When is a horseshoe good luck

Thus, the tradition of hanging a horseshoe over the entrance of a house to ward off evil spirits was born. Another story has more to do with the metal in the horseshoes. Early Western Europeans believed that iron had magical powers. Iron could drive away evil, and folklore of the time told of many malevolent fairies and mystical creatures.

Since horseshoes were made of iron, they kept the badly behaving fairies away. Other legends said that witches were so afraid of iron horseshoes, they traveled on broomsticks instead of on horseback.

Yet another states that 8th-century Chaldeans believed the crescent shape of the horseshoe protected against the evil eye, thus making it a good luck charm [source: Kentucky Derby Museum ]. Even the number of holes in a horseshoe is lucky. Horseshoes have seven holes to hold them in place on the horse's foot. Many cultures consider seven a lucky number, as it appears so frequently in our world — seven continents, seven colors in the rainbow, seven seas, seven days in the week There does seem to be some contention, however, over how to hang a horseshoe.

Some say you should hang it heels up, like the letter "u. Others decide to hang it heel-side up so that all the good luck flows out to those who pass under it.

Our best suggestion is to hang it both ways to ensure the most luck for your home or barn! Although most shoes remain close to the original shape, the crescent moon style that the Chaldeans formally admired has expanded. Farriers have discovered shapes like the bar shoe, a complete oval style used for hoof therapy, is a great option for horses. Today, farriers even recommend that the amount of nail holes be placed evenly on each side of the hoof instead of the lucky seven nail holes.

Even the luck of the horseshoe has expanded beyond that of the actual shoe. Even with the expansion of the original version, there has to be something to all this lucky mumbo jumbo, right? Well, at the Kentucky Derby Museum, we whole-heartedly believe in the luck of the horseshoe. Do you? As with many superstitions, contradictions can be found with the beliefs associated with the horseshoe.

For instance, many believe that to hang a horseshoe with the ends pointing upward, is good luck as it acts as a storage container for any good luck that happens to be floating by, whereas to hang it with the ends pointing down is bad luck because all the good luck will fall out. Others believe that no matter which way you hang the horseshoe, good luck will come. According to this superstition, ends pointing down simply means that the good luck is able to flow out and surround the home.

If the horseshoe is hung over a doorway with ends up, it will catch good luck. Hung over a door with ends down, it will let the good luck spill over the door and stop evil from entering.

Perhaps a combination of the two was used so that after a few days, when the horseshoe was filled with good luck, it would be emptied so residents could benefit from that luck—then the process would repeat until the end of time.

Historically, horseshoes were also considered lucky because they were made by blacksmiths, which is considered a very lucky trade. Because they worked with elemental fire and magical iron, they were thought to have special powers.