# statues of heroes on horseback query

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2002, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898 "2002-11-21T08:10:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![flano1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f14d63/32.png) [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898/1 "2002-11-21T08:10:10Z")

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I was idly looking at a statue of a general on horseback today.( the general, not me )

The horse had one leg raised and the general was brandishing  
a sabre.

A fellow onlooker then informede me thus:

1. One leg raised- person was wounded in battle

2. Two legs raised- person killed in battle

3. No legs raised- person died a natural death ( and, presumably,  
the horse.)

Have I been pranked, or is this for real?

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**Author:** ![Dravin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dravin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dravin)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898/2 "2002-11-21T08:17:34Z")

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Take a look here: [http://www.snopes.com/military/statue.htm](http://www.snopes.com/military/statue.htm)

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**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898/3 "2002-11-21T08:19:15Z")

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Seems I’d read about this at snopes…  
…and I had (it’s not true)

[Snopes.com - equestrian statues](http://www.snopes.com/military/statue.htm)

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**Author:** ![flano1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f14d63/32.png) [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898/4 "2002-11-21T08:30:39Z")

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silly me.

forgot all about snopes.

thank you

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**Author:** ![ShadowWarrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@ShadowWarrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowWarrior)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898/5 "2002-11-21T11:05:23Z")

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The thing that has always bothered me about this factoid - even before I discovered it was blatantly false - was the contradiction here:

One leg raised- person was wounded in battle

and

No legs raised- person died a natural death

Surely, if they were only wounded in a battle, they then went home and died a natural death?

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**Author:** ![RussellM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@RussellM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RussellM)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898/6 "2002-11-21T11:06:49Z")

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Presumably if you were a very unlucky General, and were wounded in 4 or more battles, no-one would want to raise a stuatue anyway.

Russell

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**Author:** ![RussellM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@RussellM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RussellM)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898/7 "2002-11-21T11:08:28Z")

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[Speling chek] statue [/Speling chek]

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statues-of-heroes-on-horseback-query/137898/8 "2002-11-21T14:40:17Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by flano1 \*  
> \*\*silly me.
> 
> forgot all about snopes.
> 
> thank you \*\*

Cecil has covered it too:

[In statues, does the number of feet the horse has off the ground indicate the fate of the rider?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_074.html)