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Horseshoes have been considered a symbol of good luck by those who believe
in superstitions, since the 4th century. Holding a heavy, iron horseshoe in your hand makes you almost
feel like there is some truth to this belief, which originated with the
ancient Greek. Since horses were held sacred, their crescent shaped shoes became
symbols of good luck. Horseshoes were made from iron, a metal which was
believed to guard you from the power of the devil, and
fastened to the hooves with 7 nails, 7 being a mystical number. The ancient
Greeks and Romans believed that nailing a horseshoe to a wall was good luck.
This belief or maybe just the practice since horseshoes look so fascinating, is
still carried out today.
In order for the horseshoe to bring you luck, there are a many stipulations
that have been passed down through the years. The most important one is that it
must be hung with the prongs facing upwards. Hanging it with the prongs
facing down will bring you bad luck. A few of the many,many others are:
- It is unlucky not to pick up a horseshoe that you have found.
- It is unlucky to remove a shoe from dead horse.
- Never keep a mule shoe that you have found,it's unlucky.
- Picking up a broken horseshoe means bad luck.
Horseshoes serve a far more important purpose then bringing people good luck. They
protect a domestic horse's hooves from wearing down and provide better traction
for the horse when galloping. There are even different types of shoes for
different types of horse activities. Special shoes are made for trail horses,
racing horses, show horses, and horses that travel through mud, ice and snow. Most horseshoes are now made of steel, but some
are made of iron, like the
ones made by the blacksmiths of an era long ago. The person who constructs the
shoes is called a farrier and specializes in making only horseshoes. Blacksmiths, by
trade, crafted anything made of iron.
Cowboys
Place
The Stable
Doors
Tricia's
Little Bit of Trouble
Denise's
Horse
Silversha's
Horse Graphics
Casey's
Horses
Horse
Haven
Graphic by
Lalla's Countryside
Lisa's Country Clip Art
Made from the Heart
Country Patch Collectables
Copyright Graphics are NOT Public Domain.
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