Spanish Horse Names
Naming a Purebred Spanish horse here in Spain is a mixture of personal choice, traditionalism, and certain Stud Book limitations on spanish horse names.
Who is Who in the Spanish Horse Name Zoo
You encounter a horse, referred to as a PRE or maybe as an andalusian. He has a spanish sounding name.
It is a name that you are sure you have seen before.
- Isn’t there a famous competition horse of that name?
- Isn’t that the name you keep seeing repeated in claims of ’descended from’ in adverts?
- Is this an opportunity to get that bloodline?
But does the fact that this PRE has the same name as another mean that they are related? Not necessarily.
The issue of those ’descended from’ claims is dealt with elsewhere.
Spanish Horse Names - How they are composed
Pull up a comfy chair, settle down with the spanish necessity of a cup of good coffee, and have a look at how we see it from here in Spain. As ever, I write this from a personal observation perspective. I may use comparisons and terms to illustrate an explanation that do not appear in official documentation. I usually enclose these in quotes.
Think about the PRE horse’s name as having 2 parts
- The Prefix - a word, that is the first part of the name.
- The Suffix - numbers or initials after the Word Prefix.
We are talking about the naming of a PRE, a purebred spanish horse, who is inscribed and entered in the Spanish Stud Book. More about Inscription and Revision right hand menu Related Qs - PRE papers.
PREFIX - the Word in a PRE’s name
The WORD part of the name is what most people recognise easily. A horse is named by his breeder. His choice is absolutely open - he can call the newborn spanish foal anything he wants. His choice can be influenced by Tradition, Conformity or a Personal Whim.
FAMILY TRADITION in the Naming of a Pure Spanish Horse
Spanish tradition is everywhere in Spanish Horse breeding, and one way it shows up is in the naming of the foals, where it links inextricably to the people of the land.
In a spanish family, and especially a family in Andalucia, parents have traditionally named their children after a certain flow. The eldest son is named after the father, the second son after the paternal grandfather, the third son after the maternal grandfather. Likewise the daughters are named after their mother and grandmothers.
This identification flowed naturally into the naming of the horses, and so the spanish foal can be named after one of its parents. It is interesting to note that a colt is often given the male form of its mother’s name. Thus a mare named Bandolera could present a colt foal that her breeder decides to call Bandolero.
Tradition 02 - Alphabetical by Year
A number of breeders like to name their foals in a way that shows the year of their birth. But not just with a year number, that would be somewhat mundane. Rather, the spanish mix tradition and individuality with art.
- A stud begins its breeding program.
- The first crop of foals, born in the first year of breeding, are given names beginning with the letter ’A’.
- The names of the foals born the next year then all begin with ’B’, and so it progresses, making it easier to keep track of the stock as the stud grows.
It is thought that this manner of naming was brought in - or as some would rather have it, was merely emphasised, by the Yeguada Militar. The military stud was and is indeed a military organisation, and with military efficiency still utilises this manner of naming their young stock.
NB: This manner of naming is individual to each stud.
The foals of my first year of breeding would be my ’ A’ crop, but this would not
necessarily be the A crop year for my neighbour breeder. He may have been established for 3 years longer, so my A crop year would be his D crop year.
PERSONAL CHOICE in naming a spanish horse
A breeder is always free to follow his own whims, and name each horse as he pleases. He may simply choose a name he likes, or he may tailor tradition to his particular flow.
A breeder, for example, may choose to go with flower names for his fillies and the names of trees for his colts. He names a colt Olivo, and a filly born in the same year is Rosa. Or he could go a step further, and fit them to the alphabetical order. In his R year the filly is named Rosa and he names a colt Roble - oak tree.
What about the NUMBERS in a PRE name?
Let’s keep as an example that name Bandolero, and create a Random Example. Assume that in the spring of 2011
- Breeder One, a traditionalist with a stud of long-standing, has a colt foal from his mare Bandolera. In keeping with family tradition he names this colt Bandolero. This is the third colt foal of hers that has been so named.
- Breeder Two, a retired general who served 30 years with YM, is in his second year of breeding at his small stud. This is his B year, and he names his colt Bandolero.
- Breeder Three is naming all his stock after professions, and he chooses the name Bandolero.
As you can see, things could very quickly get very confusing.
Names of PREs in the Spanish STUD BOOK
To be registered, that is inscribed, in the Stud Book of the PRE, a horse must have a unique name. You simply cannot have 3 - or 23 or 103 - Bandoleros. This is where the second part of the name, the Suffix, comes into play.
PART 2 of the Spanish Horse Name, the Suffix
The Suffix can be
- a cardinal number - 23, 42
- a Roman Numeral - XXIII, XLII
- a set of initials
- a stud name
Returning to our 3 Hypothetical Breeders and their Random Example Bandolero foals
- There are over 100 Bandoleros, and an equal number of Bandoleras, listed in the Registry.
- Each one has a different ’Suffix’
- 35 of the Bandoleros have a mother named Bandolera.
Cardinal and Roman Numerals as Suffix
On Inscription, our Random Example foals are all registered as Bandolero. They are each given a ’reference number’ which shows in the stud book as
a cardinal number written after their name.
So Breeder One may have Bandolero 45, and Breeder Two is registered as the owner of Bandolero 46.
When these Bandoleros pass Revision, then they will be allocated their Roman Numerals, such as we are used to seeing on a Spanish PRE name. The Roman Numeral will not necessarily be the same as the Cardinal Numeral.
INITIALS and PRE Stud Names as Suffix
Some studs are known to use the name or initials of the stud or its owner as the suffix. This creates a unique name, and also serves to identify the horse as to his origin. An example here could be Genio MAC, from the well reputed stud of Manuel Angel Cardenas.
We name our foals with the Suffix of the Stud name - Peregrino. Because there are not any other 2011 foals named Bodega Peregrino or Bravio Peregrino, they do not need a reference number, and will carry exactly the same name after Revision.
ANCCE Regulations on Spanish Horse Names
ANCCE, the Organisation responsible for administering the Stud Book of the Purebred Spanish horse in Spain, has certain regulations in place about the naming of a PRE. Among these
- maximum 20 characters including spaces
- no letter combinations which compose a roman number
- should not be the name of a famous or public person
- should not sound offensive