Monday, August 31, 2009

That's not my name

(Inspired by Andrea over at Eventing A Gogo)

Without a doubt, I have an interesting bunch of names in my herd and interesting tastes as far as recent naming.

My very first pony was Alhem Jamilia. A half-arabian, National Show Horse mare, who was unstable as she was trailer phobic. Seriously made the off the track thoroughbreds look like plugs.

But she was loved by us (one 15 year-old, indestructible and one middle aged woman, mum). 

Of course, she was the pride and joy of my mum, and she could do no wrong (until she broke mum's coxes, then that tune changed). Jamie, or Jammie as she was called at the barn had her name changed by mum to Jammie Rose.

It sounded like something out of a country western pornographic film.

Call it lesson learned, but the reason why I keep the majority of my horse's registered and show names as is, is because of her. Barn names are a completely different story... take Sinari.

Sinari's registered name is Bro A Bryn Siwrnai. Say that three times fast.

As you can imagine, we are loathed worse than the warmblood named horses, considering the slew of letters thrown in. By the way, It's pronounced Shore-nye. Kudos for trying. The Welsh translation of her name is: to journey. Which I found really appropriate, considering discipline and how many owners (five) until she came to me.

When I purchased her, Sinari's original barn name was Pretty. I still gag at it. Yes, she is pretty. I think she's drop dead beautiful. But does she really need a Barbie-like name that makes her seem... air headed? A quick search through a Welsh dictionary, I found the shortened her unpronounceable name into something even the daftest redneck can read.

Then along came May's Diamond Nine.

I suppose May got her registered name via birthday. She was born on the 9th of May 2001. Where the diamond came from I have no clue. 

May came from North Carolina out of a really bad situation. The owner had run out of hay, money and patience. Her herd was starving and going downhill in a quicker-than-normal fashion.

I found May through Chronicle of the Horse Forums. I wanted a nice, young, semi-broke Arabian filly that I could turn around. Instead, I got young, hasn't been touched since weaning her last colt off.

When I spoke to the owner, the mare's name was along the lines of "Wench". She judged her to be an disagreeable creature who hadn't produced what her lines indicated.

So the mare named Wench came to live with me.

When she stepped off the trailer, she had wounds packed with pickling salt, white scars on her croup, was 200-300 pounds underweight and an extreme dislike for ramps. Since then, she's had the best of care, love and understanding.


Her barn name came from her registered name. It stuck, and seemed more appropriate somehow. The month of May out here is marked by foaling season, Derby and sometimes odd weather. It's marked by change and hope. For her, it is befitting.


Then back in May, May had a colt.


I was a fit for names. It was my first opportunity to actually name something that I would compete with.


I thought about it all year long and I thought I had one picked out: Fibonacci.


If that doesn't scream geek from the high towers I don't know what does.

For me, it seemed like a perfect inside joke. The Fibonacci sequence, Phi, or the "Golden Ratio", is the mathematical version of the most aesthetically visually appeasing object.  Mathematically, mathematicians study it for it's unique ability in geometry and conjugations (e.g. Quadratic Equation).

In other words, it means perfection and dressage mostly is about one form of perfection or another and this guy, while extremely easy on the eyes, a good mover and personable to boot, isn't a DQ's cup of tea as far as ideals go.

Plus it didn't fill naming requirements as far as the linage was concerned (again with tradition!). All foals that I've been around have been named starting with the first letter of the sire's name. So, since May's colt was by Savant, he had to begin with an S. 

I nixed Fibonacci.

But when he was born and short while thereafter, the events became dramatic.

Everyone at that barn had an opinion about the name (and many other things), none of which sat well. 

Driving home late from his birth on Preakness Evening, I thought about the other qualities of a great horse and one of them was sincerity. All my horses are sincere creatures. They try everyday and are enjoyable on a multitude of levels. They are game, willing and honest.

And, for some reason, it fit him. His registered name is Sincere G. The G is for my last name, every horse bred by me will carry it.

He hasn't quite got a barn name yet, he goes by Sparky occasionally, but mostly Sincere. 

Sinari is next to be bred in the coming years. Her first will be by North Fork's Brenin Cardi. I think, if it's a orange bouncing colt, I will name him: Batali.

1 comment:

Andrea said...

Wooo I inspired a post! Go me!
We have a cob here named Stark's Tegwch. Um.... how the hell do you say that. They told me something like "Teg-UCK." Which suits him. But he otherwise goes by Teg.
Oh those crazy Welch names.
Little Sparky still wants to come live under my bed in the Great White North.