Once we are finished with this PRE-chopped issue, can we move along to PORKchop issues? I do love a good pork product (when properly cooked!).

Uh scion....horses do indeed have all 4 legs off the ground if they're running fast enough. Early motion pictures proved this fact (it's been a known thing for 130 or so years).

It's real.

I had the aperature set to low so the field of focus is too narrow, but it was evening and was getting dark so I didn't have much choice so some of the closest parts of the bird are out of focus.

Here is a big version of the photo.
http://tinyurl.com/c9pcq

This doubting Thomas is now a believer..The original picture clearly shows that all of the parts are clearly linked and part of the bird. Thanks for the clarification..

With regards to the legless horse...

Scenario #1: The owner/rider of "un"lucky #13 is on an independent racing team consisting only of himself and his faithful steed, Elmer. With their limited budget, they were forced to make their cart out of a converted push-mower. Sure, they'll be celebrating their victory, but not furlong.

Scenario #2: Elmer is only an eighth-horse. In order to be allowed to enter the race, his owner was forced to use makeshift leg extensions to make him a full quarter-horse. Of course, he could have used expensive extensions made specifically for this purpose but instead chose to make his own for a fraction of the cost. So Elmer has merely "thrown a shoe" or a "leg" as the case may be. In this case it was a Fruit-Roll-Up® and a length of twine.

Scenario #3: We just can't see the leg but have to assume that it's there because we see a shadow of that leg under the cart. Or at least that's what the unscrupulous provider of this pre-chopped picture would have us believe.