Anyone know what happened?

[teapot]

Horses get loose/run scared/hit vehicles with reasonable regularity in other places/cities too, and it's always dangerous, for them, for motorists and the public. Whether they should be used or kept in urban environments is a question which should be asked, but horses have always been used in cities, and have always been involved in traffic accidents.

Indeed. I’m fairly sure horses drowned in Hyde Park after carriage incidents in the early 19th cen.

 

[criso]

Such organisations may be at the extreme end, but should horses be exercised in central London? Let alone ride and lead?

It would be impossible to come up with rules/laws.

Where does this zone start/end? The North Circular would be worse than Central London but is quite far out and there are yards in outer London.

I had a reaction to rubble being moved by builders on a narrow country road that's national speed limit. I hopped off and led past but if I'd come off my horse may have galloped down a road of blind bends which could have caused a serious accident.

 

[cauda equina]

I hope one effect of all this will be that the general, horse-ignorant public will become more aware of how easily spooked horses can be

On one of the clips of the caught black horse I cringed at how the National Express coach passed behind it - very close, and not particularly slowly

 

[Miss_Millie]

This is so horrible, I really hope that both horses and riders will fully recover and that there were no serious injuries. That is a lot of blood on the grey, though.

I've never felt comfortable with horses in busy cities, having grown up in a city where carriage horses were used to pull tourists around, before being put back in concrete stables for the night with zero turnout. They always looked miserable and knackered.

Is there a point to these horses, beyond pomp/ceremony/tourism?

 

[cauda equina]

Tradition, innit?

 

[stangs]

I grew up riding in the inner city. In the many years I was at that yard, we only ever had two incidents of horses getting loose on the roads (neither time was anyone or any horses hurt), despite all horses being taken out on the roads at least a few times a week. Every day, you've got horses out on the roads in London - the riding schools, the police, the cavalry, funeral horses, some livery yards and some drivers too - and how often is there an incident like this?

Central London roads are typically wide, slow, and have excellent visibility; a loose horse is far safer on them than they are on most roads in the country.

Yes, potential welfare issues with urban-kept horses should very much be discussed, but please let's not jump to the "ban it" mentality. I hope people realise that if there were a ban on riding horses on London roads, it would spread to the rest of the country - what if a horse gets loose next to a village school and runs over a child? What if a horse drops its rider on a road with multiple blind bends, and hits a car? Etc.

 

[stangs]

Assuming them running 5 miles was because they were continually being spooked by the busy London environment but I thought these horses were similar to police horses in training i.e. it'd take something seriously menacing to spook them?

Once they hit Tower Hamlets, they would have had no clue were they were. What were they going to do but keep moving, with nowhere to stop and graze, and probably still running on adrenaline?

 

[humblepie]

So lovely seeing the people who are with the black horse looking after him.

 

[equinerebel]

An issue my horse has is that she is so confident around vehicles, that she has a tendency to spook into them when something she perceives as scary happens (usually a pheasant jumping out of a hedge or a particularly weirdly placed flower pot). I have to be so careful with her because of that. No idea if that is relevant, I mention it only because that's pretty much what I fear my horse doing.

Once running, there were no grass verges or tempting gate entrances to distract them - so I assume they just kept going.

 

[ponynutz]

Once they hit Tower Hamlets, they would have had no clue were they were. What were they going to do but keep moving, with nowhere to stop and graze, and probably still running on adrenaline?

This was a badly worded post from me!
This was my second one:

Ah yes, sorry, reread my post and it doesn't read how I meant it to!

Just meant that I can understand a blind bolt/being spooked enough to keep running and not being up for being caught. I was just confused how moving concrete spooked them badly enough to provoke that reaction in the first place.

 

[criso]

Concrete going down a chute is really noisy or being tipped off a building to below could look like it's coming down on them.

My one that had an issue with building noise is bombproof around cars, lorries and agricultural machinery

 

[SEL]

Concrete going down a chute is really noisy or being tipped off a building to below could look like it's coming down on them.

My one that had an issue with building noise is bombproof around cars, lorries and agricultural machinery

My bombproof pony spooked violently and tried to head for home when builders sent rubble down a chute. The noise was awful, unexpected and sounded like a train wreck. If that's what happened then I can understand a spook and then if course you're into trigger stacking if one goes or hits a car and others are wound up. Wouldn't take much to blind bolt once the riders are off

Hopefully both humans and horses will repair but in general I think riding in London is safer than riding down my local A road to get to the bridlepaths, so I hope this doesn't descend into the usual Ban Horses nonsense.

 

[khalswitz]

I grew up riding in the inner city. In the many years I was at that yard, we only ever had two incidents of horses getting loose on the roads (neither time was anyone or any horses hurt), despite all horses being taken out on the roads at least a few times a week. Every day, you've got horses out on the roads in London - the riding schools, the police, the cavalry, funeral horses, some livery yards and some drivers too - and how often is there an incident like this?

Central London roads are typically wide, slow, and have excellent visibility; a loose horse is far safer on them than they are on most roads in the country.

Yes, potential welfare issues with urban-kept horses should very much be discussed, but please let's not jump to the "ban it" mentality. I hope people realise that if there were a ban on riding horses on London roads, it would spread to the rest of the country - what if a horse gets loose next to a village school and runs over a child? What if a horse drops its rider on a road with multiple blind bends, and hits a car? Etc.

Very much agree. All this jumping to banning inner city horse keeping ignores that the next shift in focus will be to horses hacking on roads elsewhere.

Furthermore, inner city riding schools and RDA facilities are so important. As someone who teaches vet students, many first year students’ only experience with horses will be with inner city riding schools, and some of those end up equine vets - yet the rate of students becoming equine vets without some horse experience pre uni are near nil. Fewer equine vets and less diversity amongst them will be the result of getting rid of those facilities. And I don’t need to expand on why inner city RDA is so important.

Also, as a note, on the west coast of Scotland (esp Lanarkshires and Ayrshire) many livery yards don’t allow turnout from September to April, and those horses don’t get group exercise the way these horses do. One of my friends has torn her hair out finding somewhere that has even limited winter turnout. I’m not getting into a fallacy but this way of keeping horses isn’t unique to inner cities.

 

[stangs]

Very much agree. All this jumping to banning inner city horse keeping ignores that the next shift in focus will be to horses hacking on roads elsewhere.

Furthermore, inner city riding schools and RDA facilities are so important. As someone who teaches vet students, many first year students’ only experience with horses will be with inner city riding schools, and some of those end up equine vets - yet the rate of students becoming equine vets without some horse experience pre uni are near nil. Fewer equine vets and less diversity amongst them will be the result of getting rid of those facilities. And I don’t need to expand on why inner city RDA is so important.

Also, as a note, on the west coast of Scotland (esp Lanarkshires and Ayrshire) many livery yards don’t allow turnout from September to April, and those horses don’t get group exercise the way these horses do. One of my friends has torn her hair out finding somewhere that has even limited winter turnout. I’m not getting into a fallacy but this way of keeping horses isn’t unique to inner cities.

It would be interesting to calculate who gets more turnout on average - inner city horses who get limited-to-no turnout (depending on the yard) when in the city but then get regular and proper holidays living out throughout the year, versus leisure horses kept at yards that don't turn out over the winter. Certainly, with more RS here developing all weather turnout areas, I strongly believe that living in the city does not mean a horse's welfare must be compromised.

I complain a lot about the place I grew up riding at, but I don't know who I would be if I hadn't had that access to horses. Even people who didn't ride were always happy to see the horses out and about. Shame we've lost so many London RS in recent years.

 

[cauda equina]

My bombproof pony spooked violently and tried to head for home when builders sent rubble down a chute. The noise was awful, unexpected and sounded like a train wreck. If that's what happened then I can understand a spook and then if course you're into trigger stacking if one goes or hits a car and others are wound up. Wouldn't take much to blind bolt once the riders are off

Hopefully both humans and horses will repair but in general I think riding in London is safer than riding down my local A road to get to the bridlepaths, so I hope this doesn't descend into the usual Ban Horses nonsense.

We had a similar thing recently with rubble going down a chute
I don't know if it was the intensity of the noise, or its quality, or the fact that it seemed to be coming from nowhere that upset him so much

 

[Skib]

I ride in London BUT my experience of police mounted is from the other side, crowd control. I was in early pregnancy when I was forced back into an exiting football crowd (England versus Germany) by a mounted poiceman. At uni I was on peace marches similarly chaperonned and most recently OH and I were simply kettled by mounted police at the millenium when Trafalgar square became over full.

 

[criso]

It would be interesting to calculate who gets more turnout on average - inner city horses who get limited-to-no turnout (depending on the yard) when in the city but then get regular and proper holidays living out throughout the year, versus leisure horses kept at yards that don't turn out over the winter. Certainly, with more RS here developing all weather turnout areas, I strongly believe that living in the city does not mean a horse's welfare must be compromised.

I complain a lot about the place I grew up riding at, but I don't know who I would be if I hadn't had that access to horses. Even people who didn't ride were always happy to see the horses out and about. Shame we've lost so many London RS in recent years.

Riding schools on the edge of London I have ridden in had no turnout for school horses just the occasional holiday. One had potential turnout, they just didn't use it apart from the last couple of months before they closed down when things got more relaxed and the then ym started putting horses out overnight as it was summer.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Very much agree. All this jumping to banning inner city horse keeping ignores that the next shift in focus will be to horses hacking on roads elsewhere.

On the contrary, it is not ignoring it, it is a pointer to times ahead.

All those who are squeaking in indignation at your sport being threatened and defending horses in central London had better be very afraid. That is the future staring you in the face.

Tradishun won’t cut it.

Hacking on the roads is crazy anyway. People do it because they’ve always done it, but the briefest of risk assessments shows that horses and traffic don’t mix.

 

[PeterNatt]

This was a sad but isolated inciedent and I hope that the riders and horses make a full and speedy recovery.
Riding in Central London is alot safer than riding on Country roads as the roads in London are straight, there is good visibility and mostly 20 or 30 M.P.H. Speed limits enforced by speed cameras. My horse was totally traffic proof and I would happily ride him along Regent Street, around Picadilly Circus, around Trafalgar Square and then up the Mall past Buckingham Palace and then accross Hyde Park Corner (where there is an Equestrian Pegasus Crossing) and into Hyde Park for a hack around Hyde Park. He also had the benefit of year round turnout on a 250 acre grassland farm in North London. (Probably better turn out than many horses in the countryside)!

 

[Tiddlypom]

Further updates.

An Army spokesman has told the BBC:

“Our horses have all returned to Hyde Park Barracks and are undergoing veterinary care. Three soldiers are in hospital receiving treatment – their injuries are not deemed to be life threatening."

The BBC understands the fourth person injured was a cyclist and member of the public.

We've now received a statement from the City of London Police's Inspector Myles Hilbery, which gives us a bit more detail about how two of the horses were recovered.

He talks about the moment officer from the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police located and stopped two horses near Limehouse.

He says the horses were "injured and anxious" and says officers "risked their own safety" to provide them with first aid and keep them calm.

 

[stormox]

Hacking on the roads is crazy anyway. People do it because they’ve always done it, but the briefest of risk assessments shows that horses and traffic don’t mix.

Not everyone has an arena or rideable field!

 

[flurrydor]

The rider of the grey, Vida, has posted online that he is in surgery having some deep cuts stitched but is expected to recover. All the others are ok too apparently.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Not everyone has an arena or rideable field!

Indeed they don’t, but that doesn’t make it safe to ride on the roads, does it.

 

[Supertrooper]

The rider of the grey, Vida, has posted online that he is in surgery having some deep cuts stitched but is expected to recover. All the others are ok too apparently.

Relieved to hear this

I wonder if these horses will be retired early

 

[stormox]

Indeed they don’t, but that doesn’t make it safe to ride on the roads, does it.

But I don't think it right to stop people riding on the roads. I feel it is a part of a young horses education.
If riding is limited to those with arenas or who live next to a bridleway you are really only allowing rich people to ride at all.

 

[Rowreach]

I'm speechless. This from the reporter on the BBC:

"If it wasn't so dangerous it would be strangely beautiful," as they showed those poor horses dripping blood galloping down the road

 

[Rowreach]

But I don't think it right to stop people riding on the roads. I feel it is a part of a young horses education.
If riding is limited to those with arenas or who live next to a bridleway you are really only allowing rich people to ride at all.

And nobody in NI or Ireland, because we don't have bridleways at all ...

 

[Tiddlypom]

Yes, it might need people to give up riding if people haven’t got access to off road riding.

Still doesn’t make it right or safe to take horses out on the road, though…

It only happens now because of historical reasons, but modern roads and modern sensibilities are a very different entity now to years ago.

 

[ycbm]

I'm speechless. This from the reporter on the BBC:

"If it wasn't so dangerous it would be strangely beautiful," as they showed those poor horses dripping blood galloping down the road

I thought the same! What a stupid thing to say. Almost as bad as the other night from an earthquake describing young people there who had never experienced one before as "badly shaken".
.

 

[Patterdale]

I hope we don’t have a knee jerk reaction to this. I mean let’s be honest, it’s never happened before or not for a very very long time. I don’t think horses need banning from the roads based on one accident.