No horses died as a result of the carriage accident in Ascot on ladies’ day yesterday (21 June), contrary to some reports.
All the horses escaped with minor injuries after one was spooked on the high street causing the carriage, used to take people to and from the racecourse, to crash into a ladies’ clothes shop.
The “very brave” horse Balmoral was praised on the Team Bowman Carriage Driving Team Facebook page after he was involved “in a bit of an unfortunate incident.”
The accident happened as the horses were transporting racegoers after racing at 6pm.
Thames Valley Police confirmed officers attended an incident in which a horse drawn carriage overturned.
Unfortunately we had a bit of an unfortunate incident yesterday at Royal Ascot but thank goodness all guests, the grooms…
Posted by Team Bowman Carriage Driving Teams on Friday, June 22, 2018
“One of the horses pulling the carriage collided with a shop window,” said a police spokesman.
She said the horse “sustained minor injuries” as a result of the accident and was taken away for veterinary treatment.
The passengers in the carriage also sustained “minor injuries” and the police closed the road afterwards.
The Bowman team said on Facebook: “All the horses are recovering well with a few cuts and bruises.”
Balmoral, who is thought to have been spooked by a car horn causing him to bolt, had to have stitches to a wound on his side.
The Bowman carriage smashed into one of the windows of Natalya Couture, a ladies’ fashion shop on the high street. The shop was closed at the time.
One onlooker tweeted: “Just witnessed an awful accident in Ascot, one of the large horse carriages bolted down the high street right in front of me and careered over a roundabout and through a shop window!
A taxi driver Stefan Gulgheru who also watched the incident is reported as saying: “The horses were going very very fast and when they got to the roundabout they were out of control and one slipped.”
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The Bowman team thanked the Ascot authorities, Thames Valley Police and Tim Baker and his crew from The Household Cavalry “for all their help.”
They also thanked everyone else watching the incident “for helping and staying calm in the situation that occurred.”
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