2 Royal Horses in 'Serious Condition' After Bolting Through London

Published on April 25, 2024 07:42AM EDT

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Two of the royal horses that got loose in London are in a "serious condition."

On the morning of Wednesday, April 24, four horses belonging to the Household Cavalry — named Vida, Trojan, Quaker and Tennyson — bolted through the British capital after being spooked by the sound of some construction concrete hitting the floor while exercising with three other horses in the upmarket Belgravia neighborhood.

In a statement released on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday, April 25, the British Army confirmed the three soldiers thrown off the horses were "expected to recover fully and return to duty."

The Army added, "Two of the injured horses were operated on last night, with one transferred to an equine hospital. All remaining horses are being closely observed."

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"Our horses receive the highest standards of care, and those that did not undergo surgery are expected to return to duty in due course," the statement continued.

"We want to thank everyone who has shown such kindness and concern towards our soldiers and horses. We will provide more updates soon," it added.

Defence minister James Cartlidge told Sky News the two horses were "unfortunately in a relatively serious condition" following the incident. 

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"Obviously we will be monitoring that condition," Cartlidge added. "They are in a serious condition, but as I understand, still alive."

Per Sky News, the horses in a "serious condition" are Vida and Trojan.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson previously confirmed to PEOPLE that four people had been taken to hospital and were receiving treatment after the incident.

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"We responded to several calls regarding an incident with horses on the loose in central London this morning," the spokesperson said on April 24.

"We sent multiple resources to the three scenes including ambulance crews, paramedics in response cars, and an incident response officer," they added. "We treated four patients in total and took them all to hospital and have now been stood down."

The Household Cavalry is the senior regiment in the British Army and plays a key role in all of the major royal ceremonies. Most recently, this has included the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth and the coronation of King Charles.