Three royal horses caused quite the commotion in London again, just three months after their last big escape. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that three horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment “got loose from their riders” on the morning of Monday, July 1. It all happened when the lead horse, which was being led rather than ridden, got scared by a bus during a routine exercise.
This unexpected fright resulted in two riders being unseated, leaving their horses to run off as well. There were six horses and five soldiers out on exercise when this happened. Thankfully, according to an Army spokesperson, “They were swiftly and safely recovered.” One horse had a minor injury but didn’t need any further treatment, and all soldiers involved were unscathed.
The MoD shared that all the horses were back at Hyde Park Barracks by 9:55 a.m., local time. They had quite the adventure, galloping from Seville Street to South Eaton Place in Belgravia, where one was retrieved. The remaining two continued their journey, making it to Vauxhall Bridge before finally being stopped.
“We’re aware that a number of horses were loose in central London and worked with the Army to locate them. We’re pleased to confirm that all of the horses have been accounted for. We are continuing to liaise with the Army,” said the Metropolitan Police in a statement.
A taxi driver shared footage on X (formerly known as Twitter) showing one of the horses running into a car, with another following closely behind it.
This incident is reminiscent of the events on April 24 when five Horses of the Household Cavalry—named Vida, Trojan, Quaker, Tennyson, and Vanquish—also bolted through the British capital. The MoD confirmed that none of the horses involved in the July incident were part of the April escape.
Back in April, the horses were exercising in Belgravia when construction noise startled them, causing the bolt. Quaker and Vida underwent surgery as a result of the incident, but by the end of April, the Army was optimistic about their full recovery. The remaining horses—Trojan, Tennyson, and Vanquish—recuperated at The Horse Trust in Chiltern Hills and have since returned to duty.
They were even part of the Trooping the Colour event last month. “Tennyson will be riding in the prestigious Sovereign’s Escort at the rear rank of the second division on Saturday’s King’s Birthday Parade,” the Army noted on its website ahead of the June 15 celebrations.
“Trojan and Vanquish will also be back in the public eye as part of The King’s Life Guard at Horse Guards, providing the ceremonial guard for the official entrance to the Royal Palaces on this, the most important date in the Royal Calendar,” the notice added.
“Tennyson will be ridden by Corporal of Horse Harvey, the Life Guards Squadron Equitation Instructor and the most experienced rider in the division, to give the horse extra confidence on this, his first major parade since the incident in April,” the message continued.
