I have always heard that the position of the horse’s hooves in a statue of a famous person on horseback reflected the way that the person died. I liked this theory and kept intending to investigate it to verify the meaning. Well this morning, I finally did.
The theory goes that if all four hooves are on the ground then the rider survived all battles without incident, if one hoof is raised then the rider was wounded in battle but if two hoofs are raised – ie, the horse is rearing up – then the rider died in battle.
Unfortunately, if you look at the various statues around and then research the death of the rider, there isn’t a consistent correlation. There are some which follow this seeming code, but enough that don’t to debunk the myth. It turns out that the position of the hooves doesn’t actually symbolise anything except the fancy of the sculptor. If you like to know more you can go here or here.
*Sigh* another romantic notion up in flames.
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