A runaway horse that bolted through central London while covered in blood has returned to military duty following five months of care.
Vida, the grey Household Cavalry horse was one of five service horses to run riot through central London in April, smashing into cars, buses and bringing parts of the capital to a standstill after they were spooked by a sudden noise caused by falling construction debris.
Photos of the stricken horse covered in blood, galloping injured through the capital, quickly spread across national and international media.
Along with another horse named Quaker, Vida fled down the Strand, past the Tower of London and onto the congested Highway at Limehouse in east London – more than five miles from their starting point in Belgravia.
Of the five horses involved in the rampage, only Vida and Quaker were unable to take part in the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony on 15 June. It was reported at the time that they would continue their recovery in the countryside.
But after five months of respite in Buckinghamshire, Vida is now back with The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR).
Announcing Vida’s return to military duty this week, the Horse Trust said: “Vida was given the time and space to recover both physically and emotionally.
“The charity’s compassionate care team provided a safe, quiet environment where he could complete his recovery and unwind, often seen rolling happily in the mud – true to the reputation of a typical grey.
“Sharing a paddock with former service horses, including Royal Mews retiree, Storm, Vida spent his days playing with our older yet still spritely residents, and enjoying the lush pasture.”
Describing it as a “bittersweet” moment seeing Vida return home, the charity’s veterinary director Nicola Housby Skeggs said: “He has been an absolute superstar, winning the groom’s hearts (and treats). We are so pleased to see him make such a fantastic recovery.
“While he will be missed here, as a relative youngster, he is certainly now ready for some exercise!”
The drama began near Buckingham Palace Road earlier this year where witnesses first saw a serviceman thrown from his horse after falling concrete spooked the animals whilst on an exercise session.
Three soldiers were left injured before one of the loose animals crashed into a taxi shattering the windows.
Workers near the Clermont Hotel in central London described the “total mayhem” when the horses galloped through the packed street in morning rush hour.
Darren Brookes, a site manager, who was working opposite the four-star hotel in Victoria, told The Independent at the time: “They ran past us towards hotel, and smashed into a van parked outside.
“The serviceman was thrown off the white horse and hit the ground with a massive bang. He was shouting in pain.
“Everyone at the bus stop outside the hotel started screaming and shouting – there was so much panic. People ran over to help the fallen soldier, but other people were just too scared and were running away.”
Mr Brookes said the serviceman was on the ground for around 30 minutes before paramedics took him to the hospital.
“The black horse then ran into a tour bus and smashed the windscreen,” he added. “That’s when I saw the blood – the horse was cut across its chest. I could see the blood everywhere. It was on the bus and the van.”
The bolting horses ploughed through an electricity box and destroyed multiple rental bikes left near a 19th-century garden square in Belgravia surrounded by Grade I-listed international embassy buildings.
Ambulance crews treated four people in three separate incidents in Belgrave Square, Buckingham Palace Road and at the junction of Chancery Lane and Fleet Street in the space of just 10 minutes.
