Looking For a Little Horse Show Luck This Saint Patrick’s Day?

By: Brittany Bevis

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!

On this Tuesday, March 17th, The Equine Chronicle would like to wish you a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day filled with all things gloriously green, plenty of good luck, and lively leprechauns dancing by a pot of gold under your own private rainbow. Granted, many of our traditions here in The United States are a bit different than those over in Ireland (the color traditionally associated with St. Patrick was blue and not green). Still, it’s fun to get in the spirit of the holiday and celebrate a bit of Irish culture.

What better way than to take a closer look at some of the most popular good luck charms!

Four-Leaf Clover– Traditionally, the four-leaf clover was a Celtic charm. Each of the leaves represent something different: Faith, Hope, Love, and Luck. Also, it’s said that St. Patrick used a three-leaf shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity, ie. the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to new believers of the Christian faith.

Horse Shoe– For obvious reasons, the horse shoe is one of our favorite good luck charms! Back in the 4th century, the Greeks believed the shape of a horse shoe represented the crescent moon, which was a symbol of fertility. Also, historically, the blacksmith trade was considered to be very lucky. Because blacksmiths work with iron, a metal that’s able to withstand fire, it was believed by some that blacksmiths had magical powers.

Ever wondered why people consider it good luck to hang a horse shoe above the entrance to a home? It all goes back to the legend of an encounter between a blacksmith and the Devil. As the story goes, the Devil asked the blacksmith to shoe his single hoof. Apparently, it was so painful that the Devil cried out for mercy and insisted he’d never again enter a place where a horse shoe was displayed.

There is also some importance placed on the number of iron nails (seven) used to attach a horse shoe. In history, the number seven can be found in the seven colors of the rainbow, the seven deadly sins, the seven days of the week, ect.

A few important things to know about horse shoes: Always hang a horse shoe with the ends facing up, so all the luck doesn’t run out. Also, it’s said that the luckiest horse shoes come from the hind feet of a grey mare.

For a little fun this St. Patrick’s Day, we asked a few of our readers what they use for good luck charms when showing their horses. Here’s what they had to say.

Linda Sands- “I will not wear yellow in the show pen!”

Tim Kimura- “I like to have one or more, usually three, of my Chinese statues when I need good luck… I also used to have a mojo bag an Indian witch doctor made for me too!”

Kyle DeFreece– “I don’t wear yellow in the show pen.”

Abi Buckwalter– “My good luck charm is a necklace with a fingerprint of a childhood friend I lost. Having Brittany Warfield ride with me makes me feel lucky! I also sometimes ride with a picture of Mike Whitmore, because I know he is always riding with me!”

Kaleena Katz Weakly– “Well, this may be more for my husband, but ever since I started showing in Western Pleasure (mostly at the bigger shows) he doesn’t watch me in the show pen… He paces behind the scenes somewhere! Now, it’s become our superstition not to watch me in Western Pleasure.”

Erin Bradshaw- “I have my lucky Lindsey James jacket, and I dont’ think I’ll ever wear another jacket at the World Show! [I wore it when we won Western Pleasure.] Also, I wore it in 2010 when I won the World on him, and I wore it in Trail and was Reserve. It’s got some serious juju!”

Courtney Battison- “I switch up my good luck charms every year… Two years ago, my good luck charm was a hair tie Courtney Ryan Brockmuller gave me at the AZ Sun Circuit; Spurz N Diamonds and I ended up winning the circuit. I wore that hair tie every time I showed. Last year, my good luck charm was ‘Crunch Love,’ a super cute English Bull Dog owned by my friend Lauren Loves. He is in a majority of my win pictures from last  year. This year, my good luck charm will be a horsehair bracelet that I had made when my horse, Jessie Quick, died. Since I will be showing her 3-year-old this year, it seems fitting.”

Kelley Mundrick– “My good luck charm is a bracelet that Lou Petty made me when my old show mare ‘Lucy’ unexpectedly died in 2013. I now wear it all the time, especially at the big shows when I show her only two babies, Sally and Lenny, that I also own. I absolutely believe it brings me good luck! I lost it this summer, and I never lose things, so I was beyond upset. Then, it was found a few months later, which brought tears to my eyes. I also have some of her hair that Beckie Peskin of On Pattern Designs braided and placed on one of my show jackets. Between that and the bracelet, she is always ‘riding with us.’ I believe she led me and her babies to our two Reserve Congress Champion placings at the 2014 Congress.”

What’s your good luck charm?

On this St. Patrick’s Day, we leave you with an ancient Celtic blessing.

“May the charm and good luck of the horse shoe be with you and yours always!”