A farmer traveling with his load
Picked up a horseshoe on the road,
And nailed it fast to his barn door,
That luck might down upon him pour;
That every blessing known in life
Might crown his homestead and his wife,
And never any kind of harm
Descend upon his growing farm.
Many know that horseshoes are a symbol of good luck, but few know the actual origin of this traditional talisman of fortune. There are several stories that have been reputed as the actual beginning of the luck that horseshoes bring, this is a version I have heard...
"The origin of the tradition of lucky horseshoes is the story of Saint Dustan and the Devil. Dustan, who would become the Archbishop of Canterbury in AD 959, was a blacksmith by trade. He once nailed a horseshoe to the Devil's hoof when he was asked to reshoe the Devil's horse. This caused the Devil great pain, and Dustan only agreed to remove the shoe and release the Devil after the Devil promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is hung over the door"
Today's horseshoes are made of steel and are nailed into the hoof wall of a horses foot, but to this day they remain a traditional sign of good luck. An upright horseshoe is said to collect or keep luck from falling out but an upside down horseshoe is believed to be lucky as well.
Here are a few beliefs that are still shared by many:
-if you find a horseshoe (not buy it) it's lucky
-the number of nails found in the shoe represents the number of years of good luck
-dreaming of a horseshoe means you are to receive unexpected money
-when you find a horseshoe, if the prongs are pointed toward you, all your troubles are over
-a horseshoe kept in fire will keep hawks away from chickens
-if you wear a horseshoe nail bent into a ring it will help prevent rheumatism
-if you keep a horseshoe in your bedroom it will help ward off nightmares
[Information from http://wishgoodluck.com/articles/horseshoe-symbol-of-good-luck/]
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