up all the blood, but they didn’t have enough water – there was so much blood.
“They asked us, but we had nothing, so they had to call the fire department.”
Many residents of Gordon House saw the commotion as they went to school to drop off their children.
Others had no idea the horses had been found so close. “I thought it looked familiar in the videos!” said one man.
Junaid Ahmed said he saw the scene from his bedroom window. He said: ‘It was so sad – I’ve seen pets and all that blood dripping on the street…I just hope he’s okay.
By the time the procession reached Apsley Gate in Hyde Park, the horses were back in formation
“I even saw some police officers crying while they were treating the horse.”
It is believed the builders were using a conveyor belt of concrete as the horses passed through Wilton Crescent in Belgravia at 8.40am.
Some of the concrete came loose and fell to the floor, causing a bang, which startled the horses and five of them ran away.
Four soldiers were thrown from their saddles and three were wounded and taken to hospital. None are in mortal danger.