I was making my way through the October 2007 issue of Horse and Rider magazine this week when I came across what I thought was a great premise for an article. It’s called “Barn Names” and it discusses something near and dear to my heart – the names we actually call our horses on a regular basis. For those of you newer to horses than I am, the official or fancy name (as I call it) given to a horse is typically derived using a combination of the names of the mama (dam) and daddy (sire) horse. So if Mitsy’s Goober and Trackside Smooch decided it was time to have a baby horse, the foal could quite possibly be referred to as Goober Smooch, Goober’s Smooch or Smooche’s Goober. That’s actually a cool name but usually it’s something like “YR All Dun Playin”, a real life example given in the article. I can’t imagine many people go around calling their horse by their fancy name (“here YR All Dun Playin. Who’se a good YR All Dun Playin?”). That’s why most of us have come up with cutesy, easy to say barn names like…well…Moonshine and Valentine.
The article was interesting but a little disappointing. I guess I expected more funny or clever names. Still, “Beau-Zo”, “Preacher” and “Lolly” are all fun and they all had stories behind them. But I know there must be some doozies out there. Have you come across a particularly interesting barn name? Do you know the story behind it? If you have a horse, what do you call him/her and why? I’d love to hear your stories.
You probably already know this by now but here are ours:
Valentine – our first horse. He had another name when I bought him but since he was a Valentine’s Day present for Mikki, the Kid and I came up with “Valentine”. It seemed to fit and it’s easy to say.
Moonshine – my first horse had some goofy fancy name that had the word “moon” in it. I couldn’t remember what it was (still can’t) so as a joke I called her Moonshine. Hey, we live near the mountains in east Tennessee and moonshine was a big deal around here during prohibition and some say it’s still made by the old-timers. So it was kind of a local joke, too. And lastly, she sure is pretty. I think she stands out like the glow from a moonlit night.
Romeo – a leopard Appaloosa, one of Romeo’s spots is in the shape of a heart.
Cash – derived partially from his fancy name “Cash to Coins” he also fittingly has a dollar sign marking.
Okay, your turn!
Marshmellow’s registered name is “Grace Marie Twice”. Her daddy is Tink Twice….featured in the 1998 Stallions calender.
I can’t imagine calling her “Grace” or “Twice” because she’s such a Marshmellow! She came already named and since it fits her so well, I kept it.
Well I’m not sure if this is what you’re looking for but my horse’s name is “Call Me Judge Judy” she is a TWH out of “The Call Judge”. I call her Judy. Everyone that hears her real name laughs ’cause I’m a lawyer and they think I named her that but it has nothing to do with the legal world and everything to do with a World Grand Champion sire.
My horse’s AQHA registered name is Sandhills Frost but ever since we have owned him (well over 13 years) he’s been a little “Porky” so that was his barn name and then my dad tweeked it a little more so that my dad would always call him “Porkchop”….he is white too so maybe he’s thinking along the lines of Lambchop!!
Laura, I had forgotten about Marshmellow. Great name!
Kathy, great story and fitting for your profession. Nice adaptation from the “fancy” name.
Shelly, as I was reading your comment I expected the barn name for your horse would be “frosty”. Porkchop is great though!
Thanks for the comments. Keep em coming! Even if you think the name you use for your horse isn’t especially funny, I’d love to hear it.
Registered name: Jack’s Black Thunder
Original Barn name : BooBoo (pronounced Beaux Beaux I guess because thru his various owners his name was shorted to:)
Current Barn name: Bo (pronounced Beaux)
My horse is named Moon, and yes, sometimes I call him Moonshine. His reagistered name is Nizhoni Moon, and once, at a show, they announced him as Miss Noni Moon. Very embarrassing for poor Moon.
I had a mare called Bob- shortened from Bobby because she wasn’t a Bobby she was a Bob. Her show name was Simply Brilliant which I kinda hated because it sounded so pretentious. Even thought she was brilliant.
I took care of an Arabian mare named Chevy T Nezzrella, Nizzy, for short.
I think that you guys are really brave! I have horses and ponies, but I am to shy to blog about it. From an experienced rider,expect for bumps on your long journey. And get ready for laughter!:)
Kinda interesting story behind my Morgan gelding’s barn name – Indy. He was foaled in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on May 28, 1998, wich happened to be the weekend of the Indy 500 that year. His registered name is VS Golden Desperado, but they always called him Indy. So do I.
I purchased him from his breeders as a 3 year old. Guess where I live – yep, Indiana. His breeder says it was destiny.
)
My horses have fairly ordinary combinations of their parents names. Mr Brakeman + Tarzana Star = Skip A Starman (Starman), and My Magic Marker + Ace’s Affection = Marker’s Reflection (Marker). Fortunately I’ve never come across another Starman or Marker, but I’m amazed at how many horses at the barn have been called Tex, Whinny, Red, Flash, etc. It’s nice to have a unique name, at least.
My gelding’s registered name is TS Chanade. The “TS” probably comes from his sire, The Touchstone. He has never been called Chanade or anything close to it. His previous owners called him simply “TS”, and it has stuck for the 12 years I’ve had him (he’s now 23). TS has stood for many things over the years, one obvious “Tough Sh*t”. More often though, “Terribly Sweet”. It has stood for “Trail Savvy” on good days, and occassionally “Trouble Steering” or “Trouble Stopping” depending on the circumstances. Since moving to Tennessee, he has forgotten that he is a gelding and has been very flirtatious with the mares, particularly bays. So now we know that “TS” has stood for “Tennessee Stud” all along!
who here can give me some funny barn names because i bought a new miny horse
my friends horse has a registered name of smooth talker and she asked me to pick his barn name. any ideas? i have no clue…
How about Stalker?
Alternately, Smoothie, Jazz (as in smooth jazz), Esquire (lawyers are smooth talkers) and Sugar Booger (doesn’t relate to anything, really but is nevertheless funny).
I have owned a solid sorrel paint mare for three years. Her registered name is Invest In The Moon. I do not even remember what the people who foaled her called her anymore! The first time on a trail ride, down our dirt road, my mare was running in a donut shape, to get away from a donkey! From that day on, her barn name has been Sissy.
My thoroughbred’s registered name is I’m Jessie too. I just call him Jessie. Since my name is Jessica my family says it was meant to be when I first got him
It’s a perfect match for us!
My off-the-track TB gelding’s registered name is Capture the Lady (Capture the Gold x Lady Aleon) and when I bought him I wasn’t a huge fan of his barn name, so for a while he didn’t have a barn name. Of course after a couple days everyone started calling him No-name, and thank goodness it didn’t stick! He now goes by Phoenix, because of his chestnut color and because his career on the track failed but he is beginning a new life away from the track.
Okay, So my friend owns a solid sorrel paint horse. Her registered name is “Cajun Missin’ Spots”. Her barn name is Lily though. I’m not sure how they got that but it’s cute. I told her if she ever has a foal that has any kind of spots to name it “Cajun Got Spots” or “Cajun Got A Spot”. That doesn’t really have to do with funny barn names but they’re pretty cool reg. names!
My paint is “Paleface Playboy” (bald faced paint) but we call him Ben after Gentle Ben from that old show with the man and the bear. Our Ben is so kind natured it seemed to work.
Baltusrol is our TB, sired by Alydar. So we call him Alex, which often gets shortened to Ali, as I understand his father was often called around the barn.
I’m looking for a mare now and after a few upsetting recent experiences have already named her Ginger, (from Black Beauty) as a reminder that horses often have many owners in their lives, some good and some bad. It’s up to us to decide which we will be for our horses.
i have had several through work and horses i have owned.
my pony was a pony of the americas and his show name was Officer spot when i got him his barn name was maverick i was 8 at the time and the cartoon the wild world of richard scarey was big and their was a dog that was a cop named murphy so i named him murphy.
while working at a HUGE arabian farm we all kind of Gave the horses barn names because no one else did
Stallion Andronicus we called andy
stallion squash buckler we called squishy
mare cascade of stars we called cassie
at this smaller arab farm i’m at now all the horses registered names are in arabic or something
mare- Bint al Kamar we call Twiggy
Anideh we call annie
istikbar we call izzy
my current horse is a 17h Dutch warmblood irish Draft cross and she is tall and built like a tank when i got her, her barn name was pixie i think because her show name was phairie tale (her sire is E’sop’s Fable) but i didnt keep her as pixie so she is now Gracie with a show name of Graceland
I have had my 2 year old quarter horse gelding that I have owned since he was born and I registered him “Ace Of Hearts” because I wanted it to match his barn name “Ace”, I couldnt imagine him being called anything else, maybe “Joker” because he is full of laughs, but “Ace” is the name for him.
My first horses name was “Scenis Sun Jet” but I couldnt imagine calling him “Jet” or “Sunny” his name was “Hawk” and he was deffinatly a “Hawk”.
I also used to have an off the track quarter horse named “BRHOTROD” like be our hot rod. and his barn name was “Hot Rod” or “Hottie” for short. and I have to admit, he was one of the most flashy horses I have ever met, though he had no will to run.
I’m leasing a buckskin Gelding who’s show name is Cee Me B Grand, but because he is such a silly goose, we call him Goose! My buckskin mare that i just bought’s name is Miss Rugged Investment, her old name was Sassy, but I didn’t like that so I nicknamed her April, which isn’t as fun, but its still cute.
I am breeding my Appendix mare Mambo’s Dancin’ Free a.k.a. Shellie to a Hanoverian named Renaissance. I need some cute barn names for colts and fillies. I’ve decided the show name for a boy would be Royal Renaissance and a girls’ show name would be The Secret’s Out based on how we are keeping this foal a secret from everyone. Any suggestions on a barn name for both genders?
This post has inspired me to launch a barn names survey. Thanks so much for the comments over the years. Please check out the survey, which includes a question where you can select your favorite of the ones that have been suggested to this point.
http://www.ourfirsthorse.com/2011/06/2011-barn-names-survey/
My TWH gelding’s name is Ed’s Black Thunder, so it’s easy to call him Thunder. The name Thunder suits him well too.
Came from the name captivating skies. Most beautiful
Horse ever! HAPPY TRAILS BUDDY!
I have had sevral intresting names for my horses.
BRHOTROD=Hot Rod
Scenic Sun Jet=Hawk (no idea why)
Ace Of Hearts=Ace
Scooby Two Pines=Deuce
Toiabe Chex= Buckle
Blue Hawaiian Rum=Shooter (because Blue hawaiian rum is a drink, not shooter like guns lol)
Fox Creek Sassafras= Sassy
Dun Docs Delite= Doc
Docs Delite= dally
Cowboys Chance at heart break= Chancy
Smokey Spuds too=Smokey
and many more that I can not remember their registered names.