Two ceremonial Army horses seriously injured after bolting through central London on Wednesday may never be able to perform their duties again.
Vida, a grey pictured covered in blood as it charged through the streets, has undergone surgery and is resting under observation in Hyde Park Barracks.
Another horse with worse injuries, named Quaker, was transferred to an equine hospital after undergoing surgery.
Both Quaker and Vida are being closely monitored, and doubts remain as to whether they will recover enough to resume active duties.
The other two Household Cavalry horses that bolted, named Trojan and Tennyson, are resting under the observation of Army veterinary officers, but are expected to make full recoveries and resume their duties shortly.
Trojan was the horse seen running with Vida through Aldwych, along Fleet Street and past St Paul’s before the pair were finally stopped at Limehouse, east London.
Army vets are still trying to establish whether Quaker was the horse seen crashing into a tour bus on Buckingham Palace Road or whether Trojan recovered enough from the impact to be able to race on for several more miles.
“I’m afraid we simply don’t know at this stage who was the one who hit the bus,” said an Army source. “It was quite a confusing and fast-moving sequence of events to piece together.”
Speaking about Vida and Quaker, 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 blood seen on Vida was consistent with lacerations.”
An Army source told The Sun that Vida was “lively” and had a history of being spooked. The horse is thought to have kicked a soldier in the head during the King’s Coronation.
The spooking of the four horses coincided with a separate incident on Wednesday when another horse from the Household Cavalry was filmed rearing and throwing off a trooper during exercises on Horse Guards Parade
A man filming is heard saying shortly before the incident: “The horses are having a bit of a dance show this morning, they’re not settling down as quick as they usually do.”
Seconds later, there is commotion among the crowd as a black horse appears unsettled and moves in a frantic manner. Several of the horses are seen tugging against their harnesses as the first horse bucks and throws the rider off.
The man filming then says: “Oh a trooper has been thrown. What is going on with the horses today?”
As a medic tended the fallen rider, his colleagues tried to calm their own steeds. Moments later, the crowd applauded as the fallen rider managed to get to his feet.
In the rush-hour incident, four pedestrians were injured after the horses careered through the streets, smashing into vehicles including a Mercedes-Benz people carrier.
The horses had initially been spooked by the noise of concrete being shifted by builders at a property in Belgravia.
Lt Col Matt Woodward, Commanding Officer, Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, later said: “A small group of horses were spooked by construction work in a quiet side street in Belgravia where building materials were dropped from height right next to them.”
The horses ran to Belgrave Square, leaving hoof marks in the tarmac and damaging parked hire bikes and an electricity junction box.
In total, ambulance crews treated four people in three separate incidents in Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square, and at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street in the space of 10 minutes.
By 10.30am, all horses had been recovered and returned to Hyde Park Barracks.
The Army said three soldiers who were injured would “recover fully and return to duty”.
Inspector Myles Hilbery, of City of London Police, said: “This was a dynamic incident, and the courageous actions taken by police officers from our roads policing team prevented further harm and distress to the horses and members of the public.”
The horses are understood to have been spooked by building work being carried out on a £15 million mansion owned by the British businessman Jeremy Peace, the former owner and chairman of West Bromwich Albion F.C with an estimated fortune of £190 million.
Neighbours said renovation work at Mr Peace’s townhouse in Belgravia had been ongoing since February.
Every morning a construction truck arrives to carry away the debris excavated from the basement of the property.
Construction workers said the travelator, which was being used to transfer excavated earth and soil from the basement onto a truck parked outside the building, had been switched on just after 8am.
The Army confirmed that the horses had thrown off their riders after being spooked by building materials being dropped through a chute as they rode past.
Multiple white scuff marks made by horse hooves on the pavement can be seen immediately outside the building site.
The tracks veer off suddenly onto the pavement and continue through to Belgrave Square, where it is believed one of the riders was thrown off by the horses.
Glass from the car’s brake lights could also be seen strewn along the street along with damaged park hire boxes and a dented electrical junction box.
Susie Hungerford, a 55-year-old former banker from Belgravia who lives close to Mr Pearce’s property, said: “These construction sites don’t care how loud they are, they don’t care, things just drop, they spook me, they spook her [gesturing to her dog], but they don’t care.”
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