Horseback riding is a sport that very few people decide to venture into very seriously. It requires a lot of training and is quite a dangerous sport. What makes it even more strenuous is the fact that the sport is made for two - the rider and the horse. A horse, in this sport, is not merely an animal to groom and feed and cuddle. An unhappy horse makes for an unhealthy horse which leads to losing races. Trainers and their teams need to be extremely well acquainted with the maintenance of such a beautiful creature. The riders must be comfortable with the horse. It is a team sport and it requires the well-being of the horse for it to cooperate.
A lot of trainers get attached to their horses. They treat their horses like their children and often pay more attention to them than their own families! The horses mean more to them than just another mouth to feed; they provide the food that they eat. They call their horses lovingly using clicking sounds with their throats and nicknames. But what a horse is called has more weight than one can imagine. A horse’s name, quite like a celebrity’s stage name, becomes something of an image and what you call them greatly reflects their ability on the track.
In 2011, the most common names for horses were shown to be Buddy, Jack and Max. However, from racing history, it is quite clear that neither Buddy nor Jack win the race but horses like Kincsem and Black Caviar, who currently hold the world’s highest record for thoroughbreds. Race horses are most known by names after fast moving objects (like Lightening or Thunder) or those that represent wealth (like Regulus or Goldfinder).
Asteroid is one of the most common race horse names. Asteroids are known as minor planets and usually just float around space harmlessly. But when they reach the earth atmosphere burn up and fly across the sky, with a trail of fire behind them. This is the perfect analogy for a fast horse; the image of it leaving a blaze of fire behind it. Asteroid happens to be the name of one of the greatest horses from the United States. Dying in 1886, he held 12 wins in total.
Highflyer was another horse with undefeatable record, from Great Britain, in the 18th century. Highflyer is a word that, in common tongue, means a person that has the ability to become successful. Highflyer is an apt name for him because he started aging at a very young age, younger than the usual age of five. He showed promise even before his racing career started as his entire muscular structure was such that it was fairly obvious from the start that he was meant for the races. He held 14 wins to his name.
Man ‘o War is one of the greatest names in the history of horse racing. He holds the number one place in Blood Horse magazine’s list of 100 U.S. Racehorses. The phrase “man o’ war” literally is a powerful name tracing back to the 16th century war ships. These ships were loaded with cannon. It brings out an image of power and destruction, one that is perfect for this horse as he is still considered one of the fastest horses in history. He won 20 out of 21 races that he had run.
The rules for naming a horse are listed in the Jockey Club page. Two rules are interesting to note. One, a horse, once named and registered, cannot change their names. Two, after a horse makes a record, that name cannot be used by any other members. This implies that all of the greatest horses have unique names; ones that they have had forever and have lived up to. This also means that the naming of a horse is a crucial part as it cannot be one already used and it has to be built such that it builds an image to it.
A lot of trainers get attached to their horses. They treat their horses like their children and often pay more attention to them than their own families! The horses mean more to them than just another mouth to feed; they provide the food that they eat. They call their horses lovingly using clicking sounds with their throats and nicknames. But what a horse is called has more weight than one can imagine. A horse’s name, quite like a celebrity’s stage name, becomes something of an image and what you call them greatly reflects their ability on the track.
In 2011, the most common names for horses were shown to be Buddy, Jack and Max. However, from racing history, it is quite clear that neither Buddy nor Jack win the race but horses like Kincsem and Black Caviar, who currently hold the world’s highest record for thoroughbreds. Race horses are most known by names after fast moving objects (like Lightening or Thunder) or those that represent wealth (like Regulus or Goldfinder).
Asteroid is one of the most common race horse names. Asteroids are known as minor planets and usually just float around space harmlessly. But when they reach the earth atmosphere burn up and fly across the sky, with a trail of fire behind them. This is the perfect analogy for a fast horse; the image of it leaving a blaze of fire behind it. Asteroid happens to be the name of one of the greatest horses from the United States. Dying in 1886, he held 12 wins in total.
Highflyer was another horse with undefeatable record, from Great Britain, in the 18th century. Highflyer is a word that, in common tongue, means a person that has the ability to become successful. Highflyer is an apt name for him because he started aging at a very young age, younger than the usual age of five. He showed promise even before his racing career started as his entire muscular structure was such that it was fairly obvious from the start that he was meant for the races. He held 14 wins to his name.
Man ‘o War is one of the greatest names in the history of horse racing. He holds the number one place in Blood Horse magazine’s list of 100 U.S. Racehorses. The phrase “man o’ war” literally is a powerful name tracing back to the 16th century war ships. These ships were loaded with cannon. It brings out an image of power and destruction, one that is perfect for this horse as he is still considered one of the fastest horses in history. He won 20 out of 21 races that he had run.
The rules for naming a horse are listed in the Jockey Club page. Two rules are interesting to note. One, a horse, once named and registered, cannot change their names. Two, after a horse makes a record, that name cannot be used by any other members. This implies that all of the greatest horses have unique names; ones that they have had forever and have lived up to. This also means that the naming of a horse is a crucial part as it cannot be one already used and it has to be built such that it builds an image to it.
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