Win-Worthy Names

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84 – September/October, 2022

By Laura Boynton Jobson

Naming a foal is serious business—even though many owners attempt to create imaginative and highly-entertaining names that are not only ear-catching, but one-of-a-kind originals. One reality of this industry is the fact that crafting ingenious and amusing names is a lot harder than it sounds, and the more popular and likable it is, the more it will be said, repeated and heard around breeding barns and show rings.

Whatever creative process people use to compose the perfect foal names, nowadays it seems to be all about puns and witty words, double meanings, figures of speech, clever mispronunciations, famous slang, trendy jargons and fun pop-culture.

Prior to committing to the life-long title of your new foal, find out what skillful tips some gifted “horse-namers” use before settling on just any name.
Trainer, breeder and all-around exhibitor Dakota Sidwell, who owns Dakota Diamond Sidwell Show Horses in Venice, Florida, states that branding your product (horses) is so important because you only have one shot to capture the consumer’s attention.

“Honestly, naming is not something I spend a lot of time planning; as soon as a foal drops, the name just comes to me,” Sidwell explains. “I’m certainly influenced by our cultural life, but the registries have really cracked down on using trademarks, so you have to find a spin, and for me, I usually use a spelling change.”

Sidwell’s famous  youth and amateur show mare, Hopeful Assets, passed away early in 2020, and she picked the barn name “Post” for the mare’s last colt. Sidwell shares that she loves the name “Post” as it’s synonymous with English riding and it’s also the name of one of her favorite artists–singer Post Malone.

Click here to read the complete article
84 – September/October, 2022