Rife in horse racing circles
Danie van der Lith Three white feet, be on the sly. Four white feet, pass him by.”
Arab horse breeders also believed that stallions with four stockings were evil.
Unlike people, horses may be judged by the colour of their skin, as well as the content of their character, as a black horse can be seen as either good or bad, depending on who you ask.
To the Spanish and Hungarians, a black beauty is a bad thing while the French would view it as a positive sign.
In England, a white or grey horse is an omen of death but since the middle ages these steeds have also been a symbol of victory.
Brown mares have a bad reputation, and many spectators live by “Chestnut mare, beware!”
In Native American cultures, pinto and spotted horses are good luck, but other colours have a mixed reputation.
It’s good luck to pick up a coin at the racetrack if heads is up but bad luck if heads is down.
Avoid hanging up pitchforks or rakes with straw stuck in the prongs, installing cloves of garlic in barns and spreading salt in stall corners.
Photographs of horses that will be racing have been shunned in barns, along with overnights and past performance data.
If it is rainy on race day, bettors should pick the grey horse to win and if your horse is in the lead mid-race, it is bad luck to declare your horse is going to win.