Darren Ainsworth • July 29, 2015
Horseshoes have been used as charms and protection against evil spirits from very early times, iron nails were driven in to house doors to keep away the plague and pestilence , the custom of nailing horseshoes above the door for good luck ranges all over the world, the majority of doorways had a horseshoe nailed to the threshold.
The question is which way up should the horseshoe be displayed , well there are too schools of thought, some say keep the heels pointing upwards to catch the luck, and others say the heels should point down so the luck can run out in to the house, or on to the work being done, most old blacksmiths would hang a shoe pointing downwards over the hearth for the last reason.
It is common today to give a horseshoe at a wedding as good luck , it is said to date from king of the
Tuscans , whose queen had her horse shod with silver on her wedding day.