Sefton was a horse who served with the British Army for 17 years from 1967 to 1984, coming to prominence when he was critically injured in the Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings which killed seven other horses, and four soldiers. He recovered sufficiently to return to active service and was subsequently awarded "Horse of the Year". Sefton became one of the first horses to be placed in the British Horse Society's equestrian Hall of Fame,[1] and with an annual award named after him.[2][3]
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Sefton joined the British Army in 1967 starting as a riding school horse, and he quickly became a favourite among new recruits. By 1975 he had joined the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. This was a remarkable feat because at the time the regiment only allowed black horses ; Sefton had a white blaze and white socks.
On 20 July 1982 at 10:40a.m Sefton was en route to the traditional Changing of the Guard, with 15 other horses from his regiment. A car-mounted nail bomb planted by the IRA detonated on South Carriage Drive in Hyde Park, killing three soldiers and seven horses of the Blues and Royals instantly. Another soldier was fatally injured; Sefton and eight of his stablemates also sustained injuries.[4]. A second explosion two hours later in Regents Park killed another seven soldiers.
Sefton's injuries were serious: they included a severed jugular vein, wounded left eye, and 34 wounds over his body. His rider Trooper Pederson noted that Sefton responded so compentently that when the bomb exploded there was no chance of his being thrown. After dismounting, Pederson, who was still in full state kit and in severe shock, could do little to help Sefton. Another soldier, one of many who had run down from the barracks after hearing the huge explosion, took off his shirt and used it to apply pressure to Sefton's severe neck wound.[5]
Sefton endured 8 hours of surgery - a record length for horse surgery in 1982 . Each of his 34 wounds were potentially life-threatening; some included dislodging shrapnel from bone. That evening after surgery the veterinarians gave him a 50/50 chance of surviving the shock and extreme blood loss. Over the next months he made continual progress and his nurse was quoted "He took everything in his stride". . During his time in the hospital he received huge quantities of cards and mints; donations reaching almost $1,000,000 were collected to construct a new surgical wing at Royal Veterinary College which was named the Sefton Surgical Wing.[3][5]
Sefton returned to his duties with his regiment, and he often passed the exact spot where he had received such horrific injuries.[6] That year he was awarded Horse of the Year, and with Pederson back in the saddle took centre stage at the Horse of the Year Show, to a standing ovation.
On 29 August 1984 Sefton retired from the Household Cavalry, and moved to the Home of Rest For Horses at Speen, Buckinghamshire where he lived to the age of 30 before having to be put down on 9 July 1993 due to incurable lameness as a complication of the injuries suffered during the bombing.[3]