Horse names
Most horses have two names: a long one on the passport and a short one everyone shouts across the yard. Ideas for both, and the rules if the horse will race.
Short answer: a good horse name is short enough to call across a field and easy to say in a hurry. The passport name can be as long and formal as you like. Below are names British owners use for mares, geldings and ponies, some that make people smile, and the rules a racehorse name has to pass. The horse name generator will make as many more as you want.
Two names for one horse
Registered horses usually carry a formal name on their passport, often built from the breeder's prefix and something from the sire or dam, so a foal from a stud called Brynhir might be Brynhir Seren. At home the same horse answers to Bobby or Moss. Owners care about both: the formal name for the paperwork and the show programme, the short one for everything else.
Mare names
Old-fashioned girls' names, plants and the countryside suit mares, and they sit well on a stable door.
- Bramble, Clover, Hazel, Willow, Juniper, Saffron
- Maisie, Tilly, Nell, Mabel, Elsie, Martha
- Poppy, Ivy, Rosie, Bonnie, Daisy, Fern
Gelding names
Gelding names lean towards the grandfatherly and the slightly comic.
- Alfie, Bertie, Monty, Reggie, Stanley, Wilf
- Barney, Dougal, Hector, Murphy, Rufus, Ted
- Charlie, Fred, Ned, Ollie, Archie, Percy
Pony names
Ponies get the food names and the mischief names, often from the child who first rode them.
- Peanut, Pudding, Toffee, Fudge, Muffin, Twiglet
- Smudge, Pebble, Button, Dandy, Sooty, Pippin
- Trouble, Houdini, Mischief, Rascal, Bandit, Scamp
Names from the coat
Naming a horse for its colour is the oldest habit there is, and it still works.
- Chestnuts: Ginger, Copper, Rusty, Conker, Russet
- Greys: Pewter, Misty, Silver, Smoky, Frost
- Blacks: Jet, Raven, Midnight, Ebony, Crow
- Coloureds: Patch, Domino, Magpie, Oreo, Jigsaw
- Palominos: Honey, Goldie, Sunny, Butterscotch
The horse colours guide has the right word for every coat, if you want the name to match.
Funny horse names
Puns are a yard tradition, and they read best on a show programme where the commentator has to say them out loud.
- Neigh Sayer, Mane Attraction, Pasture Bedtime
- Hay Day, Gallop Poll, Oats Galore
- Sir Trots-a-Lot, Unbridled Joy, Stable Genius
Racehorse names and the Weatherbys rules
A horse that will run under Rules needs its name approved by Weatherbys, and the rules are stricter than most owners expect. The limit is 18 characters, with spaces and punctuation counted. A name can't include a real person, or someone who died less than 50 years ago, without permission, and it can't carry obvious commercial meaning. Weatherbys says “around 3,000 names are protected”, including the winners of major races, so the famous ones stay retired. You can check whether a name is free on the BHA website, and most applications are dealt with within a day.
Putting the name on something
Once the name is chosen, it goes on the stable door, the rug, the headcollar and the tack box. The name print sets it in large type with the breed, yard or year beneath, and needs no photo.
