Army horses loose on London streets

No-one mentioned the injured cyclist.

I hope they are OK.
Imagine cycling through Central London and being run down by a runaway horse.

Oh goodness, I didn’t even realise a cyclist was injured as well. How frightening.

So very sad for all concerned. As Kate said, one horse sets the other off, they are flight animals.. Frightening for the riders gaining control and the cyclist. A freak accident.

Hopefully all involved are recovering, human and animal.

Just to put another view - I do wonder why they are still using horses like this in this day and age. They are not needed by the military so presume it's all just for show/tourists. What it must cost.

Heard an ex cavalry officer on the radio saying these horses are in their stalls for 23 hours a day and only get a 6 week break a year. I can see they are useful for the police in certain circumstances, but the military ones are just for show. I feel sorry for these horses.

vegansrock

Heard an ex cavalry officer on the radio saying these horses are in their stalls for 23 hours a day and only get a 6 week break a year. I can see they are useful for the police in certain circumstances, but the military ones are just for show. I feel sorry for these horses.

I was thinking about that when it happened. They're confined in stalls with no chance to move around (loose boxes would give them a bit more freedom) for the best part of the day, get minimal exercise and I suspect that they might be overfed to keep them looking in top condition. It's not a good life for a horse, nor one that is likely to keep them mentally calm. I wonder how many of them have stable vices (crib biting, windsucking & weaving).

There was an incident the same day of a horse throwing its rider during a parade on Horse Guards. I've seen a longish video of this. The horses were unsettled as they came onto the parade ground and they took ages to get them to line up. Lots of backing and head tossing and refusal to stand still. And the half rear that deposited the rider on the ground.

Noticeably, the police horses accompanying them stood like rocks...

That’s terrible vegansrock. And they are just there for show, for ceremonial purposes - unlike police horses which are working horses, out and about, plenty of exercise and lots to keep them mentally stimulated.

jusnoneed

Hopefully all involved are recovering, human and animal.

Just to put another view - I do wonder why they are still using horses like this in this day and age. They are not needed by the military so presume it's all just for show/tourists. What it must cost.

Purely ceremonial, and it does cost a lot, it’s all part of our heritage, the majority of the UK including myself support the pageantry and ceremony and no doubt it’s all part of the tourism appeal.

With defence cuts probably the amount of training that the horses get has been cut to a minimum, I’ve noticed horses in the parades that have been unsettled, as for feeding they will be fed the correct diet, not too much or too little because horses are very sensitive to being over fed, it causes endless problems.

I’m sure they’re not overfed or fed a diet that increases the possibility of over excitement
All the kings horses and all the kings men is part of our heritage. If these horses are confined to barracks 23 hours a day maybe the military need to do as the police do and work their horses daily.
In Manchester police have a large area with stables and work arena’s, not far from the city centre. The horses are often seen in pairs being ridden through the nearby areas, they’re also driven out to other gmp areas where they’re excercise
Occasionally to the coast for a gallop on the beach
I fear Katie59 may be right and the cuts have affected the training and excercise - result, disaster as in other areas of public service

From the latest update yesterday, Quaker, the black one who collided with a taxi and Vida the white one are not doing too good, they were still alive but not in very good shape.

The poor beautiful horses, all 5 of them. And it's not just their physical health but their mental health too, they should get some sort of specialist counselling.

I can't pray for them as I'm Atheist but I think of them and hope they all make a full recovery.

I have prayed for them and I expect many others have too.

I hope all people and horses involved in this incident will recover, both in body and mind. It was a dreadful and frightening thing to happen and they must all have been traumatised.

Iam64

I’m sure they’re not overfed or fed a diet that increases the possibility of over excitement
All the kings horses and all the kings men is part of our heritage. If these horses are confined to barracks 23 hours a day maybe the military need to do as the police do and work their horses daily.
In Manchester police have a large area with stables and work arena’s, not far from the city centre. The horses are often seen in pairs being ridden through the nearby areas, they’re also driven out to other gmp areas where they’re excercise
Occasionally to the coast for a gallop on the beach
I fear Katie59 may be right and the cuts have affected the training and excercise - result, disaster as in other areas of public service

I'm not sure I agree about the diet, but I won't labour it..

The horses do appear to be worked daily, but if it's just a walk and trot for an hour around London streets combined with 23 hours of relative immobility in a stall (where they can't move around freely) it isn't nearly enough. It is about the most unnatural life they could possibly lead. They must be going crazy with the boredom and inactivity.

Then, if people are correct about experience of their riders, they may be ridden out by a novice, who, however many lessons they have had in an indoor school, is highly unlikely to have acquired much sensitivity to their horse's moods and ability to pick up on the little signs that tell you that your horse is anticipating a threat. Though, in the current case no years of experience could have compensated for a completely unexpected cascade of rubble being dropped from a height...

I'm getting quite curious about how these horses are treated, now. If there is access to an indoor school I wonder if they are ever turned out loose in the school in small groups to have a play around and a good roll...

With defence cuts probably the amount of training that the horses get has been cut to a minimum, I’ve noticed horses in the parades that have been unsettled, as for feeding they will be fed the correct diet, not too much or too little because horses are very sensitive to being over fed, it causes endless problems
So much speculation.
The daughter of a friend, a keen horse woman, exercises cavalry horses out of Knightsbridge barracks early every morning along with other volunteers and army riders. There are many many acres of open ground even in London
Who says their exercise has been cut? Who says their daily diet has changed?
Speculation - and uninformed with it

www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/household-cavalry-pictures-618861

X post, I posted a link to an article about the cavalry horses, albeit it an older article.

We knew someone years ago who was Corporal of Horse; the horses were his life, probably took priority over any human being 🙂

Speculation - and uninformed with it

Yes.

Hyde Park alone is 350 acres.

I’m sure there was a tv series following the household cavalry recently. Or maybe it was just part of a series which showed them getting ready for a state occasion.

Callistemon21

^Speculation - and uninformed with it^

Yes.

Hyde Park alone is 350 acres.

I don't think that you are allowed to gallop horses all over Hyde Park. Or any other of the London Parks.

My 'speculation' is not uninformed; I've had horses for years.

The information I was going on was that the horses are in stalls for 23 hours a day and are out at grass for 6 weeks 'holiday' a year. This is an entirely unnatural way for them to live. As people keep pointing out, horses are sensitive creatures; they respond badly to constant incarceration.

P.S I'd be slightly happier if someone could tell me that the horses are kept in loose boxes. They can at least move around freely in a loose box. They can't in a stall.

In a field they are on the move, grazing, for a large part of the day.

MaizieD

P.S I'd be slightly happier if someone could tell me that the horses are kept in loose boxes. They can at least move around freely in a loose box. They can't in a stall.

In a field they are on the move, grazing, for a large part of the day.

I thought they were in loose boxes.

They are exercised early mornings along Rotten Row

I am sure that there were several automated horse walkers at the barracks/stables.

I am not entirely sure that the reports of them being in their stalls 23 hours a day are correct. Especially when you factor in grooming, tacking up, indoor arena training and riding out.

This is what a whistleblower said about the conditions in which the horses are kept.
www.lbc.co.uk/news/cavalry-horses-dirty-water-hour-exercise-shouted-whistleblower/
I find it very upsetting.

Germanshepherdsmum

This is what a whistleblower said about the conditions in which the horses are kept.
www.lbc.co.uk/news/cavalry-horses-dirty-water-hour-exercise-shouted-whistleblower/
I find it very upsetting.

That contradicts everything I have ever heard regarding cavalry horses and their welfare.

There are more horses in the British army than tanks - so much for our defence budget. Tradition is no excuse these days for keeping horses in central London for most of the year with only 1 hour of exercise a day. If we are cutting budgets maybe this area should be one for consideration.

Wondering why whistleblower didn’t blow the whistle whilst
working with the horses