Middle Eastern names for TBs from native English countries.

[vineyridge]

The sheikhs' studs tend to name their TBs in their own languages. Some have names that are totally unpronounceable in English.

I was doing some research, and from what I could see, before long most English high end TBs are going to have names that are meaningless to the English speaker who doesn't understand Arabic or Persian. The Aga Khan has had a history of this, but the new sheikhs have so many horses and are producing such great quantity.

Is this a good trend, a bad trend, or a neutral trend? Will we care in 30 years that many TBs have ancestors with names that mean nothing to us and don't come easily to our tongues?

[pfrsue]

You mean like Mahubah or Mumtaz Mahal? For that matter, how easy was it to pronounce Fusaichi Pegasus?

I'd call it a neutral trend. Look at most any pedigree and you'll find English, French, sometimes Spanish or German and certainly Arabic.

[Crystal]

don't feel bad for us, feel bad for the people calling the races.

[Lucy]

Sheikh Mohammed, most prolific owner/breeder of them all, is bilingual and gives as many English names as Arabic ones. But I don't mind either way....as a big fan of words, I am always glad for the opportunity to learn new ones, regardless of language.

[vineyridge]

You mean like Mahubah or Mumtaz Mahal? For that matter, how easy was it to pronounce Fusaichi Pegasus?

I'd call it a neutral trend. Look at most any pedigree and you'll find English, French, sometimes Spanish or German and certainly Arabic.

Mumtaz Mahal was an historical figure for whom the Taj Mahal was built and named. Of course she (the horse, not the historical figure) WAS bred by the Aga Khan--or bought by him and then named.

Horses with names that mean something to an English speaker don't bother me at all. It's the ones that are just plain unpronounceable that do bother me. There's an old stallion that I run across named Qat Al Din (or something like that). I always think he must have been an Arabian that got into the TB gene pool when Lady Wentworth got the GSB opened for a time, but he wasn't.

[AscotStud]

I could care less what the names are that appear in my horses pedigrees, as long as they can run. However, I would rather have an Arabic name than Sir Gaylord, Lord Gaylord or Homo Adonis, expecially if it was a colt.

[UmmYeah]

This is America. These horses should speak American, dagnabbit!

[LB]

The sheikhs' studs tend to name their TBs in their own languages. Some have names that are totally unpronounceable in English.

I was doing some research, and from what I could see, before long most English high end TBs are going to have names that are meaningless to the English speaker who doesn't understand Arabic or Persian.

I have yet to see a TB name that was totally unpronounceable in English no matter what its language of origin.

I've also seen plenty of "English" names that were meaningless, for example, Mooji Moo. So I guess I don't see what the problem is.

[Heidilady]

This is America. These horses should speak American, dagnabbit!

We should practice what we preach and give Larry the Cable Guy some what for, first.

Then Mike Pegram needs to be introduced to lack of euphemism + the space bar. No means no, Mike.

[Mom]

With ancestry like the Byerley Turk and the Godolphin Arabian and Darley Arabian, Middle Eastern names seem appropriate....

[Crystal]

I think we should go old school.. "Bob's mare" or "Brown Horse".. like the old QH lines have.

[UmmYeah]

I think we should go old school.. "Bob's mare" or "Brown Horse".. like the old QH lines have.

That works. Just so long as it's not "Mahmoud's filly" or "Julio's hoss." No foreign names allowed!

[Firebrand]

I don't necessarily have a problem with a horse that has a foreign name, I would just like to know how to pronounce it correctly. I appreciate that Shadwell puts the pronunciation of their stallions names on their web pages, along with what the name translates to in English.

One name that drives me a little nuts is La Troienne. I don't know that I pronounce it correctly and I've heard other people say it several different ways, so that doesn't really help. Some of my French is OK, but it's not necessarily great and my Arabic/Middle Eastern is nonexistent.

[UmmYeah]

You know, I'm not sure it matters all that much. I don't pronounce the word "Paris" the same way they do in France, and in California, the preferred pronunciation of the most populous city has little to do with correct Spanish. (In fact, there's no surer way of proving that you aren't a local than saying "Loz Aahn-hell-ays.") I don't speak his name very often, but I am sure I am butchering Biancone's name when I pronounce it in my head--I pronounce it like he's from Italy, not France--and I never remember how to correctly pronounce Harty's first name and Clement's last.

[griff]

I like names in code; i.e., one of my geldings is named Hotel Sierra.

his momma is Hot Concern out of Hot Music and they would not let me name him hot S#&* or S#&* Hot

griff