Hand Gallop Blog Hop: What's in a name?

Seeing as there is nothing more interesting happening than a snotty Allie nose that seems to be clearing, let's do a blog hop, shall we?

Ballymount Alleycat - Allie

Miss Allie. In all her muddy, muddy glory.

Allie came with the name Ballymount Alleycat. They called her Alleycat which a) doesn't suit her at all and b) I hate. Years ago there was this poor old Standardbred mare crippled with navicular at the property I used to agist my OTTB which broke my heart. Her name was Alleycat, and to me the name is cursed.

She is so sweet.

So Alleycat wouldn't work for me. I just called her Allie for short and to be honest I love the name for her now. She has a nick name of Al-bal or Allie-ballie thanks to Nat. No idea where it comes from but it has stuck!

Back when she was still pretty from both sides...

Honey Badger - Gracie

Don't let the cute face fool you. She is out for your blood.

So when we first got Gracie she looked like a feral horse straight from the bush, which she pretty much was.

Super feral.

Nat named her Gracie simply because she liked the name Grace. We all know now that she can be a mole of a horse and is rather graceful while tearing around the paddock kicking at your head. She is so marey. So, so marey.

The Honey Badger thing is best explained by this video:

Seriously, Gracie doesn't give a shit. She eats ANYTHING. She takes what she wants, does what she wants, is a general bad ass and really doesn't need any human in her life. She is the opposite of sweet affectionate Allie.

But she looks so cute!

When Nat took her to her first show, she wanted a show name for her but couldn't come up with anything. We joked about Honey Badger, but I don't think Nat was serious about it. Too bad for her that I did the online nomination for them. I chose Honey Badger and it really has stuck. We love it now. She lives up to it on a regular basis.

Shaun's Image - Beckham

"Getting REAL sick of your shit Lisa..."

Beckham's sire was a TB from New Zealand called Young Shaun. Apparently Becks looked just like him, therefore Shaun's Image.

He really was quite handsome.

His stable name when I got him was Gus. Weird thing was, the old man who I got him from was also called Gus. He looked like a Gus, with his big round belly and short chewed up tail. But I hated Gus. Hated it. I couldn't find a name I liked but my mate Casey suggested Beckham. Now, I'm not a soccer fan at all, but the name really suited him. So it stuck.

Gosh I miss that horse.

Wombat - Pom

Oh my sweet pony. Sweet, long suffering pony.

Wombat was my first pony I got when I was 12. He came with the name Wombat. I don't know anything about his history, we bought him from a dodgy horse dealer.

No helmet. No hair tie. No saddle. Really, it's lucky I was even wearing boots.

His nickname was Pom. After about the first year or so I hardly ever called him Wombat. Always Pom. Some people assumed that was his only name! The way a 13 year old girl progresses from Wombat to Pom is this: Wombat>Wombie Pombie>Wombie Pom>Pom.
I shit you not.

So cute, so yellow.

Anira

That is the look of a pony who suffers ownership by a 13 year old pony obsessed girl.

Anira was a sweet old long suffering paint pony we bought from another dodgy horse dealer. Can you tell we didn't come from a horsey family?

Anira is a nerdy nerdy nerdy name. I am a super nerd, just FYI. It means desired in Sindarin Elvish from Lord of the Rings.

Yep.

So she got that name because Natalie (being about 9 years old at the time) desperately wanted a paint mare. This horse was too old and too expensive but she got her because she was a paint mare. The poor pony only stayed sound for about 3 years after Nat got her and retired not long after. She was also always a crazy hot ride. All she wanted to do was go fast, jump, or do sporting events, which her arthritic hocks couldn't handle.

Summer coat, winter fuzz ears.

She was super sweet and quiet on the ground so she wasn't any trouble to have around really. She was loved and I know Nat still misses her terribly.


That's it! What a great idea for a blog hop.