Nothing. The notion that the number of hooves in the air indicates how a rider died is an urban legend.
the theory is that on a statue of a solider on horseback, if the horse is standing with one hoof off the ground, the soldier was wounded in battle Two raised hooves indicate that the soldier died in battle. If the statue shows all four hooves on the ground, the rider died of natural causes
As far as I know, it doesn't mean anything specific.
saying the horse's legs are down may mean that the horse is lame, or that the slope of the pasterns is incorrect.
The markings on a horse, on its head or legs, don't *mean* anything, anymore than the stripes on a zebra or the color of your hair.
The gaits are the different ways a horse moves his legs, for example in the trot, the horse has a 2x gait movement, the walk is a 4x movement and the canter is a 3x gait.
It's just swatting at flies.
More than likely it means that the horses leg is broken. Other times it means that a ligament is torn or a stone has been stuck in the horseshoe for to long. The horse could also be resting on its other three legs.
"Brazen giant of Greek fame" pertains to a statue of the Greek, Colossus of Rhodes. "With conquering limbs" means that the statue's legs are spread out. The creates a one-of-a-kind opening as if telling the ships to enter.
There is a suggestion about the number of hooves in contact with the ground referring to the nature of death of the rider: Apparrently it is not true in fact.
If you mean, say, bodily armour, then it really depends where it is. If on the legs, then it would probably be gauntlets, etc.
A soldier is a trained warrior.
Just as "Yank" referred to American soldiers in WWI and WWII, "Tommy" referred to any soldier in Great Britain's army.