The seven-card Horse Shoe is a convenient, basic layout that can be used to answer different types of questions, especially concerning questions where insight would be helpful. Like several other spreads, it has cards representing the past, present, and future.
The pinnacle of the Horse Shoe, looking like the top of the mountain, shows the obstacle or challenge that needs to be addressed and overcome. Card #6 suggests a course of action to meet this challenge. The final card shows the outcome or future, should this advice be followed.
Other clues are provided in Cards #3 and #5, which indicate hidden or outside influences that come into play, affecting the journey to your goal.
Obstacle  The Lady |
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Hidden Influences  The Key |
External Influences  The Child |
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The Present  The Cross |
Suggestion  The Ring |
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The Past  The Mouse |
The Outcome  The Clover |
The Past Card represents past events that are affecting the question.
The Mouse
Obstacles, losses, hidden enemies, old debts, secrets that eat away at a person, annoyances. The Mouse signifies some minor losses from which you should recover easily, as long as you deal with them while they are still small.
The Cross
Symbol of fate, karma, guilt, knowledge, belief, tests, sacrifice, grand endings, tough love, and hard lessons. The Cross indicates that you may have to make a considerable sacrifice.
The Key
Understanding, truth, knowledge, advice, probabilities, and possibilities. The Key means that you have what it takes to move on to another level.
The Lady
The Lady represents you if you are a woman. All cards in your spread are interpreted by their distance to this card.
If you are a man this card represents a strong woman with good intent who will have a positive influence on you: a friend, wife, significant other, girlfriend, love. Could also indicate intuition, passiveness, instinct, or patience.
The Child
The Child indicates youth, inexperience, naiveness, playfulness, and small size. The appearance of the Child may foretell a child coming into your life.
The Ring
Karma, cycles, monotony, group work, connections, contracts, promises, and protection. The Ring signifies solidification.
The Clover
The Clover is a symbol of good luck, hope, simplicity, and nature. This card indicates a sudden burst of good luck coming your way.