Changing a horses name.....

Is it bad luck to change a horses name?

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Isobelleizzy

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Hi guys,

New to this, so bear with me.

Here we go. Bought a horse today, think he's brill, loads of potential etc etc. BUT..... His stable name is Dave..... Yes, you read right. DAVE. Dave the horse. Dave the rave. Can just see myself, new horse, striding to the field eagerly to catch my long awaited steed.. And bawling at the top of my lungs..... DDAAAVVVEEEE!!

I have always been of the school of thought it's very bad luck to change a horses name. But now, I'm really not so sure.. And plus, he really doesn't look like a dave (do you know what I mean??).

Thoughts and opinions on this extremely difficult subject matter would be much appreciated...

Peace out and big love.

X x x
 
oooo hard one, its bad luck to change names x
its up to you but dave seems ok- heard worse lol x
end of day its up to you=hope you have lots of endless fun with your new boy x
 
My YO always tells me its bad luck to change a horses name, I've always said what supisticious clap trap!!

I have done it, the horse doesn't care one bit, its tone they respond to.

Sometimes you can adapt a name, I recently bought a traditional cob and his name was bill, just like Dave....boring!
He's now bring it on Billy as his show name and Billy around the yard.

Within a week of calling them by the new name, you'll have forgotten the old, but if you are gonna change it, do it quickly before everyone in your yard gets used to calling him Dave.

Names catch on quick, my YO's daughter couldn't think of a name for her new horse (was nameless from a dealer) and it got called crispy d*ck as a joke, it stuck and was always known by that name x
 
Really bad luck to change a horse's name in my view.

What I have found is horses come to you with their names and as you get to know them pet names begin to form. My girl is called Belle however to me she is Munchkin, and always refer to her as Munchkin however on the yard and to everyone else she goes by the name of Belle and thus avoiding the bad luck. :D
 
I'd never heard it was bad luck to change a name until I joined the forum.

To me it would depend on what the horse was called and also how old it was, if it was younger I would be more tempted to change it, if older they will know their name so it might be un-fair to change it.

How old's your new lad?
 
I don't like to change an animals name but my new horse had a name change around 5 weeks before I bought him (long story) - he didn't answer to the name I bought him as, he didn't answer to the name he had been know as for 5 years and I called out the Merlin (name of a mini I had sold) and he came to that! So thats his new name! What I'm trying to say is if he answers to it it's not a problem.:D
 
My horse is called Lloyd so I really understand how you feel!! But he was 9 when I bought him so didn't think I could really - if he was a youngster I most defiantly would have, I hate his name.

- I did have a friend once who ended up with 2 horses called Fred - at the same time! But he loved it, said it saved her calling twice lol.
 
I've changed two, and not had any particular bad luck. You will be surprised though how quickly you accept an awful name if you believe the old wives tale, and opt to keep the name. Besides, Dave is not too bad.
 
I've changed several horse's names, almost every horse I've owned in fact. Funnily enough, I too would feel more reluctant if it was an older horse. Several of mine came from dealers and had probably only had the name 5 minutes anyway!
 
all this talk of it being bad luck to change a name is utter *******s!! mine where called 'Happy' which he is so not, and Pluto no way i was keeping them so they are re named Harley and Potts but get called farley and fuzzie far more than their actual names :D
 
i also believe it is absolute nonsense to say changing a horses name is bad luck.

how? in what way? what will happen? and is there some supernatural entity up there going 'thats not on, changing that horses name...I SMITE you!!'

i dont believe in Lady Luck, good or bad, Ive too much to be doing than worrying about black cats, breaking mirrors, and stepping on cracks in the pavement...and for worrying about changing a horses name!
 
Saying it's bad luck is absolute tosh. I've changed 4 out of the 6 I've had over the years with absolutely no ill effects whatsoever.

The irony is that I still have one of the ones that I didn't change and at age 15 he still doesn't come to call!!! :)
 
Thanks for all the posts everyone. Giving me something to think about. I know REALLY it's absolute nonsense, but I think I must have an old wife lurking in me somewhere...

In response to some of your posts, "Dave" has just turned 8, he's black and quite an ok riding horse type.

My mum said that it sounded like a dealers name, which I think I agree with...

Just to confirm - I do not think dave is a bad name, just maybe not for a horse.. (although, I did once have a rabbit named colin - I called it that partly in jest - maybe now things have come around to bite me firmly in my somewhat wobbly a*se...)

Some suggestions of a new name would be good... Maybe something that sounds like dave perhaps....? Aaw jeez, I dunno!

X x x
 
I know a horse called Dave! his full name is David Copperfield.

Has your horse a pasport? what name is on his papers?

I have changed 2 horses names that I have had, I wouldn't keep a name if I didn't like it!
 
I think Dave is a great horses name, as is Reg or Brian.

But if you insist on changing a perfectly functioning name, then my limited experience is that it is not bad luck.

Our gelding came to us as Ari, which apart from reminding me of boxing, also means ant in Japanese, so it was changed to Harry, or Mr Harold Brownhorse, or Harold when he's in trouble with my OH, which he frequently is.
 
I don't think its bad luck either, my lovely old pony was called Mars when I bought her, sorry that had to go so she became Meg & was with me for 16 years till she was sadly PTS as she was old & poorly, when Meg was ready for a quieter life, "Rosie" came along from some rough dealers, she became Kizzy, she was 4 & I think all their mares were called Rosie TBH, then in March this year I bought "Queenie", err no I don't think so, she has become Fleur & seems fine, she is only 5 & an Irish import, don't know if I would change an older horses name though. I actually quite like Dave though!!
 
I only ever changed one pony's name when I was younger and she was a nightmare. After a year or so of trying to turn her into a good pony club allrounder we gave up and loaned her out as a hack. Not long after which she fell really ill and was pts. I haven't changed a horse's name since.

However.... I actually really like the name dave. It's quite fun and a bit ironic I think; horses being such graceful creatures (ahem) you automatically think of something noble when you name them which Dave so isn't. Though I think Lloyd wins on the so wrong for a horse front. That's a whole new level!! Love it!

You could always play around with Dave for his show name and change that.... Like King Dave or HRH Dave or something like that!!
 
I have changed 2 names out of the 6 that I have owned. One name was completely bizarre and didnt suit and the other was ok..just I was desperate to call her something else. No particular bad luck experienced as a result.
 
Why is it bad luck?
It's just another one of those myths, if you do, and bad luck happens, then it is just fate and probably would have happened anyway. That is how I see it anyway.

Never has been unlucky for my horses yet:) (Other than having me as an owner)

My horses all answer to "C'mon then" anyway, they don't care what I call them as long as there is a chance of food.

Obviously registered names get left as they are but they are just words on a bit of paper anyway. I think our latest change was Cher to Lady, partly because I just called the horse Lady anyway but mostly because Cher > Cherie, Bleurgh, couldn't cope with that everyday.

I don't usually like human names but my Trainer has a brilliant little hunter-jumper called Rodney, it makes me smile everytime I hear the name.
 
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I used to ride a TB called Dave.

My mare was called Toorafin Lady so stable name was Lady and I hated the name so HHOers helped me pick the name Tia for her instead. It really suited her. I still dont think its bad luck to change a name even though I have had such an awful time lately.
 
I had a wee coblet several years ago that came from a dealer with no name and I called her Tally... a name Id always dreamed of calling a horse, and it turned out she wasnt right for me and I sold her on....

I also had a horse on a trial a few years back that was called Tia (which i hated) so i renamed her Bliss and it all went wrong...

i have a real thing about names:o ask any of my friends... i drove them to distraction when i was horse hunting recently, as very few horses had names I liked and I always wanted to re-name them if Id bought them:rolleyes: I would get to vetting stage or 3rd/4th visits and have these horses re-named in my head, and something always went wrong.

I eventually bought a youngster from ireland who didnt have a name! So got to choose him a name myself.. I had grand ideas of a very noble and fancy nake like Orion, Dante or Aria.... and ended up calling him Finn, lol. Short and sweet.It didnt however work out for me with this lad, and he was sold.

The horses I HAVE owned successfully are the ones that I have just lived with the names they came with.... Blue was my last lad. My new horse came to me with the name Charlie, and Charlie he will stay, lol
 
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