Horses with human names?

Spit That Out

Spit That Out

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I was just wondering how common it is to name your horse with a human name and why (if you named them) did you choose that particular name?

On our yard we have a Bob, Saffron (ok, an unusual human name but my cousin is a Saffron) Eric, Simon and Vera.

Does your horse have a human name and you wish you could change it?
 
I have an Andy and it suits him down to the ground. Not sure why he's called it but think its a play on his passport name.

Does make interesting conversation though when you say to your friends that you had a good ride on Andy. :L
 
I have a Samson/Sammy and a Jack.. Sam's name came with him and Jack's stud book name is Whippletree Jackaranda..

I've had several others in the past with human names.. It's not what I'd chose personally, but if the cap fits?!
 
I named my big ginge Alice, the reasoning being that she was passported as 'Wonderland' and I wasn't shouting that up the field so Alice she became! It does actually suit her fortunately :), and I can't imagine her having another name now- it probably would have been harder to choose one if she hadnt had a passport name to help!
 
I have a Alfie and a Betsy but I know of a Pheobe, Tanya, George x2, Jerry, Amy and Mickey. I also seen a horse called Lauren up for sale the other day!
 
mine is called jimmy
i didn't like the name and when i bought him i tried to change it, but it stuck and i couldn't get a new name in my head :/
 
My mare is called Stacy. It would *not* be a name I would've chosen (nothing against the name, but not what I'd choose for a horse!) but I'd known her for years before I owned her, so it would've been weird to change it at that point.

I've also known plenty of Charlies, Bens, Jacks and Georges (geldings and mares!), a couple of Millies, Montys, Todds and Sams, and a Tanya, Sasha, Sophie, May, Chester, Guy, Toby and Bob
 
I know a Robbie, Donny, Levi, Murphy, Jack, Joe, Guy, Roy, Freddie, Zac and Tim.

There is Lucy, Lara and Abby in the paddock next to my boys and one of mine is named Gene Kelly (after the guy who did Singing in the Rain)... I named him and I think it suits him a lot better than his old name which was Randy.
 
We have Bob, Fred, Richard, Brook, Ronnie, Calvin, lost Rory and sold Trevor and Bazil! Dont feel the need to change any of them :)
 
Personally I don't generally like human names for horses, though I think there are a few exceptions in names that suit horses.

One horse came to me as Dan and I changed it to Taz - Dan is just not a horse name in my opinion.

My current boy is called Fallon - which actually is a human name, but I don't know any people called it which probably makes a difference. I chose it because it is Irish (as is he) and it suited him.
 
These are all great names...maybe Joyce and Stacey are questionable :p;) but all these names strangely suit horses.

Mine is Gulliver show name Gully Gumdrops but apart from Gullivers Travels I've never heard anybody being called Gulliver? Although in fairness I'm not sure if Gulliver out of the novel was his first name or his surname?

My friend has just bought a yearling and called him Dave...personally I'm not sure about The name Dave but we'll see if he grows into it :)
 
I have a Daisy (Fresh Ayr = fresh as a daisy), although my brother insists on calling her DJ Fresh. We've also had Donna, Charlie, Kenny, Donny, Frankie, Joey, Digby and Jimmy.

In work we've got a Sammy and a Hamish from the same owner, named by his daughter-in-law (no idea what the logic behind it is). The trainer's wife's filly is called Melinda, Mellie for short.

OH has got Tracey, Bill, Stevie and a Cassius, all parts of their race names.

I've seen countless horses come through the racing yard and if we can't get a good stable name from their race name, or their owner doesn't provide us with a stable name, we end up calling them human names. These have included Eric, Frank, Keith, Kevin, Abby, Kate, Wesley (the filly) and Heulwen.

Finally, and this is the only one (other than Wesley the filly) that bothers me, is a racehorse called Strickland whom a hunting friend of mine bought and called...Dave. Dave! He even has a name plate on his stable door with Dave on it! You can't call a horse Dave! All because the guy he bought him off was called, you guessed it, Dave.

There's just something insanely funny about calling horses human names!
 
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