# Changing a horses name? Bad luck?



## elkdog (Nov 28, 2016)

I've called my horses all kinds of names. Most of them are not appropriate on this forum.
It's bad luck to change a boats name, but I've never heard that about a horse.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

I've always considered it good luck to change a horse's name.
Especially if a horse is going into a new home, or a better situation, it can be great to give them a positive new name.
My horse's name was Rascal and I renamed him Hero in the hopes he will live up to his new name.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Load of rubbish, I have had many horses that I didn't know their names and gave them one. Nothing happened in the way of bad luck.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Oh I'm absolutely positive it is very bad luck. If you believe it is. As with many superstitions, they can be 'self fulfilling prophesies'. So, my advice is, if you want to change your horse's name, start believing it's good luck!


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## Boo Walker (Jul 25, 2012)

Change it! Make it meaningful to you, a name you feel she truly deserves. It's not like she will become unrideable because she knows herself as Sugar instead of Darla.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

I changed both my horses' names when I got them -- from Dawn to Brooke and from Fay to Pippa. So far I'd say I'm lucky to have them, and they're lucky to have me (they were both giveaway horses, one very neglected). 

I am not a superstitious person however.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

^Fay for a horse - no wonder you changed that one! Not that I think it's a bad name for a human woman...


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

loosie said:


> ^Fay for a horse - no wonder you changed that one! Not that I think it's a bad name for a human woman...


LOL! I agree with you. But here 'fay' doesn't mean what it means to the British. I can pretty safely say that most people in this country wouldn't know what 'fay' is, if you took a poll.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

morrggg said:


> So i’ve had my 6 yr old OTTB mare for about a month and when I first got her I knew I wanted to change her name. She is registered so her registered name will stay the same but her barn name I’d like to change. Her registered name is MyLeadingPrincess but I have heard changing a horses name can be bad luck.. I’ve got some different ideas on what I want to change it too but I was wanting some opinions on changing a horses name?


I've never heard it's bad luck, just that it's very insulting and considered bad form if you change the horses registered name. Changing the barn name isn't an issue, most every one has their own pet/barn names for their horses. Most of my horses have more than one barn name, ranging from sweet to pure curse words depending on the day.


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## Bugbegone (Jun 3, 2018)

Gotta agree with everyone no harm no foul Changed my Arabs mare from a Beau to a Bug and it fits her..


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Well I changed Shotgun's registered name.


Sure we've had some normal ups and downs, but no more "bad luck" than any of my other horses. 



Your horse. Change his name if you want. They don't care.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

beau159 said:


> Your horse. Change his name if you want. They don't care.



How do you know?????? :razz:


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

What is her barn name? My horse is called Katie. I can't say I am thrilled lol. Esp since it's not actually how you spell or write it in Gaeilge (Irish) and that I cannot pronounce it LOL. I would also not be thrilled having a horse called prince or princess sry folks. I wanted to change her name but it just felt wrong.... so. yeah. Here I am. If I ever compete or need to register her grey bum somewhere it'll be as 50 Shades of Neigh... because I can. 

However, if you have the real strong urge within you to change it... Change it. I personally didn't care enough but if you do, don't let it stop you. It'll be like a horsey marriage. Take some vows like you will feed her good and give her rubs and she'll behave and not dump you.. and be done with it!


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Not at ALLLLLLLLLLLL. At least not IMO. 

I changed my horse's BARN name RIGHT when I got her. Her racing name is Wednesdays Only, so everyone called her Wendy...she does NOT look like a Wendy & I just don't like that name for a horse, LOL no offense...so I renamed her Promise. It has a meaning behind it. <3

Go ahead & rename your horse whatever you want.  It's YOURS!


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## Zeth (Sep 16, 2016)

If it works out with the horse I have on hold, his name will be changing from "Indezz Hero" to "Kalkyrio" or "Darth Kalkyrio" if the FHH won't allow a one-word name. Barn name will change from "Hero" to "Kylo"

I've waited 20 years for a horse of my own. I'll be damned if he doesn't get the name I want him to have LOL


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## Getting Rich in Vegas (Jun 17, 2016)

My girl came with the name Vegas. Her show name being Getting Rich in Vegas, both fine names. However, for me, Vegas just didn't fit, just didn't seem right. About a week after I got her, I was walking up to her paddock and went to call her and all kinds of names were going thru my head, but I just called out "Hey Horsie" she let out this huge whinny. I said "that's it" and from then on she has been "Horsie" I also call her Pretty and Miss Nose, LOL! But Horsie always, always gets me a whinny :smile:


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Dustbunny said:


> How do you know?????? :razz:



Because he hasn't told me that he cares.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Getting Rich in Vegas said:


> My girl came with the name Vegas. Her show name being Getting Rich in Vegas, both fine names. However, for me, Vegas just didn't fit, just didn't seem right. About a week after I got her, I was walking up to her paddock and went to call her and all kinds of names were going thru my head, but I just called out "Hey Horsie" she let out this huge whinny. I said "that's it" and from then on she has been "Horsie" I also call her Pretty and Miss Nose, LOL! But Horsie always, always gets me a whinny :smile:


I probably would have started calling her Dirty Vegas


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Regardless of anything else I don't like changing a name if the animal knows it which most adult animals do. My horses also have many nicknames but they absolutely know who I'm talking to. My gelding is Spur, which I don't like, but it suits him and he knows it well and see part two-

My rule IF I change a name is to find one similar (part of the problem with Spur...Spider? haha). My gelding came as "Destructo" which is just....yeah. So he became Desperado, similar name and same nicknames, he goes by Desi day to day which suits him well.

So no I wouldn't change it most likely, I wouldn't want someone to change my name! Yes they can learn a new name, but it just doesn't jive with me. As far as the registered name agree you risk insulting whoever registered the horse and it's more involved.

It also sounds like you want to change her barn name only, then want to change her registered name only?


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## morrggg (Jun 6, 2018)

Thanks everyone!! Her barn name right now is Princess & I believe it was only that so it would match her registered name but she 16h+ So I am thinking of renaming her to Gypsy.


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## morrggg (Jun 6, 2018)

Yogiwick said:


> It also sounds like you want to change her barn name only, then want to change her registered name only?


 No I would just like to change her Barn name , I don’t have a problem with her registered name


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Zeth said:


> I've waited 20 years for a horse of my own. I'll be damned if he doesn't get the name I want him to have LOL


Hi & welcome Zeth! ^Haha, yeah, too right I reckon! What does Kalkyrio mean? 

I've only had a couple of horses with registered names. Or at least, I didn't know they did if there were others. I forget the name when I looked up(with people's help here) the brand registry for my standy recently. I 'inherited' a Welsh Mountain pony years back who was a stud mare with the name 'Sweet Serenade' which I remember because I thought it was so... kitsch. She was Serri to me. I wonder why anyone would care to change the registered name actually, as horses don't tend to go by that name.

But regular names - most of mine have gone by a few - my kid's first pony's name is Elmo, which they liked when they were little, but got a bit... uncool having a horse named after a Sesame Street monster. But I've always called him Mo or Moo. My appy Loosie got called Hoosie, Lu... or Lucifer, when she had an attitude... Her son I called Nanook(any Frank Zappa fans??) I mostly call Nook but he gets Bloke quite a bit. My kid's Haffy type brumby was called DJ which I hated, and we renamed him Jake after a same coloured horse I used to ride & a school friend of my daughters, but he gets Pumpkin(cos he looks like one!) or Fluffy or Silly or Goose(because he is those too). I started calling him 'Jakey Pants', for some unknown reason... then accidentally at first dropped the Jakey & thought that was funny, so he often also gets called Pants now too. Then there's my Standy, who was called Chrissy. We named her Whinnie & she often gets Girlie - being the only one of those in the mob ATM, and my kids named Merlin, who came to us with the name Basil - yes, someone actually named a horse Basil!


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## Zeth (Sep 16, 2016)

loosie said:


> Hi & welcome Zeth! ^Haha, yeah, too right I reckon! What does Kalkyrio mean?


Hello! Thank you! So, I originally came up with the name myself - took Valkyrie to Kalkyrie (all of my animals have had K or hard C names, so I wanted to stick with that theme) - and then wanted to make it more masculine sounding so I ended up with Kalkyrio. [cal-KEER-ee-oh], and as a huge Star Wars fan, the nickname "Kylo" felt perfect. I always wanted a Friesian, and the name felt powerful enough to match one! 

I later threw it into google translate.. and it turns out that "Kalkyrio" is very similar to the greek word for 'groceries' LOL

When he comes home I'll have my brood of K-Initial animals - Kovu, Killian, and Kalkyrio <3

Right now he's currently not registered, so we're going to be putting his paperwork in, and if they require a two-word name then the 'Darth' is a reference to Star Wars again, obviously LOL


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

^So for short, you'll have Kal, Kill & Kov...


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## Zeth (Sep 16, 2016)

loosie said:


> ^So for short, you'll have Kal, Kill & Kov...


Close! Kylo, Killi, and Kovu just stays Kovu LOL

For awhile I thought.. it would be so nice to get a tattoo commemorating these three.. "I'll do it of their first initials!"
Well... that's clearly not going to work LOL


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

^Haha KKK - I hear there are some around who would wear it proudly! Reminds me of a friend who bought a horse a fair few years back called Isis. Then came the news about that lovely fanatical group... and around the same time 'Ice' the drug was becoming a big problem...

Then there's my Nook, who when he was a baby, without thinking, I started calling him Nookie, until someone pointed out people might think we had a... strange relationship!


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