My horses would be totally confused if you changed their barn names, as they all come when called.
My mare came as a gift. Sis bought her emaciated out of a suburban backyard. The mare ate like it was her job and came along quickly. Sis liked riding her, but (as she can be an easy mare to like and a hard one to love) never loved her. I loved her from the first time I put a leg over, and she was “my” horse at my sister’s place (I’m in Ontario, she’s in Oklahoma).
Sis offered “Nelda B” (JC Washita Belle) to me out of the blue. I’d never owned a horse away from family, never boarded, but I started touring boarding barns and contacting transport companies. I asked Sister about changing her name. I’d hated the name Nelda from the start. Sounds like someone’s mean old aunt. Sis didn’t care, as she was only Nelda because that was what had evolved from her previous name of Esmeralda (so-called by the woman who was starving her in the backyard). I called her Ms. B for a while as I arranged board and transport (the B stands for Bitchface). Then I tried out Winnie B, which has the same initials as her registered name, and it stuck. Bad luck? Well, she has fractured her skull in a freak pasture accident, and I’ve fallen off of her twice in a year and a half, but Win CHANGED MY LIFE. All for the better.
I’ve only showed at a few provincial horse trials and some barn events. I showed under her JC name in the provincial HTs and under Winnie B at barn events. It was much more fun to hear her name announced as Winnie B.
Her former owner/trainer is now my friend on FB, so anyone from the past who cares could easily track her down. I’m thinking about showing her as Winnie B moving forward. Or…Sis and I were talking during my most recent visit, when I was jokingly criticising each of my borrowed mounts. Slim (her favourite hunter) is too chill and needs at least an acre to turn at the canter (Win is quick, sharp, and responsive, sometimes overly sensitive). Sis then asked, “Then you like Sam best? He’s not too chill!” Nah, Sam is like a freight train and takes too much hand for me (Win is very, very light in the bridle, pretty balanced on the whoa/go spectrum). Sis accused me of being Goldilocks, everything was “too hot” or “too cold.” I told her it’s a damn good thing that Winnie B happens to be like baby bear’s porridge, JUST RIGHT.
And I think Baby Bear’s Porridge would be a cute show name with a special, funny meaning for me and Sis. If we ever get to show again, I’ll have a tough decision to make.
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My OTTBs name is slang for an outhouse.
Not sure how that one get past the Jockey Club.
It was quickly changed.
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I have a Sky too! 5yo mustang. I kept her name because it just suits her. But I have no superstitions about changing a horses name. To me, the horse having the RIGHT name is more important.
But my horses usually are grade or of unknown origin and breeding (case in point, my mustang), so it’s not like they need to carry their name forth to promote a stallion or bloodline.
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Just wrote a fun blog post about this! Let me know if I’ve missed any good ones…
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I have only renamed one single horse of the six I’ve owned. Just her barn name not her registered name.
That was also my one unmitigated disaster horse from basically the second I signed the papers. Lame from a quarter crack while still at the sellers, colic surgery two weeks after I got her home, what had seemed like a level headed horse was a hot spooky horse after back in work, sent her off to be sold which took almost a year and took a bath on her after kissing spine was found.
So intellectually I know changing her name had nothing to do with any of that…but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to change a name again! 
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Unless I really like the name a horse I buy already has, I change it. New life with me. New name. I for sure change the name, even if I like it, if the horse’s previous home was not so great. Don’t need that bad energy. In that case, horse needs a fresh start/new name.
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I guarantee you will not be the first person to have done this. I believe you have to love your horse’s name as well as your horse.
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I adore thinking of names! Probably because I grew up in breed shows, where you are just stuck with what you get 
When I took them to other shows, thinking of a good name was so fun!
Sunday Best
Fancy Meeting You
And I helped name a few when I was working in the AA H/J world:
Sing the Blues
Second Tenor
The Tin Man
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Yep. I am convinced mine know their names.
Since this thread got bumped, I felt like I should add my new guy… JC name Comatoast.
His barn name is Toaster (or Tito/Toto/Toastito, he’s not picky), but I kind of love his registered name. He’s a spicy meatball but was a terrible racehorse, so it seems weirdly fitting.
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I LOVE that name!
My sister had an OTTB whose JC name was Anchovy Pest. He had raced until he was, IIRC, 7, but nothing spectacular.
By the time she got him his name had been changed to Standing Ovation. His bar name was Magic, but tht is another story.) He was pretty successful as a Prelim level eventer, including qualifying for, and completing, the de Brooke (East Coast Prelim level championship).
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I know this is a very old thread, but I agree with this comment.
I read an article recently, I think from the Paulick Report, titled ‘the disappearing Thoroughbred’ - they are still there, but all too often they - their heritage, their bloodlines and who they are , and recognition of who they are, are being lost in sport other than racing, through name changes, bad record keeping, and a lack of concern for the importance of honouring and recording their heritage…
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My late mare’s registered name was “Pew.”
That’s a no.
The gelding before that? “Baby Boy.”
Also a no.
Current mare is “Shayney Mahaney”. I kept it as her show name.
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I’ve owned 4 horses. Two I bought as yearlings, one name I changed, the other I named at birth myself as I worked for the breeder. The other two I bought at 3 (changed the name) and at 11 ( didn’t change the name).
Both of the horses whose names I changed died, one at 5, after I had her for 4 years, and the 3yo after I owned her for 2 months. The 11yo is still with me 6 months later and the other yearling is still with me 20(!) years later.
Count me superstitious.
I love coming up with names but struggled naming my own. His trainer called every horse in his shedrow the same name, so i did give him a new barn name. For about a year he was just “Black” - he since has a proper name.
Then I had a hard time coming up with a formal name to show him under, so i resigned to his horribly awful JC name. Sent it in… REJECTED. I ended up letting my boyfriend name him. He (BF) is big on hair metal/glam rock…
Hah hah- my husband always wants me to name one of mine Creeping Death. He thinks that would be really funny: “Now entering the ring is Number 47, Foursocks on Creeping Death…”
I am very un-superstitious, and I love coming up with new names! The way I look at it is this is a way of starting your new relationship. Of my two current horses, one shows under a name I gave him, and the other under his registered name. The first one’s registered name was pretty common and I came up with one I really liked.
I bought the second one years later from the same person and since he had pointed out that breeders can’t follow their horse with a name change, I kept that one’s name. It’s sort of weird, but I like it, although if I had changed it the new one would REALLY suit him: Interrobang. <-- if you don’t know what this is, look it up and you will have an accurate picture of my new guy’s personality. 
