2 of the 4 horses that broke free in central London underwent surgery, British Army says

LONDON -- Four horses -- and at least one of them soaked in blood -- caused chaos across central London on Wednesday morning after breaking free in Westminster, police say.

The horses were among 150 horses in the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the ceremonial guard of the British monarch, which are exercised every morning in the city, according to the British Army.

On Wednesday morning, seven horses were spooked by construction work when building materials were dropped next to them, according to the Army.

One of the horses reportedly ran into the front of a double-decker bus while another injured horse was seen bloodied and running through central London traffic.

The Army said of the seven horses that were spooked, five tried to bolt and four broke loose.

Three soldiers were thrown off the spooked horses, but are expected to recover fully and to return to duty, the Army said.

On Thursday, the British Army said two of the spooked horses were operated on the previous evening and one was transferred to an equine hospital.

"Two of the injured horses were operated on last night, with one transferred to an equine hospital. All remaining horses are being closely observed," the British Army wrote in a statement on X.

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The horses who were seen running through London were named Vida, Trojan, Quaker and Tennyson, according to the Army, which did not name the horses who were being treated.

The horses that did not undergo surgery "are expected to return to duty in due course," the Army said, adding: "We want to thank everyone who has shown such kindness and concern towards our soldiers and horses. We will provide more updates soon."

The Household Cavalry is made up of regiments of the British Army and are responsible for the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

It is unclear how long the incident went on for but the horses are thought to have run approximately 6 miles before being contained by authorities in east London.

"We're pleased to confirm that all of the horses have been accounted for," Westminster Police said in a statement on social media. "We are continuing to liaise with the Army."