Quaker ‘not looking good’ as whistleblower claims barrack conditions ‘horrific’

One of the five horses that rampaged through central London has had their condition described as “not looking good”.

A military source has told The Sun that concerns were still high for the black horse Quaker as Vida returned to her stables overnight after an operation.

One has since been transferred to an equine hospital while the others remain under close observation.

It came as an alleged whistleblower at Hyde Park Barracks explained that she saw rats roaming around where the horses are kept and that they were often given “dirty water”.

The former volunteer, giving her name as Kate, told LBC the horses would sometimes “only have exercise for an hour a day, and very little sunlight, often stuck inside.”

An Army spokesperson told The Independent: “We take the health and wellbeing of our military working horses extremely seriously. They are well looked after, exercised daily and have 24/7 direct access to world-class veterinary care.”

Horses may never return to service

Vets cannot be certain whether two of the horses that ran loose in London will ever go back into service.

An Army spokesman said: “We are hoping that both these horses make a recovery. Whether they will recover enough to return to official duties, it’s too early to know for sure.

“But they’ve been given the best veterinary treatment possible and remain under close supervision.

“Vida was the most visibly injured and the pictures of the horse running through London soaked in blood were horrifying. Vida was operated on overnight and is currently in stables at the Hyde Park Barracks under observation.”

Quaker was also operated on overnight but it was decided to move the horse to an equine hospital in the early hours for more specialist treatment.