UK: Four Injured After Military Horses Bolt in London

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Facts

• Four people were injured Wednesday morning after military horses unseated their riders and bolted through the streets of London.¹
• Speaking to the BBC, a British Army spokesperson said that a total of five runaway horses from the Household Cavalry unit unseated a total of four soldiers.²
• After escaping in West London just after 8 a.m. (local time), horses injured bystanders in a number of locations across the UK capital. One of the horses was spotted in Shadwell, in east London, as far as 3.3 miles (5.3 km) away.³
• It's believed two vehicles were damaged. One taxi driver had the windows of his Mercedes people-carrier smashed, as well as its rear panels damaged. The windscreen of a parked double-decker bus was also smashed after a collision. One horse was covered in blood in some images.⁴
• The British Army announced that three soldiers were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, describing the event as 'extremely rare.' It was also confirmed that all horses were safe and receiving veterinary care where appropriate.⁵

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²BBC News, ³Independent, ⁴ITV News and ⁵twitter.com.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Dazed. Although many have made light of London's runaway horses — likening the event to an apocalyptic omen — the reality is that horses forced to wear decorated outfits and trot along London's heaving capital is nothing short of animal abuse and was always bound to go wrong.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Telegraph. This was a freak accident that will be investigated. By no means should it be used to call for the end of a famous British tradition. These horses are integral to state ceremonies and hold a unique power to draw tourists to the UK capital. One rare case of chaos shouldn't mean the end to a foundation of the country's culture.

Predictions