Is it really bad luck to change a name?

Champion1969

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Im just in the middle of buying my new horse and Im not too keen on her name Inca. I dont like it and thinking of changing but everyone says its bad luck.
 

cattysmith

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Well it depends if you believe in superstition or not!

I changed one of mine's names. And I'm still here to tell the tale! Well, so far...
 

tashcat

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I think you can change it if you want to!

But I would take into consideration her age: if she is an older horse I think it could be unfair to change it.
Also is it possible to give her a name that links to the show name in her passport, or to what she has now.

Keep us updated if you do decide to change it, pictures too! :)
 

Champion1969

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Passport name is Black Mountain and she is 7, I love my other but she only made 14'1 where as this is 15'2 and heavy. I feel so much better on her and Ive found my 5 year old a wonderful home.

Heres Anneigh my 5 year old

10931336_10152720300234023_1409370560569864887_n_zpsizyzfofp.jpg


And my new one

10989175_10152997303429023_2453793662158149005_n_zpsxslbtirs.jpg
 
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rowan666

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ive had bad luck with everyone ive changed names of, ive never bin superstitous but would never change a name again regaurdless of how much i hate it (i really hate the names of 5 out of 6 of mine too :( )
 

NaeNae87

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Nope. I keep registered names and racing names (even if they are horrible), but stable names I have changed no problems.

Randy (fine for a cheeky stallion, not so much for a gelding) became GK which is a shortened version of his show name Gene Kelly.

Sunny became Bo... I know too many horses, cats and dogs called Sunny.
 

Spit That Out

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No, change his name to whatever you like, only down side is it will take time to learn it if he comes to his current name from the field!! :)
If something happens after the name change then it's just coincidence and not because you changed a word on a piece of paper or a bit of carved wood on a stable door!
If some numpty named the horse fannywinklebottompussybananahammock you would keep it?...
He looks lovely by the way, good luck with him.
 

LeannePip

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I've just changed my new horses name - she was nameless when the girl i got her from bought her a couple of months ago and they called her Rogue, but we've called her Ruby, it seem much more fitting and she responds to it after 4 days.

Pip had no name when we bought her, we were calling her Pip temporarily untill we could think of a name - but it stuck!

Mums horse Maii (pronounced May) was Betty-May when we got her, we just dropped the Betty part and changed the spelling

I probably wouldn't change the name of an older horse or one who knew its name though, all of ours were young and didn't know their names if they had one! - not for superstitious reasons just wouldnt confuse them like that!
 

Crugeran Celt

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I wouldn't change a name but then I am ridiculously superstitious about it, had a Sandy and Shandy at one time hated both names but stuck with them. I know loads of people who change their horses names with no ill effects. If you don't feel superstitious about it change it.
 

ponymum

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I've changed the names of a couple I've had and we're still alive. Old wives tale, take no notice, you have to call her that every day, it should be something you're happy with
 

orionstar

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My little lad comes running when I shout my other horses name at him, so to him it clearly isnt a problem, and yes I have changed a horses name before as I wasnt calling my new mare Billy!
 

AengusOg

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I once changed the name of a yearling. He was grazed with four others for the next two years, then died of grass sickness. I still have the others ten years on.
 

Cinnamontoast

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Don't think it's bad luck. The horse responds to the sound of its owner's voice rather than the name. Mine has many names, some not too flattering, all of which he responds to. I had no idea of his stable name, nor did the dealer. The dealer of my first horse named him Boomerang for his total lack of coming to call! He refused to ever come until the field was empty.
 

Equine_Dream

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We've just bought a 9 year old gelding for the OH to ride. His name was Panache but it just didnt suit him at all. We've now changed it to Mr P which I think sounds much better. Although Ive now taken to calling him Mr P Brain much to my OHs annoyance :p
 

kez81

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I actually think in some cases it can be good luck to change a name. I used to work at sj yard as a teenager and often schooled and exercised the new projects and for sale horses. We had one come in who was purchased with all the potential in the world but seemed to be determined to turn everyone against him. He got the nickname "git" and when his owner passported (in earlier days of passporting) him that's what she put. I think it made people even more biased towards him as a rotten egg. I still have no idea why but I just took to him and after a while he took to me. I am pleased to say I bought him and first thing I did was rename him Galahad. He turned out to be the best competition horse I ever had, jumped anything , did a smashing dressage test and became so loving it totally devastated me when I lost him. So when I bought my youngster (who is my horse of a lifetime), it wasn't a hard decision to rename him Boomerang, after all who wants to rum down a field calling for "colt number three"!
 

HorsesandParrots

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I changed my rescues name- because she was a rescue and I thought now she's in a good home a new name should be in place for a new start!
My poor girl was only 2 yrs old and had loads of names!
Passported name was Lilly, then renamed Ruby, then Erin and I named her Freya. She's now 7 and I think she really suits it.
I do't understand that at 2 yrs old he had had 3 homes :'( She has a body condition score of 1 when I got her & I actually think if anything the name change gave us good luck- as she survived her 5% survival chance. :D She is my absolute world. She still has trust issues as had been beaten and abused- but we're enjoying dressage and jumping upto 1m :)
 

lottiepony

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I never changed my horses name as couldn't come up with anything else! She's called Andee (yes she's a mare) I have changed one of my old pony's name he was called Burnford Robin or Robin for short which I hated so renamed him Loxley - going with the Robin Hood theme, it really suited him :)
 

fburton

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I knew a pony whose first name was Myrrhvyn - because he was born on Christmas Eve (I kid you not!) and had a Welsh sire - and was given name Ebenezer (Ebby for short), and he was fine.
 

Flummoxed

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I knew a pony whose first name was Myrrhvyn - because he was born on Christmas Eve (I kid you not!) and had a Welsh sire - and was given name Ebenezer (Ebby for short), and he was fine.

Ha! Mine was called Myrddhin (I think that's how it's spelt) and I changed it to Merlin (being the English equivalent anyway). I totally agree with Cinnamontoast that they respond to the tone not the name.

Superstitious nonsense.
 

JoJo_

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I've changed stable names but not passport names. First horse passport Toorafin Lady, stablename Lady which I hated so changed it to Tia. Second horse Comer Coal, stablename Bertie which I hated so changed it to Cooper. Now my third horse has no passport name and I am struggling to decide on one! The dealer who brought her over from Ireland called her Bella so I have stuck with that.

Inca is quite cute but if you dont like it just change it. :)
 

Annagain

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I changed my boy's name, but I also walk under ladders, put new shoes on the table, pass on the stairs and never salute a magpie. I don't know how I've made it to 37 :D

I did change it to something fairly similar however so that he could still recognise I was calling him. He was Andy and I changed it to Archie. Different enough not to be Andy, similar enough that he could still answer to it. The twist was, I managed to get in touch with the yard owner where the previous owner had him. (I bought him from a dealer and it's a long story but the YO applied for his passport so her details were on it) and found that he was never known as Andy even though it was on his passport. He was called Monkey by them!

10 years on he's mostly known as Pain in the Arch.
 

Shilasdair

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I wouldn't ever change a horse's name; there is something so self absorbed and selfish about it.
Imagine dating a new man who said 'I'm going to call you Mandy from now on because I hate your name'. :p
If you own horses, you don't need to go looking for bad luck either...
S:)
 
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