Just a load of horse-sh*t?

We came across lots of statues during our recent Baltic trip, including those of men astride their horse, like this one...

Notice that one hoof lifted high up, off the ground. Here's another pic...

This one has two hooves high off the ground. You must be mad if you think the next pic will show a horse with three hooves off the ground. Maybe inside a museum of circus animals. These are warhorses, man! This next pic shows a horse with three hooves firmly planted on terra firma and the fourth one almost touching the ground...

Finally, this pic has all four of the horse's hooves on the ground...

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So, what's my point? Have I developed a fetish about horses' hooves?

Actually, I was reminded of a previous trip elsewhere, when a tour guide very authoritively declared that:

* If both front hooves are up in the air, the rider died in battle
* If one front hoof is up, the rider was wounded in battle or died of battle wounds
* If all four hooves are on the ground, the rider died outside battle.

From my own checks on the Internet, this is a load of horsesh*t. So, don't just swallow all the stuff a tour guide tells you unless you can, as Hossan Leong would say, "double confirm"!

Here's some links on this myth about what Wikipedia labels "hoof-position symbolism":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_statue

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1093/in-statues-does-the-number-of-feet-the-horse-has-off-the-ground-indicate-the-fate-of-the-rider

http://www.snopes.com/military/statue.asp
(check out the funny cartoon for this one!)