Copperfox 10 Day Challenge - Day '4': Naming

Day '4':  Name your model or barn 

 
Have a go at naming the most recent addition to your herd by giving them a show name, stable name and pet name. As further ideas, why not do the same for your barn or stable yard and then make a barn tour video?

I know it's a couple of days late, but I'm not going to try to cram 3 days into one post. So, here's Day 4 of the Copperfox 10 Day Challenge (which is actually Day 2's challenge, since I swapped them round).

Whilst I don't have a stable yard (because I don't have room to set one up or store it), I do have a name for my 'stable' of horses. I use the prefix 'Silverdale Acres' (SA) in front of all my Breyers' show names, and 'Blue Moon Stables' (BMS) for all my Schleich horses (it just feels weird to have them all in the same 'stable').

Most of my models don't have official 'pet' names, mostly because I prefer those kinds of names to happen spontaneously. If I wrote stories for my horses they probably would end up with their own pet names, but since I don't it's not something I worry about. Plus, it's hard enough just coming up with Show and Stable names for them all! Here are just a few of my latest additions (the others still won't tell my what they want to be called...)

 

 I am genuinely smitten with this Stablemate filly! Since I've made my black Paso Fino mare, Nightingale, her mother I figured it would be good to stick with the bird theme, so this filly's name is now Dotterel, or Dot for short (yeah, yeah, I know it's cliche, but it suits her.)

 

 I'm over the moon to finally have this beauty! I'd always admired the pictures of Marigold, the very first release on the Classic Morgan Mare mould, in Breyer's catalogue, but because she was a special Fun Day release I never thought I'd be able to own one. So when this girl was listed on Chestnut Ridge for sale secondhand, I jumped at the chance to get her. And I'm so pleased I did. I adore her, and I've called her Feminine Fox, or Vixen, for her chestnut coat and the way her tail reminds me of a fox's brush.

And lastly, for now, I've bought myself the Schleich male Dalmatian. He's about Classic scale, so he'll be keeping my Schleich male German Shepherd, Kep, company. I wish his spots were better: they look more like patches in some places, like on his shoulder and just above his hock, but I like him nonetheless. Whilst looking for name ideas for my Schleich zebra I came across a web link for an article about a newborn zebra foal at a zoo. The zoo had named the foal 'Ruckus', and I just thought that was such a great name that I borrowed it for my new dog. So, please meet Ruckus.

That's all for now. On to day 5!

What's In A Name?

I love names. I love finding out their meanings and origins. I love names that have sentimental meanings. I love names that contain an in-joke, or names that make clever references. I love finding out what names other people have chosen. I love names that were carefully chosen, names that genuinely fit whoever or whatever they were chosen for. So it's little surprise that one of my favourite things about collecting models is naming them.

Whether it's the people in my Schleich stable, my vintage Puppy in my Pocket dogs and cats or my many, many, many model horses, I just love finding the perfect name for each and every one of my models. Sometimes I'll keep the original name the model comes with (if it has one at all), but for the most part I prefer to choose my own names. I find it makes them feel so much more personal to me.

That doesn't mean it's easy to name most of my models, however. Occasionally I might have the perfect name picked out before I even get the model, but more often than not I only start to consider names for them after I've got them. It's a little bit like naming a baby: you just don't know what will suit them until they arrive.

So, here's how I normally go about finding a name for my models, and a few little tips and tricks I've found that help me.

I start off with the model I want to name, a pen and paper, and a list. This list consists of 3 A4 sized sheets of paper with about 2,000 words and names all together, split into 5 columns per page. I know 2,000 may seem like a lot, but if you actually sit down and write out all the animal names you can think of, you'll probably find it's not far off. My list contains regular words that are often used for animal names, like Thunder and Flame, as well as words that sound interesting that I think could be used for names, like Metronome and Burgundy, with a few human names thrown in (I don't normally like to use human names for animals, but sometimes nothing else fits).

I used to split my list into Male, Female and Unisex names, but when I realised that most of the names could be unisex anyway I rearranged them into alphabetical order. This is helpful, as it's easier to spot if I have a name duplicated on my list. Some of the names I've thought of myself, some I've found from websites and books, and some are just words or names I've come across in daily life that I've thought would suit a model someday. Every time I find a new name I add it into the list, which is how it's grown to 2,000+ by now.

Now for the naming part. I run through the list word by word with the model in front of me, writing down each one I think might suit my model onto my spare paper.  Once I've reached the end of the list I then go back through the names I've written down, saying each one out loud as I hold the model. Sometimes I go through the names a few times before I settle on the one that 'feels' right for my model.  Of course, this doesn't always work. A number of my models I've gone back and renamed later because I just wasn't happy with the name I chose first time round.  But, for the most part, the name I choose by this process is the name that sticks for my models.

If you'd like to start your own list of name ideas, check out these websites below:
Most popular horse names.
This site is one of my favourites: horse names by category.
Massive alphabetical list of horse names
Another alphabetical list

Other ideas for naming your models:

• How about naming them after a famous character in a book or cartoon, like Spirit, Black Beauty or Rarity?
• You might find some inspiration by reading wild horse blogs - most name the wild horses in their blog so that it's easier for readers to understand which horses they're writing about.
• If you're trying to name model people, or just like human names for your animals, why not check out baby name websites, or even buy yourself a book of baby names!
• Why not look for a name in the native language of your model's breed, like an Irish name for a Connemara pony or an Arabic name for an Arabian? You could even get a map of the country or area that the breed came from and choose a name from the local towns and villages.