Thread by @JenKteach

#TodaysHeroes - (2 horses) in honour of all the military horses
Sir Briggs, horse of Lord Tredegar, 17th Lancers, ridden at Balaklava, 1854, in camp in the Crimea, 1854.

He took part in the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaklava (1854), where 370 horses were killed. Briggs showed remarkable bravery during the battle, despite taking a sabre wound to the head. Afterwards, he was unofficially knighted 'Sir Briggs'.

Briggs survived the tough conditions of a war that saw many other horses perish from starvation and fatigue. He eventually died in 1874 and was commemorated with a memorial in the grounds of Tredegar Park, his master’s home in Wales.

20.07.82, 16 horses & soldiers of the Queen’s Household Cavalry were travelling through Hyde Park en route to the Changing of the Guard when a nail bomb exploded in a parked car.
It killed 7 horses, 4 soldiers & injured every remaining horse, soldier & a number of civilians.

The most seriously injured of the surviving horses was Sefton, an Irish Draught/Thoroughbred who had been chosen for the Household Cavalry due to his colouring. Sefton’s wounds were life-threatening and he was the first horse to be transported back to the army barracks

it took almost ten hours of surgery to treat his 34 wounds, severed jugular vein and wounded left eye. With a 50/50 chance of survival, Sefton pulled through and became a British hero overnight. Sefton received bucketloads of get-well cards and mints.

Donations totalling over £620,000 resulted in the construction of the Sefton Surgical Wing at the Royal Veterinary College. A few months later, Sefton was named Horse of the Year, receiving a standing ovation at the ceremony.

A statue of Sefton now stands at the Royal Veterinary College to commemorate not just Sefton, but all animals who serve.