A Horse of Course with Don Blazer: Lucky Horseshoes

        I hate to be the bearer of bad news…but today's horseshoes don't have the power to bring you luck.

        Oh, horseshoes used to be lucky…that's a fact.

         But modern manufacturing has rendered the modern horseshoe useless in the luck department.

        Horseshoes were lucky for any number of reasons and one simple fact; choose the reason for luck that you like and stick with it. The fact is a fact and you can't change the fact.

       The devil came to Count Dunstin in 969 AD and asked to have horseshoes put on his cloven hoofs. Dunstin recognized the Devil and tricked the Devil into letting him squeeze him in an oxen lift while he affixed the horseshoes. Dunstin squeezed the Devil so hard the Devil promised him anything if he'd just free him.

       Dunstin freed the Devil after making the Devil promise that any home with a horseshoe over the doorway was off limits and no demons could bother those residing or visiting within. Dunstin became the Archbishop of Canterbury…now wasn't that lucky?

      If you don't like that Devil story, try this one. The blacksmith engaged to shoe the Devil made the shoes red hot, then burned the devil's feet with the hot iron…the Devil tried to withstand the pain, but screamed to have the shoes removed when the blacksmith began to drive nails to hold the shoe in place.

      The Devil remembers the pain so vividly that whenever he sees a horseshoe he slinks off into the shadows. The devil will go nowhere near a home which has a horseshoe over the doorway.

      Other reasons why a horseshoe is lucky:

       Horseshoes are made of iron which is born from the marriage of rock and fire, two of the basic elements of ancient times; iron therefore was considered to have magical powers.

      Horseshoes are made by blacksmiths and blacksmithing is considered a very lucky trade. Because blacksmiths work with fire and iron, blacksmiths are thought to have very special powers---consider how magically they take your money.

      Iron repels fair-folk, keeping away mischievous demons, imps, pixies and elves.

      The horseshoe invokes the crescent moon shape of pagan moon goddesses and so invites their protection.

      The crescent moon symbol has luck-giving properties in ancient Mediterranean cultures.

      A witch cannot walk under a horseshoe.

      Horseshoes can cure hiccups---most quickly if your toe is stepped upon by a horse wearing a horseshoe. You cannot scream in pain and hiccup at the same time.

      There are two things that are mandatory if the horseshoe is to bring you good luck.
1. The horseshoe must have been worn by a horse. 2. The horseshoe must have been found, not purchased.

      Luckily you can hang the horseshoe above your door with the ends up or down…just depends on what you want to do. Hang the horseshoe ends up if you want to "catch" luck; hang it with the ends down if you want luck to pour over you each time you enter the home.

      The true fact of why horseshoes are lucky is that the lucky horseshoe was commonly held in place with seven iron nails.

       Since ancient times the number seven has been considered very important. Note: life is divided into seven ages, a rainbow has seven colors, astrology once held that seven planets made up the universe, there are seven deadly sins, a seventh child is thought to have special powers, there are seven days in the week, the moon changes from one phase to another every seven days, and your body goes through a radical change every seven years.

       But modern manufacturing has put a curse on the horseshoe's good luck. Today's horseshoe has eight nail holes (even more in some aluminum shoes) and today's horseshoer invariable uses eight steel nails to affix the shoe.

       Darn the luck!

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