What’s in a Name?
If you ever wondered about the significance of a colt or filly’s name, in the world of sport horses, each breed registry sets their own rules.
By Patti Schofler
“Good name in man and woman is the immediate jewel of their souls.” Breeders could not agree more with William Shakespeare when it comes to their jewels, the foals, and for that reason they put great care and consideration into what they name these gems. Rules for naming foals,
however, run the gamut from tight control to nothing at all, and they often reflect national history, tradition or character. They might be geared to reflect information about a horse’s breeding and breeders. For example in their naming process the Trakehner breed honors the women in the family while the whole family gets into the act with a Lipizzaner name. It’s a numbers game with Dutch related breeds while American Warmblood organizations leave the decision entirely up to breeders.
Sires are leaders of the pack with the American
Hanoverian Society. A foal’s name must begin with the first letter of the sire’s registered name. The exception to this rule is if the sire’s male line traces back to Feiner Kerl and Ferdinand, then the name must begin with the letter “F.” Names are limited to 20 characters, including spaces, numerals and punctuation. Duplicate names are not allowed. Sires also rule the naming of male horses registered with the American Holsteiner Horse Association with colts’ names matching the first letter of the sire’s name. Female offspring have names beginning with a letter that coincides with the
year of birth. For example, names of fillies born this
year in 2016 start with “I” or “J” and in 2017 they will start with “K.” Full male siblings may have the
same names followed by an ordinal number
(Calypso I, Calypso II). A filly may use the same name as another registered mare if the name is followed by an ordinal number issued by the AHHA office. Names are restricted to 18 characters and use of the
TOP: This is Isabella FFF (Cancara Z x Wynona) a Holsteiner filly whose name follows the 2016 assigned letter of either “I” or “J.” The breeder is First Flight Farm.
Updated and reprinted from our Sep/Oct 2009 issue. Warmbloods Today 15
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