Horses Names to Avoid

By C.B. Lober, Five Star Ranch Staff Writer

Picture this: your family is on a ranch vacation and your family is being assigned a horse to ride. If you believe that a horse's name can reflect elements of its personality, pay close attention. The following is a list of horse names which may indicate a horse you might want to avoid.

1. Bucky - If this horse isn't a buckskin, you might want to inquire if this name was earned by exhibiting certain undesirable horse gymnastics.
2. Widowmaker - Watch for fire coming out of the nose of a horse that goes by this name.
3. Goofy, Slacker, or Pokey - Unless you want a horse that is almost asleep you might want to reconsider such a horse
4. Joker, Frisky, Frolic, Tornado, or Cyclone - Hang on if this is the horse you get
5. Jaws, Fang or Muncher - Keep an eye on this one's mouth or request a muzzle
6. Risky, Bolt or Dart - Be prepared for a horse that can move quickly without warning
7. Wings or Pegasus - Unless you're into open jumpers, you might proceed with caution on a horse with these names.
8. Barnsour - Hmmmm, this one may require a lot of leg or a crop to motivate
9. Buzzsaw - The name conjures up worrisome thoughts, so avoid a horse by this name at all costs
10. Whoa or is it Woe - Neither of these names connotes you'll have a good ride. Better to opt for a different horse.
11. Tripp - Is this horse named for its mode of traveling or is this a family name?
12. Sassy - Expect an unpredictable ride.
13. Spook - When I heard the name, I wondered. Then when my boyfriend touched him in the side, he spooked and ran right over the top of me. Go figure.
    (Thanks to reader Terry Eastburn for sending that name in.)

Outfitters be forewarned. The names you give to horses go a long way in how the riders view their horses. Do yourself a favor and select positive names for the horses. The only thing worse than a horse with a bad name is a horse with no name. Hmmm, didn't they write a song about that?

If you know of other "questionable" horse names, let us know via Feedback. We welcome your input. and we'll add it to our list.