My Lucky Horseshoe

While on my vacation in Roswell, Georgia, a very good friend of mine visited some antique stores and purchased a REAL horseshoe for me! She knows I love horses, plus it went along with our theme, The Big Valley, a television series we LOVE, AND it will bring me good luck!

Once home, however, I wasn’t sure how to hang my newly acquired treasure. There are many opinions on how to hang a horseshoe. Some believe that to hang it with the ends pointing upwards is the best way, because it will keep the good luck from spilling out, and it’s bad luck to hang it with the ends pointing down, because the luck spills out. Others think that no matter which way you hang the horseshoe, good luck will come, as it is a lucky symbol, as it’s made by a Blacksmith.

Blacksmith’s were known as very lucky tradesmen because they worked with fire and an iron. Some even thought Smittys had special powers. People went so far in their beliefs as to take their sick to a Blacksmith and if a couple got married by one, it was believed it would be a happy union. Their luck with horses also brought them much power and prestige, not just because they made the lucky horseshoe, but also because they were the keepers of The Horseman’s Word. This was also the origin for the movie, The Horse Whisperer.

Back to hanging my horseshoe. Some believe it doesn’t matter which way you hang it because it’s filled with an endless supply of good luck and it will spill out and refill over and over again. This process will repeat until the end of time, so the benefit of the good luck process is timeless.

Horseshoes got their lucky status because they were originally made from iron. Iron was considered magical therefore it was able to endure fire and was stronger than other metals. It was also used as a charm to ward off evil spirits in some cultures.

Horseshoes were held in place by seven iron nails and that added to it’s good luck theory, too. Since ancient times, the number seven was considered very significant. For example, life was 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 was thought to have special powers; there are seven days in a week; the moon changes from one phase to another every seven days; and a long-held belief states that the body goes through a radical change every seven years (You know, the good ole seven year itch).

Informed with all this knowledge, I think I will hang MY lucky horseshoe above my doorway with the ends up to keep the good luck in, but once it fills up, it will spill over, allowing good luck to fill my house and all who enter! I like to share, so I will share all MY good luck with those I love.