Several horses were seen running through central London on Wednesday morning, leaving the general public pretty mystified.
Unfortunately, four people ended up being injured and taken to hospital, and the police had to try and track down the animals before they ended up causing even more harm.
Here’s why the horses were on the loose – and why one was covered in blood.
Where did the horses come from?
The five escapees came from the Household Cavalry, which is made up of the two most senior regiments in the British Army – the Life Guards and Blues & Royals.
According to the Cavalry’s website, these soldiers “have acted as the monarch’s trusted guardians, as well as being the public face of the British Army both at home and abroad”.
A group of seven horses and six soldiers were out for their morning exercise in Hyde Park Barracks when the trouble began and four of the riders were thrown off their horses.
Five horses ended up escaping, having been spooked by building work.
Where did they go?
Moving away from Hyde Park Barracks, the horses ran through Belgrave Square – injuring two people – then went down Lower Belgrave Street.
Passers-by caught the first horse when it collided with a car on Buckingham Palace Road.
The remaining four horses continued running, with one hitting a tour bus.
Witnesses said one then crashed into a taxi outside Clermont Hotel and broke its windows – which is why it was covered in blood.
The blood was actually the animal’s own; according to a driver who spoke to LBC, the horse had cut itself when it went careening into his car.
The owner of a silver Mercedes-Benz people carrier, Faraz, said a white horse smashed into his windscreen when he was picking up a client outside Clermont Hotel near Victoria Station.
Four people were treated by ambulance workers in three separate incidents – Buckingham Palace Road, Belgrave Square and the junction between Chancery Lane and Fleet Street – triggered by the horses spread across just 10 minutes.
Were the horses captured?
All five were caught pretty quickly, although the horses had run pretty far in that time – two of them were found in Limehouse, five miles away from the origin of the incident.
Westminster Police posted on X (formerly Twitter): “We’re pleased to confirm that all of the horses have been accounted for. We are continuing to liaise with the Army.”