Runaway horse tried to get into hotel lift

Hotel guests found themselves sharing the lobby with a horse, which tried to get into the lift. The runaway nag caused chaos as it charged in and out of the Best Western Birmingham Metro Maypole at 9.45am on Tuesday. It had earlier bolted across the car park of a nearby store and dodged attempts to lasso it with a tow rope. The animal, said to have been limping, rushed into the hotel’s lift before it was captured. West Midlands Police said officers brought the horse under control and returned it to its owner.



But a Best Western spokesman said the beast was later put down, leaving hotel staff “devastated”. Heather Thornton, director of sales at the hotel, off Maypole Lane, said: “I saw two police officers when I arrived at 9.50am and there were a lot of people standing around the hotel looking bemused. The horse tried to get into the lift and then it reversed out again. It was stressed and frightened. It did a lot of damage to the lobby. It made some dents in the wall and knocked over plants but the staff were worried about the horse.”

The horse had earlier run past a nearby Halfords store and escaped the clutches of duty manager Jay Gordhan. He said: “A customer walked in asking if anyone had seen a horse. Just then, it appeared and ran around the car park. I grabbed one of our tow ropes and tried to throw it over the horse. But it ran into the Best Western and smashed up a bit of their lobby. I told one of the girls to throw it some fruit to keep it there.”


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The Best Western spokesman said the horse had come in through the hotel’s sliding glass front doors. “Clearly scared it was trying to find its way back out,” he said. “Staff and guests were very concerned about the horse and tried to make sure it did not injure itself. While some damage was done to the hotel, the horse eventually found its way out after trying to get in the lift. Sadly the horse had to be put down. The hotel staff do not know why, but are devastated.”