What's In a Name (Hand Gallop Blog Hop)

Thanks to Stephanie over at Hand Gallop for the fun blog hop idea! I love names, and horse names can be so creative. This has been a blast to follow!

What's the origin of your horse's show name and barn name?

Boop!

Show Name: Logic Lane
I am incredibly lucky in that my ex-racehorse came with a totally awesome registered name. Maybe it's his British heritage, but his name is completely classy, and not worth changing. I like to show racehorses under their racing names, in case their connections want to track them and to show off how awesome racehorses are.

Logic Lane, while not totally fitting his personality, is awesome in other ways. It's the name of a cobbled bridle path on the Oxford University campus in England. I think this ties in beautifully with Guinness' British racing history. I love it.

Barn Name: Guinness
As a chestnut Irish-bred horse, this name is pretty self explanatory. I have to laugh about it, as both of my dogs are named after alcohol related things (one after a bar, and the other after a winery). When I explain that, I sound like I have a serious problem. Guinness came with the name, and I couldn't bring myself to change it. He doesn't really respond to it, and it is hard for others to spell. That brings us to...

Nicknames: Pig, Pigeon, Pigwidgeon, The Giggle Piggy, GP
As my first horse, Guinness was immediately called "The Guinea Pig." That didn't hang around long before it was shortened to "Pig" ("Guinea" being a bit derogatory of a term, it seemed a bit mean...). Pig is the name Guinness actually responds to, and he even will occasionally respond to "Pigeon." In my long standing tradition of creating nicknames longer than the animal's actual name, Guinness is often known as Pigwigeon and The Giggle Piggy. Barn workers and friends have shortened his nickname to GP to save their hands when writing barn notes.
When it comes to a nickname, though, really anything goes. My poor trainer often receives the clinic schedules with "10:30 -- Austen & His Royal Majesty, King of the Falling Onto The Inside Shoulder" written in. She's even taken to calling him "His Majesty." I'm known to call him "Captain" enough that people at shows have thought that was his name.

It's amazing he doesn't have an identity complex!