A horse statue with legs raised in the air is said to signify that the rider was killed in battle. Although this is a common belief among some equestrians and artisans alike, this designation is not universally applied.
Winchester’s raised leg symbolizes his rider was wounded in battle (the legs of [General Ulysses S.] Grant’s horse [as seen in another Chicago statue] are on the ground, meaning he was not wounded).” The book makes no mention of what two legs in the air means, but many people seem to think it indicates the rider died in battle.
Horse Statue Meaning of Legs Raised December 24, 2013 araho If a statue depicting a person on a horse with both front legs in the air, the person died in a battle.
It is a common misconception that the position of the horse's legs in a military hero's statue signifies how the rider died; i.e. both legs raised means that the rider was kil … led in battle, one leg raised means the rider died later of wounds caused in battle, all four legs on the ground means the rider died of natural causes. This is not correct, however.
The hoof code mostly holds true in terms of Gettysburg equestrian statues, but there is at least one exception. James Longstreet wasn’t wounded in this battle yet his horse has one foot raised. Even the most cursory look at the statues around Washington, D.C. quickly disproves that the hoof code at all holds sway in that locale.
As Brian Sniatkowski has already pointed out, the number of legs raised from the ground in equestrian statues has no particular meaning, and simply indicates that the artist (or their commissioner) preferred the horse to be posed that way.
Horse Statue Meaning of Legs Raised. If a statue depicting a person on a horse with both front legs in the air, the person died in a battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person . Equestrian statue – Wikipedia. An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider … meaning "horse".
At Sheridan Road and Belmont Avenue, the statue of [General] Sheridan beckons troops to battle. The horse General Sheridan rides is named Winchester… Winchester’s raised leg symbolizes his rider was wounded in battle (the legs of [General] Grant’s horse are on the ground, meaning he was not wounded).
It is a common misconception that the position of the horse's legs in a military hero's statue signifies how the rider died; i.e. both legs raised means that the rider was killed in battle, one ...
On a statue of a horse and rider, the number of legs in the air reveals information about how the rider died: both legs in the air means they died during a battle, one leg in the air means they died later of wounds inflicted during a battle. All legs on the ground and they died unconnected to any battles they might have been in.
