Happy Friday the 13th! :D

Personally I've always considered horses to be good luck and actually having the opportunity to own and work with them makes me feel even luckier! I'll admit that I'm a little bit superstitious (Don't ever expect me to walk under a ladder!) and considering its Friday the 13^th I thought this would be a perfect time to explore horse and equestrian related superstitions. We all know changing a horses name is bad luck but how many of the other horse superstitions are you aware of ... or are guilty of doing?

It was widely believed that a horse that stepped in a wolf print would become lame and crippled. 

The "Nail Test" is supposed to predict what sex foal a mare is carrying. You take a hair from the mare's tail, and tie a nail to it. Then you hold it above the mare's hips... and if it doesn't swing, she's not pregnant. If it swings in a circle, she's carrying a filly; if it swings straight, a colt.

Horse brasses were used to protect horses from witches.

Inhaling a horses breath is cure for whooping cough.

Eating a hair from a horse's forelock is cure for worms (ewwww, that's kinda gross!!). Placing three hairs from a donkey's shoulders in a muslin bag worn around the neck is a cure for whooping cough or measles. Meanwhile, sitting backwards on a donkey is thought to be a cure for snakebites and toothaches.

Horses standing with their backs to a hedge mean it's going to rain. (I think this one is kinda true, Does anyone else's horse do this??)

If you put a bit of hoof in the microwave it will turn into bubblegum.

A pregnant woman seeing a donkey means the child will grow wise and well behaved (Clearly my mam must have seen one when she was pregnant! haha!) 

If you see a white dog you should be silent until you see a white horse.

If you put horse skulls under the floor of a house they improve the tone of a piano that was above them.

If a horse neighs at the door of a house it bodes sickness for the inhabitants.

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. (I'm guilty of both,  kinda think I'll have worse luck if I got caught walking a horse through my parents house!)

Seeing a grey horse on the way to a church is considered lucky for the bride and groom.

If you walk under a ladder it is considered bad luck but you can avoid the bad luck if you keep your fingers crossed until you have seen 3 horses.

The deeper a horse dips his nostrils while drinking, the better sire he will be.

The tail of a horse was plaited with ribbons to keep it safe from witches.

When it's master dies, a horse will shed tears.

In Wales a gray horse is considered to be a death omen. While in England and Germany dreaming of a white horse is considered a death omen.

Gray horses and horses with four white feet are considered unlucky in racing. (could explain why there are so few successful grey racehorses?).

Witches fear horses, so they are also turned away by a door with a horseshoe mounted on it. But the horseshoe must be hung with the points up to keep the luck from spilling out. The horseshoe or crescent moon shape was seen as a sign of good fortune and fertility.

Luckily (or unluckily depending on how superstitious you are!) Friday the 13th will occur three times this year, so I'll put up part 2 and 3 of this post as it happens :)

Do you know of any other Horsey Superstitions?