Kate also claimed she saw rats roaming in their barracks, along with loose wires and “dirty water” that was allegedly given to the horses.
Concern was also raised that the horses were “kept in stalls, and not always loose boxes”, which Kate says gave them “very little possibility to move during the day”.
She added that it meant the horses would “only have exercise for an hour a day, and very little sunlight, often stuck inside”.
Kate also claims soldiers would shout at the animals, recalling one calling them “stupid animals” while she was grooming them.
Concerns have also been raised by Victoria Smith, a horse behavioural expert from Somerset. She said: “I really do not agree with the way they are kept. We’ve always know they are kept in stalls, not stables. They can’t have any grazing, they can’t stretch, they can’t run, they can’t roll. When I see them, they’re clearly very stiff -their heads are shaking and they don’t want to stand still.
“They are beautiful, majestic animals. It needs to change, it’s old fashioned and it doesn’t work.”
Jennifer White, from the animal rights organisation PETA, said there should be an “investigation” into how horses are kept, and called for the government to reconsider how cavalry horses are homed.
An Army Spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “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.”
