Recently I glanced at a horse classified section. There was an ad promoting a company that exists to help name horses. I thought to myself, "man, I really enjoy brainstorming and coming up with clever ideas and names. I want to get paid for doing something fun like that." So, the gears started turning in my head.
Some people look to name their horse by using names in the first or second generation of the horse's pedigree or by combining the names of the sire and dam. Yet others come up with clever themes and related names. Sometimes a meaningful name of a family member is used.
Some of the names that have come to pass, the great and outright strange. Some names have a historical or geographic significance, which are fun to research and discover.
Great examples of this are The Green Monkey, Giant's Causeway, Sir Shackelton, and Pollard's Vision. The Green Monkey is a golf course in South America; Giant's Causeway being pillars in Ireland; Sir Shackelton lead the arctic exploration; and Pollard's Vision refers to Seabiscuit's jockey and his vision impairment.
I was challenged to search out the meaning behind these names by an editor and the history behind them was very fun to discover.
My co-worker Marta really likes the name Belly Rub, because he is by Buddah.
For us newbies, there are rules that have to be abided by in these naming conventions. Racehorses must be registered, and the Jockey Club regulates their names. There are rotations (meaning names in use can eventually be reused), copy right issues, and many circumstances that exist.
A good example of a name that probably would not pass in America is Irish-bred Cute Ass. It passed in Europe, but the U.S. Jockey Club probably would not permit it. However, sometimes names get by in America because of clever innuendoes, clever spellings, or pronunciation.
To learn more about registering and naming in America, visit:
https://www.jockeyclub.com and for naming guidelines, read: Naming with the Jockey Club
Or maybe try visiting http://thoroughbrednamingspecialists.com/
Some hypothetical names I thought were fun:
Jedi Code - Risen Starlet = Death Star
Z Humor - Tickeled = Something Wonderful
Court Vision - Thumbelina = Short Vision
Kodiak Kowboy - Cosmogirl by Cosmonaut = Space Kowboy
One co-worker CN suggested : Wandering Prowler - Feisty = Andrew the Cat
and another co-worker ER suggested: Brass Hat - Painted Lady = Pain in the Brass
This must come full circle now. There are so many creative and fun names out there. What are some of your favorite names that currently exist?
What are some fun names you might want to create or see?
(Don't make it too vulgar or I can't publish the idea)
Any good stories behind a horse that you named?
Feel free to share!
