Horsey folkore and superstitions

Madam Min said:
I've heard of some people who are superstitious bout black mares as well as those that are chesnut!

I've got one of each! LOL! :p
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So have I! And my black mare is a cow :D chestnut mare is as close to perfect as you will ever get. She has two white socks behind.
Black mare has no white anywhere. Just 666 somewhere on her body I haven't found yet :D
 
It's bad luck to change the name of a ship or boat, but have never heard it being bad luck to change the name of a horse. I own two chestnut mares - should I worry? The horse shoe one I know, and OTT, but local: if a black fantail comes into your house, it means someone is going to die.
 
Dry Rot said:
I think there is often a grain of truth in these old superstitions. A lost horse shoe can often be put back on so it really is lucky to find one and somehow they never are found that easily!

I'm fascinated by The Horseman's Word which was a secret society of the ploughmen in the North East of Scotland, formed to guard the secrets of their trade. It was a bit like the Freemasons (used to be?) with rituals being gone through and the indoctrinate of new entrants with oaths and threats and "shaking hands with the Devil" (a goat's foot!). They shared secrets of horsemanship and acted as a trade union for the men who worked the heavy horses which provided the power for farming.

At one time they staged a strike for more money. The farmers resisted and turned out to work the horses themselves. One trick the members employed was to smear pig dung on the posts of the stable door and on the insides of the horses' collars. Most horses instinctively hate pigs and their smell so the farmers had difficulty tacking up, let alone leading the horses out of the stable!
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That is so interesting. Some years ago I was on a ferry from Oostend as a truck driver,and was talking with another driver (who had absolutely no idea that I had anything to do with horses).He told me a tale about a secret society of Carters and ploughmen called the Horsemans word.His grandfather had been a member and each member kept a box with all his notes and diarys).Only men could join and so the grandfather who had only daughters could not leave his box to one of them. Also as the old boy outlived all his fellow members ,his garage gradualy filled up with all their boxes as they died. The idea that somewhere out there might be a shed full of these boxes of diarys and notes has haunted meever since,and the fear that someone might just have burnt them all as rubbish.
 
I have been told that it is bad luck to clean your boots immediately after wearing them - you may be unable to wear them again! I was told to clean them the next time I wanted to wear them.

I have also been told that it is bad luck to hang a picture of a horse who is still competing, it should be propped up and not hung until the horse is retired.

Have always followed the keepers rule and I have heard many versions of the white sock rhyme.
 
ChinaTree said:
Umm, quite a few. My final year project for my foundation degree was based around equine folklore, so I've spent a lot of time looking for them!

If you see a white dog you should be silent until you see a white horse.
Upon encountering a white horse you should spit and make a wish until a dog (preferably white) is seen.
If you lead a white horse through your house it will banish all evil.
Seeing a white horse on the way to church is lucky for the bride and groom.
Placing three hairs from a donkey's shoulders in a muslin bag worn around the neck is a cure for whooping cough or measles.
Sitting backwards on a donkey is a cure for toothache.
If a woman who is pregnant sees a donkey the child will be wise and well behaved.
Don't compete with change in your pocket.
A horse with a Prophets Thumb mark is a descendant of one of Prophet Mohammed's five brood mares.
Nailing a horseshoe above the door to the house will bring good luck.
If the ends of the horseshoe point down the luck will drain away.
Never kick a paper cup thrown down at a rodeo.
Never put your hat on your bed.
Betting on the horse that has travelled furthest to the race will increase your chances of success.
Always shave before a competition - you need to be clean, else Lady Luck will leave you alone
If you can see the ground through your keepers you will end up sitting on the ground - I have plaiting bands under my keepers to keep them in place and so that you can't see the ground through them
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Brilliant! Loads of good ones there! Do you have any recommendations for books/source material for the topic?


doriangrey said:
I only came across the 'luck money' when I moved to Ireland. Just recently bought a youngster (for very little), so was a tad embarrassed to be handed some money back. But it's tradition so I shouldn't have been really.
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It seems to be tradition (I am in NI) to also give some money back when buying a second-hand car - all the ones OH has bought and sold over the years have been subject to this anyway, even if it's only a fiver.

Goldenstar said:
Green is unlucky in Celtic cultures it is the colour of fairy folk and it represents decay and thus thought unlucky horses where valuable and lives depended on them thus it was not put on them.
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Aha! Glad someone had an answer for that one!


Thanks for all your replies folks :)
 
Mike007 said:
That is so interesting. Some years ago I was on a ferry from Oostend as a truck driver,and was talking with another driver (who had absolutely no idea that I had anything to do with horses).He told me a tale about a secret society of Carters and ploughmen called the Horsemans word.His grandfather had been a member and each member kept a box with all his notes and diarys).Only men could join and so the grandfather who had only daughters could not leave his box to one of them. Also as the old boy outlived all his fellow members ,his garage gradualy filled up with all their boxes as they died. The idea that somewhere out there might be a shed full of these boxes of diarys and notes has haunted meever since,and the fear that someone might just have burnt them all as rubbish.
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There is a mine of information in old books. I started to read one on falconry that was apparently dictated (rumour says the author could not read or write) by a professional hawk whisperer. I found it so fascinating that I transcribed the whole book into modern English (sort of) and republished it. I learnt a lot.

I think a lot of the old ploughmen emigrated to America at the time of the American Civil War as there was a big demand for good horse trainers from both sides. I don't think it is any accident that the confederate flag was also the cross of St Andrew. Let it be whispered that the firey cross of the KKK was the same symbol used to get the clans to rise up in the Scottish Highlands (against the English, of course)! I sometimes wonder if the modern horse whsperers didn't get their ideas from the Horseman's Word. Of course, we will never know because history is written by the victors! All coincidence and theory, so not really worth a damn -- but it is interesting speculating. There is nothing much new in training but an awful lot has been forgotten.
 
FubsyMog said:
Brilliant! Loads of good ones there! Do you have any recommendations for books/source material for the topic?
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Most of those are from Horse Bits and Pieces by Sarah Widdicombe, but I also got a lot by googling some of the ones I already knew. Children's non-fiction books about ponies are also good as the folklore and such is "fun". My vet taught me a few as well when I did work experience with her about 6 years ago.

Listening to the stories told by older people and those who have grown up with horses seems to be the best way though. I've been lucky - my vet knows a lot, as does my old yo, and one of my great aunts is very superstitious, and teaches me a lot of them.

Sadly I've lost most of my links to relevant websites though. I find it all fascinating, especially the reasoning behind some of them, like the chestnut mare one is thought to come from the idea that women with ginger hair have more sensitive skin, and it takes more anaesthetic to knock them out.
 
A quick google took me to this site: http://wolfie-tale.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/lucky-horseshoe-superstition.html where it explains some of the ideas behind the horseshoe superstitions, and lists a few other superstitions:

A circular ring made from an iron horseshoe nail can be used as a talisman and gives the same protection against evil as the horseshoe itself
It was thought that warts could be cured by circling them in horse hair
Mythical cure for colic – Pour turpentine into a saucer, and hold it against the horse's navel. It'll suck it up and the colic will be gone (if only this one worked!)
Horse hairs chopped very finely and fed to a child in bread and butter, were thought to be a certain cure for worms, and the horse spurs (an old word for the chestnuts on horses legs) were believed in the eighteenth century to be a cure for cancer if dried, ground and drunk frequently with new milk
If you break a mirror the misfortune can be averted if you lead a horse through the house. Same applies if you spill salt in the kitchen
Carrying a rowan-wood whip prevents witches from casting a spell on your horse
If you put horse skulls under the floor of a house they improve the tone of a piano that was above them
When its master dies, a horse will shed tears
Spotted horses are magical. Grey horses and horses with four white socks are unlucky.
 
I have always also been told when you sell a horse you should hand the buyer some luck money to bring them good luck with the horse, I personally would never change a horses name (just incase lol)[/QUOTE]

...pity the luck moneywe were given with peggy didn't work :(
 
ChinaTree said:
Most of those are from Horse Bits and Pieces by Sarah Widdicombe,

... the chestnut mare one is thought to come from the idea that women with ginger hair have more sensitive skin, and it takes more anaesthetic to knock them out.
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Will look up that book - thanks. Had always wondered if the chestnut mare thing was related to idead about ginger-haired women. Purely anecdotal, but I have quite gingery hair and the one time I had to have general anaesthetic apparently I was a nightmare to get knocked out. Have also found that local anaesthetic has minimal effect on my lower jaw, which was not fun when getting naughty wisdom teeth extracted...!
 
Both mac and Dolly's names were changed before I got them.

I thought the white sock thing was to do with mud fever? White legs were more prone to it.

Have also heard green cars are unlucky, so guess it is all down to the colour green.

I had always been told that a horse shoe should be hung the open end upwards, so all the luck couldn't fall out, but a while ago, was chatting to my farrier, and he said it should be hung the other way round. Can't remember exactly why, but something to with church archways.
 
One I got told only a couple of months ago from two ladies who have what I'd deem proper horsey long term backgrounds was that if a horse coughs a number of times and then sneezes, it means it's not contagious/worth worrying about too much.

Anyone else heard that one? No idea how true it is either!
 
We've always given 'luck money' when selling a high value item.My mum told me when I was little that a horse has a happy day for each time it rolls over completely.

I can confirm that green cars are said to be unlucky,my aunt was horrified when I bought one.Sadly it was written off not long after.

Knobberpony has whorls and is the best money I ever spent.She has been a fabulous pony and taught us all a lot.
 
springtime1331 said:
How about the myth that horses with two whirls on their forehead are tricky? Just bought one, so fingers crossed that's just a myth!
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My two year old has 2 whorls on her forehead & one white sock, dear me am soooo confused!

*goes to lie down in dark corner*

Interesting that even with the regional differences in the sock rhyme, the actual definitions of each are still the same :)
 
springtime1331 said:
How about the myth that horses with two whirls on their forehead are tricky? Just bought one, so fingers crossed that's just a myth!
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I have a horse with two whorls on his forehead, but several people have told me it means he very special. He is ( and i mean special in a good way, not speshul!)
 
iconique said:
I was as a child told its unlucky to not have your keepers done up, otherwise you will fall off!
I now really have a problem without having everything done up and if the one of the cheek piece or throat lash slips out of its keeper, i have to stop and sort :-(
Can see the point but it doesn't help
Green was also unlucky
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Totally with you on the keepers - my instructor told me this when I was about 11yrs old and I will stop and sort as soon as I see trouble brewing :)
 
I've heard that changing the name is bad luck, the one about white legs, chestnut mares are crazy and with horse shoes - if they are the right way up they bring luck but if they are upside down then the luck falls out! Also - Ask a mare, Tell a Gelding, Discuss with a Stallion - having worked with all three this one definitely has some truth in it! ;)
 
TheresaW said:
Have also heard green cars are unlucky, so guess it is all down to the colour green.
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AFAIK, green cars are supposed to be unlucky because they were/are the most likely ones to be involved in an accident according to the insurance companies. I think really that was to do with them blending in with the colour of the road though, rather than anything else! I have a grey car ATM and find I really need to have my lights on nearly all the time otherwise it's hard to see. At the time green cars were worst off, the other common car colours were really only red, blue, white and silver so the least visible out of that lot.
 
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