Help educate me! What do the “letters” following horses names (Popeye K, Bering C, etc. for example) mean?
Typically it is the initial of the breeder or of the breeding farm.
I have a client that is purchasing a horse “with a letter after his name”. They asked me why it was there and, despite that we see a lot like that in the show ring today, I had no idea what the correct answer to their question was!
The “Z” horses are Zangersheide. Ratina Z, Ramiro Z, etc.
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Well the K comes from Peter Karneef, but people who have bred to Popeye K used it too.
Well, ISF after a name is Iron Spring Farm, WF after a name (As You Wish WF) is Watermark Farm, and so on. I know it was already explained but I am trying to give you a couple of concrete examples.
Our “new guy to be” ends in “C”.
I guess it’s sort of like the pony breeders using a prefix name, but instead they are using a suffix letter. . .
I have to say one of my pet peeves is when a breeder uses another breeder’s letter after their horses’ names.
For example, breeding your own horses and putting a “Z” after it, regardless of whether it’s your initial, just makes you look like you’re pawning off on Zangersheide and (worse) makes it look like you’re unaware that a world-renoknowned
Even if my farm was named, “Icy Shores Farm” I wouldn’t put “ISF” after my horses’ names, as that’s completely misleading! I can think of several others I wouldn’t use, such as HF, HTF, SSF, VDL, K, etc.
Some are in North America, some abroad, but those are all ones that I’ve seen often enough that I wouldn’t want to risk stepping one someone’s toes. And likewise, if I breed a top horse I don’t want it to be mistaken for the product of someone else’s breeding program either, so I would make sure if I was going to use one it was not being used already.
Spectrum.
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[QUOTE=Tiki;3910644]
The “Z” horses are Zangersheide. Ratina Z, Ramiro Z, etc.[/QUOTE]
I had always pronounced the “Z” as “zee”…until I watched a GP jumping competition and heard it pronounced, “zed”…as Wikipedia says, it is pronounced “zed” by the majority of the english-speaking world outside of the US. I must confess, I feel as if I’ve discovered a big secret the rest of the world has known all along 
You can imagine my chagrin when I had an adorable Dutch WB competing in dressage whose name was Mr. Z. At a huge show in Wellington, the announcer (who was British) kept calling him Mr. Zed. Unfortunately the speakers muddled it just enough that it sounded like Mr Ed. 
:eek::no::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
I use my own initials after my homebreds names so that I can be assured of the name that I want for them and also as a marker for my breeding program. Some hate that concept, but I have never had a complaint from a buyer, and they can drop the suffix for the show name.
I always wanted to use my initials but there is already a Trakehner breeding farm who uses the same… MV.
Bah, I could use my full name initials… MVB but I am not sure I like the look of it :lol:
We’ll see! 
(Z being pronounced as Zed sounds terribly French! Or Belgian?)
[/QUOTE]
(Z being pronounced as Zed sounds terribly French! Or Belgian?)[/QUOTE]
According to Wikipedia…it sounds terribly everywhere but the US!!!
I quite like it though:cool:
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[QUOTE=Spectrum;3910753]
I have to say one of my pet peeves is when a breeder uses another breeder’s letter after their horses’ names.
For example, breeding your own horses and putting a “Z” after it, regardless of whether it’s your initial, just makes you look like you’re pawning off on Zangersheide and (worse) makes it look like you’re unaware that a world-renoknowned
Even if my farm was named, “Icy Shores Farm” I wouldn’t put “ISF” after my horses’ names, as that’s completely misleading! I can think of several others I wouldn’t use, such as HF, HTF, SSF, VDL, K, etc.
Some are in North America, some abroad, but those are all ones that I’ve seen often enough that I wouldn’t want to risk stepping one someone’s toes. And likewise, if I breed a top horse I don’t want it to be mistaken for the product of someone else’s breeding program either, so I would make sure if I was going to use one it was not being used already.
Spectrum.[/QUOTE]
Unless you run in the same circles as these other breeders, how are you to know what suffixes are being used? There used to be a big Arab breeder in Canada that used the “Stonebridge” prefix. There is also a Canadien breeder that uses the same prefix.
My farm is Windeyer Farm and I have used the WF suffix. I’m sure that there are other W_ Farms out there that have done the same thing. Are we trying to step on the toes of the big time breeders? Absolutely not.
I’ve been using the letter “T” as a suffix to my horses’ names for 15 years now. I started using it when my chosen name was already taken when I went to register a foal. I’ve seen other horses with the letter “T” as a suffix, for example “Royal T” from the Canadian farm, Royal Warmbloods. So what? Should I stop using it just because it’s currently in the name of a young stallion? Or stop using it because a farm that is larger and better known than mine decides they’re going to use it? I don’t think that’s fair, do you? What would the “rules” be?
I really think it’s a breeder’s way to distinguish themselves from within their own registries and ensure uniqueness of a name, and nobody ever feels their “toes stepped on.” Go to USEF and do a search on the name, “Deja Vu” and see how many horses pop up!
Am I correct in thinking this is a “warmblood thing”? Is is common worldwide? North American? Our horse was bred in Canada. As I mentioned, I know a bunch of horses in the show ring that have names w/ letters, but I have no idea where they came from.
I get the letter after the name but what about numbers? For example… Carlitos Way 6? Donatello 141? California 19?
Then some folks rename every horse they buy as their farm name even when they don’t breed. If the horses aren’t registered it doesn’t matter and if they are, have they really changed the name officially and paid a fee?
Most of the OTTB I know get a barn name and also show under a barn name or new name rather than their JC name.
Likewise you can buy a horse with a breeders prefix or suffix and either drop it for common use, or have it legally changed.
Apparently Arabians must show under their registered name, whether it embarassed you or not.
From the posts above, it sounds like there’s enough complexity in the letters thing for client to legitimately ask the seller, what exactly does the letter stand for in this particular horse and breed?
Also some of the Warmblood Registries have arms that give suffix letters to horses of their registry for merit–FRH for the Hanoverians, TSF for the Traks (IIRC), etc. I can’t remember all of them, but Westfalens award them, and I’m sure some of the other ones do as well.
And then as mentioned some horses get the name of prefix suffix regardless of having bred the animal or not - Cooley Sporthorses, RF for Raylyn Farms as well. I’ve seen a pony breeder do this for their broodmare as well.
I’m trying to figure out the best approach for my very small breeding + sales operation. Arbor Lane - AL - or ALF - or name them all Arbor Lane XYZ. I feel like unless they come with a breeders insignia then it’s ok but I know there are a variety of thoughts on this.
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In some breeds, such as Morgans, you can register a prefix name or initials so others in the breed can’t use it for registered names.
In dogs I know that you can register a kennel name. I don’t know if there is a rule about it, but the breeders I knew used the system of using the prefix for animals they bred and added “of kennel name” for puppies they bought - which meant some dogs had kennel names at both ends!
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