In films the brilliant hero, the victor or the innocent maiden is seen charging upon a white steed. White horses were also animals to be feared with suspicion traditionally, and a rural custom of spitting on the ground immediately should one pass by was common. The colour of the colt was thought possible to arrange by displaying a piece of material in the chosen colour to the mare before the foal is born according to an old American belief. In ancient times the Celts believed that after death the soul of a person was transported to the land of the dead on horseback believing them to possess special powers worthy to the task. Horses have played a central role in helping man manage or travel the land, and it could be said that the development of each is interdependent until the arrival of the combustion engine.
Many people now enjoy the pleasure of owning horses for leisure or sporting purposes.
Those with either a white starred marking on the forehead or white stockings are generally considered to be a sign of good fortune. The horse that has a white stocking on a hind leg that reaches no further than a few inches up and also has a white star is deemed to be the luckiest of all in sporting circles. It seems that such a horse is traditionally thought to be one that is not prone to stumbling or faltering at a hurdle. Although it is not known outside of the British riding fraternity, there is a belief that there is one word that can be said to horses to control and train them, and only those who are true horsemen shall know it. The sight of a woman with red hair on the back of a white horse was an ill omen according to North American First Nation beliefs.