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4 months ago
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Military horses could 'continue' to run wild on the streets of London unless training drastically improves, an expert has told MailOnline.
Household Cavalry horses bolted through the city earlier today on a blind-panic rampage for the second time this year after losing their riders.
The incident happened around Knightsbridge when six horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment were conducting a routine exercise under the control of five soldiers.
The lead horse, which was being led rather than ridden, became loose after being spooked by a London bus. This then led to two riders being unseated from their horses, who also became loose.
Speaking to MailOnline, Dr Claire Corridan, a veterinary surgeon and expert on animal behaviour and welfare, said it is 'really worrying'.
'You would think that cavalry regiment would be on high alert after the first time and their risk assessment would make sure that something like this couldn't happen again,' she said.
TODAY: Dash cam footage courtesy of a black cab taxi driver shows two of three military horses which bolted through central London
TODAY: The taxi driver posted the video on X with the caption: 'Got hit by them in Lupus St Pimlico'
TODAY: The army said that one of the horses received 'minor injuries'
The animals bolted from Seville Street to South Eaton Place, where one horse was recovered. Two horses continued to Vauxhall Bridge via Belgrave Road before being stopped. The Ministry of Defence said all were collected and returned to Hyde Park Barracks by 9.55am. The map shows where the horses in April bolted - on Wilton Crescent
'Anything can spook an animal and they can then behave defensively to get to a place of safety if fearful, but what this shows is how this could definitely happen again. It could even be worse next time.
'Although it's not scientifically proven, this sort of event can be cumulative with a horse and any sort of noise in the future can be a pre-cursor to it happening again. Even if there's no noise, they can associate with the first incident again.
How are Household Cavalry horses trained?
The horses of the Household Cavalry are a uniquely British institution.
When it comes to training them, each horse is trained for between eight to 10 months at the Household Cavalry Training Wing in Windsor and Hyde Park Barracks in London.
This involves the horses being regularly ridden on the streets of the capital to desensitize them to loud noises and heavy traffic.
In addition, special training is given for the horses to be used to noises.
This includes sounds like the gun salutes and regimental bands.
They also need to be comfortable in a procession, with noises coming from behind them.
'Even the most experienced riders can have difficulty with a horse. There's an endless list of potential triggers, especially in a city like London, but for this to happen again, so quickly, the regiment's training has to be better.
'Preparation work is so, so important and it needs to be as comprehensive as possible, looking into whether horses should be in large groups or not, because we're not just dealing with the health and safety of the animals, we're dealing with members of the public as well. It's a huge issue.'
Dashcam footage from a taxi today showed one of the animals running into the bonnet of the car at a junction in Pimlico.
The animals bolted from Seville Street to South Eaton Place, where one horse was recovered. Two horses continued to Vauxhall Bridge via Belgrave Road before being stopped. The Ministry of Defence confirmed all were collected and returned to Hyde Park Barracks by 9.55am.
None of the three horses were involved in the previous bolting incident on April 24, the MoD said.
An Army spokesman said: 'We can confirm that, whilst exercising this morning, three horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment became loose from their riders. They were swiftly and safely recovered.
'One horse received minor injuries, but no further treatment is required and there were no injuries to the soldiers involved.'
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: '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.'
In April, service personnel were thrown from their horses when they bolted after being spooked by rubble being dropped through a plastic tunnel while on an exercise in Belgravia after the horses were spooked by construction work.
The five horses smashed into vehicles, including a double-decker bus, and caused a number of injuries.
APRIL: Household Cavalry horses pictured bolting through central London
APRIL: The distressed animals drenched in blood
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.
Three of the horses injured - Trojan, Tennyson and Vanquish - were back on duty 'against all expectations' and featured in the King's Birthday Parade on June 15.
The remaining two injured horses - Vida and Quaker - were said to be 'enjoying a summer holiday' in the country but would return to work in due course.
As of June, three of the five riders who suffered injuries in the incident had recovered and were back on duty, while the other two were progressing in their recovery.
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