How do you choose your names?

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Ignition

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I'm just curious as to how other breeders name their horses. Do you try to use both the sire and dam's names to create a new one, do you follow a theme or is it just random? I breed Thoroughbreds and attempt to concoct a name using their parents, usually. Occasionally it will be random or topical.
 
My own horses all have Clearviews as a prefix... I've got Clearviews Finale ( new baby ) as he will be final foal from mare and final foal born at home ( selling up ) I didn't have his parents names just because I thought this was nice... Clearviews Centre Stage - she is by Renkum Off Centre... Clearviews Artic Dancer - Was a combination of mother and father lines from a few generations back...And Renkum's Graceful - She was bred by Renkum Stud and brought with mummy very young andd her name at home is just Gracie, so Graceful seemed to fit...I wanted to call her Give Me Grace as her dad is Give Me Remus but stud wanted that name for another horse that they had!

Our stud horses all have EFS prefix and we try to keep either mum or dads name in there somewhere... Eg ...EFS Top Contender - Out of a Contender mare, or EFS Quash - by Cassio ( Quidam De Ravel ) so just tried to keep the Qu - It's pronounced Cash!

x
 
For their registered name I use the first letter of their sire after my prefix BVS, but starting from next year I'll be giving them a stable name starting with A in 2011, b in 2012.

So if I have a colt foal by Puissance next year, it'll be BVS P______ but Angus as a stable name etc.

Before this, I'd just throw random names at the foal until one stuck. Last year a foal was born in a massive puddle on a really rainy night so we called her Puddles!!!
 
As you say, most TBs are after due consideration is given to the names of the parents, are an amalgam, with often a tenuous link.

I know one man who names his colts after Scottish hills, and fillies after Lochs.

Me? I name my youngsters after those who have influenced my life for the better. I haven't bred that many horses, and don't actually have many more available names, either! For this year I may need a fresh plan!

I'd be interested to hear how you will face the question!!

Alec.
 
Ive bred my first foal this year and used a combo of mum and dad = Puzzled Star stable name ellie, i let my daughter choose that one :)
mum Starlight Girl and dad Puzzled Swan
 
Mine all have my prefix followed by a name from whatever 'theme' I have chosen that year (eg cities, flora & fauna, greek gods & goddesses etc. etc).

I always use the mare's initial too.
 
We had to have a name beginning with F as that is the letter for the KWPN this year. It was very difficult as we could not link with mare or stallion. Looked back at parentage but nothing for F so we called him Fonzie as Fons in Dutch means keen. Not sure if we will extend to Fonzie Happy Days still pondering !
There has been some very pretty fillies names on here this year easier if a letter is not stipulated.
 
All our homebreds begin with our prefix (ESH) followed by relevant name to studbook. With TBF it has to be the first letter of the mare's name, many others require first letter of sire's name.
 
the last one i named after the theme running through his sires side. next one i am taking an element of the damsires name, the sires, and the dams gran. which, convoluted though it sounds comes out as a nice name :)
 
I breed Thoroughbreds too and finding a name that is available is quite hard sometimes.
I always try and pick a name that relates to both sire and dam (or damsire) that also sounds good and makes sense.
My old broodmare that I lost in January was by Cruise Missile and I called her Ariane, there was a French rocket called Ariane and it was feminine sounding.
I then called her first foal Scallys Missile because he was by Scallywag (his stable name is Rocky because his dam was named after a rocket), her second foal a filly Cistiane (by Cisto) third colt foal Primitive Missile (by Primitive Rising) and fourth filly Primitive Passion (by Primitive Proposal)
I called Arianes half sister Sheezacista (by Cisto)
I called my palomino TB colt 'Aurumba' because Aurum is gold in latin and his dam is called Samba Beat and the Samba is similar to the Rumba. His stable name is Crinkle because his baby coat was crinkly along his back lol

It may take me months to find the right name but it's an instant 'yes that's the one' when I think of it :)
 
Barn names are dodgy, if they are by Zeus I try to stick to the mythological theme but it doesn't always happen. Colt this year should have been a Thor or Odin but neither suit:( So he's just 'the baby/foal/colt'

Registered names are easy, Quarter Horses/Paints traditionally use names that may be a bit longwinded (like dogs) but you often have a good idea as to bloodlines. Sire for this one is Dashbardee Jet (Dash for Cash, Sonny Bar Dee, Sugar Bars, Jet Dial) dam is Outlaws Robin Gold.
 
When I bred Arabs I used the first letter of the dams name and choose a short name that was also a stable name, so Joli, Jabari, Jamana etc.

The TB's we breed are not named by us as we sell as yearling to race.

IMO the best and most clever TB names come from Juddmonte, sometimes you have to have a little think about why they have used a particular name but they are generally brilliant ie

Distant View x Stellaria = Obseratory

Green Desert x Hope = Oasis Dream
 
Mine is normally a mix from both sides Cool Magick Gizmo from Cool Diamond Star & Magic Moments - Prince was different, Prince from Miss Gold Princess, Sabado Portguese for Saturday Gemstar because he is a Gemini with a star
 
Until I had my prefix, mine were usually a mixture of sire or dam or named after local places or coverts around here so there were Cottage Gorse, Conway Bay, Wolvesacre Georgia, then the Fairlyn Geminis out of Blakes Bay so we had Gemini Blake and G Bay; the next should have been Jay Storm (she was born in a storm) but it came out Jaystormer when the passport came back! Likewise, Overbury x Commanche Lyn came out as Commaover instead of Commonover!
M Liberty was born the year of the Liberty & Liveliehood March; M Dots because of all the dots on her back and she was called Dotty as soon as she was born; stable name Stan (registered name now Shahamanga) because he was by Shahrastani; Minority (Bear) by Maurice Miner also tongue in cheek because he's a big boy now!; M Mayo (Joey) born on 1st May and out of Loch Irish - should have called the next one Naise to go with him!; M Tawny Tiger by One More Tiger x Witches Broom, it's a stripey tan rose which is apt for her as she's so many different shades, stable name Kitty; the boys are M Saddler after his grandsire and M Harrier as he's called Harry; the yearling is M Moonraker as his successful full sister is Miss Moneypenny. I haven't even begun to think of ones for next year (hopefully!) for Esquimaux Zed x Witches Broom or Maurice Miner x Alamo Lough, that's a long way away.
 
I like to use the sire and dam's names if possible.

Millie is Highoaks Millitiger as Highoaks was where we lived when she was born. The Milli part is from her dam Give An Inch (Inch is measurement = Milli). The Tiger part is from her sire One More Tiger; pretty self explanatory!

Vinnie was already named when i bought him- Primitive (after his sire) and Phoenix because they used the first letter of his sire's name (Proposal).
 
With the TB's we don't sell (either kept to race, or not sold at the sales), we name them generally after the mare's initial and then the sire's initial. Eg one out of High Heeled Hope, by Shamardal could be called something like High Society. All the staff are given the opportunity to put forwards names for anything kept to race.

My own that I have bred are not TB's. The oldest, 4yo, has by prefix and is called Tribute, as he is a tribute to my father, who was a great man! He was nearly called Gentleman Bear, as this is how many people described my Father at his funeral. He is also a tribute (I hope) to his grandsire, a stallion I used to work with and adored, who died too young! The 2yo, also has my prefix and is called Prima Donna - as she is lol!
 
I bred my first foal last year and took his name from Dam and Sire, plus the initial from the Sire - which was easy as mare and Stallion both have the same initial
Mum - Middle Clover, Dad - Millenium = Middlelenium(Marley for his stable name)

I also have a horse that came with no name by Earl of Castleffrench out of a mare called Twin Sky = Castles in the Sky(Prince-stable name). xx
 
Jamana said:
IMO the best and most clever TB names come from Juddmonte, sometimes you have to have a little think about why they have used a particular name but they are generally brilliant ie

Distant View x Stellaria = Obseratory

Green Desert x Hope = Oasis Dream
Click to expand...

Ha Ha!!! The Daily Telegraph comes in very handy with the naming I can tell you!! It is the most tiring process trying to name 250 animals every year.

Lets hope it's a successful weekend could be a Juddmonte double in the Oaks and Derby!
 
I let my 3yr old daughter name our foal this year. Lola! She would have been Charlie if she was a colt. (She loves the cartoon Charlie and Lola). He posh name will be Showgirl, (after all, as the song goes - Lola, she was a showgirl!!)
 
Because we are naming foals that are bred to race or event my OH saw our first born as he was a Homozygous he was covered in spots so hense the name Angrove prefix Spotted Dick.
His sister was Cherry pie and there full brother Arctic roll, we then has a visitor who delivered a Trifel and another guest brought a Triamisu, the next brought a Chocolate brownie followed by a Rum Syllabub wolfed down with a spoonful of Banana split and a treacle sponge.if you get the drift there are so many pudding now we have a club of over 30.
 
why thank you Clepottage, sorry I am being rude would you like a slice of Mississipi Mud pie, I made it last year but has a sell by date of Sept.comes with or with out its container Haha
 
I love those clever Juddmonte names!

I don't actually own any of Tobago's foals - he is my only horse; all his foals are from outside mares - so the breeders get to name them, but sometimes they ask my opinion/advice, which is nice.

One I named Topaz Tribute, as he was line-bred to Tobago's illustrious grand-dam Queens Topaz.

We have quite a few Arab mares of Russian bloodlines being bred to Tobago this year, and I'm hoping that one of the foals will be named Zhivago!

And I'm STILL waiting for someone to name one of his foals Trinidad!!

(The tradition in Arab breeding is to start the foal's name with the dam's initial, but most breeders do not observe this. Tobago's breeder does, though, so he got the 'T' from his dam, and Tobago because the breeder named all her foals after islands that year.)
 
Mine get named as their personalities appear. However the ISH keeps putting 'Miss' before all my fillies which is annoying-especially as you have to give 4 choices!
However my first faol, also a filly was a bit embarrasing-stable name Katie and by Coral Prince so she became Coral's Angel Katie as she was so good tempered.
I look back now and cringe!
Much more um discerning I suppose you could say.
Although I have one dangerously close to being reg'd as Snapper...for obvious reasons but I have never had one so prolific in this respect-EVERYTHING goes in his mouth LOL!
 
I have to say that I have found this thread very interesting as I have been pondering possible names for our foal that is due shortly it will have to have our prefix TMS but after that I don't know it will be out of Orions Diva by Freckleton Extrovert she was by Star of Orion and he was by Renkum Englishman out of Fabienne. Any suggestions will be appreciated even if it may be a little premature. :)
Morgan
 
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