It’s always amusing to note how certain things are bursting with information even if you’re completely incognizant of it. That’s the case with equestrian statues. Yes, these statues do much more than display guano stains of various thickness depending on their location; they actually inform you of the cause of death of the mounted figure depicted on the horse.

- If the horse has its two front paws in the air, this signies that the warrior was has died in combat. A true hero then!

- If the equine has a single front leg raised, it means that the rider was pretty badly beaten up in the course of battle but managed to get out before breathing his last breath on the battlefield. But he eventually died of the wounds inflicted during the brawl. A fighter nonetheless!

- And if your ungulate has his four hooves firmly planted on the platform, then your rider has done nothing glorious enough to be commemorated. Doubtless, he was well-known in his time and he probably died old, riche, and pot-bellied, of a natural death (perhaps by the ‘fires of love’).

Finally, if you happen to encounter an equestrian statue that has 3 legs in the air, then the cavalier was about to be in for a nasty fall flat on his face. But this is nothing but a personal interpretation.

More seriously, try think of these categories the next time you come across a famous statue.

P.S.: It seems that certain sculpteurs scrapped this code which they considered to be rather veiled and far from tacit. Don’t be shocked to discover a statue that isn’t in line with the rule.