First off let me say, Happy Friday the 13th to everybody -- it is a beautiful friday out there! Which has had me thinking, do you guys have superstitions when it comes to riding and/or showing horses?
I guess mine would be, I put my riding boots and my helmet on (in that order) after I saddle my mount, but never before I bridle. I feel it gives the horse a moment to relax and think about getting into "riding mode", which could be more for me than for the horse
Also when showing, I have 1 over sized bobby pin that always holds my hair up, no matter what -- wind, rain, no hair spray, it does the job! I have tried to replace it with the same size/same brand of bobby pins, and they never work the same, talk about weird! Before I sold my boy, he always had a specific horse show halter and sheet, he always seemed to know that when that sheet was on him, there was no rolling! When the halter was on, he always seemed to strut rather than just walk LOL
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Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. - John Wayne
I got to ride so I am having a WONDERFUL Friday the 13th! When I read all the horse books I could as a kid I ran into this superstition of English fox-hunting people of always putting your left boot on first. Finally I realized that this might be a good signal to my body that I'm going to ride not just walk on the ground, so that my reflexes change to those good for riding.
My only riding superstition is that I always turn my boots upside down and empty them out before I put them on. I also follow a very strict routine when around horses, so I guess I'm a bit superstitious that way.
I had a pin that was handed down to me from my great grandmother -- one of those pins I guess they woud still be called a stock pin - that ladies used to wear -- I used to use that for my stock tie thing - when I showed dressage..
There was also a horse video I would watch religiously the night before a show....