SARAH VINE: The rampage of the Household Cavalry steeds is a brutal reminder that nature can never truly be tamed – but that doesn’t mean we should set them ‘free’

The melancholic sounds of the Rolling Stones’ Wild Horses (from the 1971 album Sticky Fingers) have been haunting my head all week, ever since five Household Cavalry steeds were frightened by construction work on a Belgravia country house on their morning run and ran amok through London.

Three soldiers and a cyclist were injured after the animals threw their riders and galloped through the urban jungle, crashing into a row of parked e-scooters, a taxi and a bus. The subsequent scenes, shared widely on social media, looked like a cross between that Lloyds Bank advert and a Quentin Tarantino film.

The people were taken to hospital and, as far as I know, are recovering. But two of the poor creatures were seriously injured: a gray named Vida and a black horse named Quaker.

In their panic, they traveled nearly ten miles before being arrested, bloodied and exhausted, in Limehouse, east London.

Despite the damage to both humans and animals, there was something incredibly poignant about the whole incident; a reminder that nature, even in such an unforgiving urban environment, can never truly be tamed.

Their fate also appeals to the public’s imagination. There isn’t one person I’ve spoken to this week who hasn’t expressed concern about the horses, and the fallout from the incident continues to shape opinions online and on air.

Some have inevitably used it as an excuse to cause trouble. Peter Tatchell, patron of Animal Aid and supporter of Animal Defenders International, stated that ‘these horses are being held captive as animal slaves to serve the Royal Household Cavalry’, adding: ‘LET THEM FREE!’

But that’s just politics – and ignorance. The idea that these animals are somehow abused or ‘enslaved’ is absurd: no creature on this planet could be more loved or respected than a Household Cavalry horse.

The truth is that, more than a century after these animals ceased to be a familiar sight on our streets, horses still hold a unique place in our hearts. For me it’s that combination of strength, beauty and intelligence – laced with danger. The horse is one of the few truly amazing creatures that man has domesticated, but there is always the feeling that it could return to the wild at any time.

That’s basically what happened this week. Horses are flight animals and no amount of training or conditioning can override that basic instinct to run when attacked.

Years ago I was walking near South Kensington when the unfamiliar sound of hooves above the noise of traffic caught my attention. I turned around and saw a beautiful bay galloping towards the traffic lights at the intersection with the Natural History Museum. I realized that because horses don’t get traffic lights, they might crash into a convoy of cars. It was going way too fast to try to stop it, so I shouted and waved my arms to throw it off course. I must have gotten his attention because he swerved into a side street. I then called the police.

When I was young, I loved horse riding. Finally I gave up because I was getting too heavy, and it didn’t seem fair to make me a poor horse cart for my own amusement.

But I have several friends for whom horses remain not only a passion, but also their emotional and mental salvation.

One works with a charity called HorseBack UK. Founded by a former Marine and his wife in Aberdeenshire, it helps ex-servicemen with life-changing injuries heal their mental and physical wounds by interacting with these noble, intelligent beasts.

Working in partnership with the Prince’s Trust, it also helps disadvantaged young people in the community and provides support to NHS and care home staff. The success rate is astonishing.

I hope Vida, Quaker and their companions are on the mend. May they continue to grace our capital with their awe-inspiring presence for a long time to come.

I have nothing but praise for the French police officer who cut up an overcrowded rubber boat on the beach at Dunkirk. They may have saved the lives of those on board. Yet they have inevitably been accused of acting insensitively. Proof that no good deed goes unpunished in this chaotic world.

Okay I give up. After I pack my winter coats, I put them back into use. This weather is even more unusually icy and miserable than Greta Thunberg. Assuming you can imagine such a thing.

Are you in a bit of trouble, Meghan?

Samantha Cohen confirmed last week that she was one of 10 employees interviewed as part of Buckingham Palace’s investigation into allegations of bullying by Meghan in 2021

Poor Meghan: Despite interviewing several people for the position of CEO of her new venture, American Riviera Orchard, no suitable candidate emerged. This seems rather unfortunate, especially since selling strawberry jam, napkin rings and other fripperies is hardly rocket science. Or perhaps there just aren’t that many willing to take on the task, especially after her former private secretary Samantha Cohen confirmed last week that she was one of 10 employees interviewed as part of Buckingham Palace’s investigation into allegations of bullying by Meghan in 2021. The report itself has yet to be made public. Still, one can’t help but wonder…

Lauren is a keeper

Lauren Fryer, pictured with her Arsenal footballer boyfriend Declan Rice, has been mercilessly criticized online for her appearance

What a terrible world it is where a young mother is so mercilessly criticized online for her appearance that she feels obliged to delete all her photos and go into hiding.

Lauren Fryer, the long-time girlfriend of Arsenal and England footballer Declan Rice and full-time mother of their young son, has been the target of trolls who call her fat and ugly and suggest that Rice, now that he is so successful, ‘could do better doing’. ‘.

How, pray? By trading his high school sweetheart and the mother of his child for a surgically enhanced gold digger with plastic breasts and Botox for brains?

Some people are not only sick, they are also incredibly fat.

I hate to say it, but London is now an anti-Semitic city

It finally happened. Yesterday, a peaceful anti-Semitism demonstration was called off because it clashed with a pro-Palestinian demonstration and police said – despite the former rally receiving “numerous threats” – there was not enough risk of rioting to justify a ban on the Palestinian march. .

Last week, a man was reprimanded by a police officer for being “openly Jewish” during a pro-Palestinian march; Meanwhile, there have been nearly 200 arrests at these so-called ‘peace marches’, mainly for hate speech, as well as 15 terrorism-related arrests on suspicion of supporting Hamas.

There is only one conclusion: London is now officially an anti-Semitic city. Take a bow, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Mayor Sadiq Khan: you are both an absolute disgrace.

The fuss over Marks & Spencer’s £6 egg mayo sandwich (since reduced to a bargain basement £5) is a salutary reminder of how absurd takeaway food prices have become. It’s not just Marks – recently I had to pay almost £8 for a soup and a pastry in Pret. As for £3.95 for a flat white (at my local ‘craft’ coffee shop), you should be angry. It’s back to the lunch box for me.