Naming a horse, while being fun, can often be a lot harder to do than you think, and sometimes the more you try and think of a name the more difficult it becomes. Sometimes a horse’s name will just pop into your head, often due to the horse’s personality, markings, or coloring. If this doesn’t happen though don’t worry, I love coming up with horse names so thought I create a list of names that are perfectly suited to colored horses, regardless of whether they’re black and white, brown and white, spotted, or even roan.
Names for black and white horses
If you have a black and white horse you can either choose a name that plays on its two-tone color or something that hints at their history or breeding.
- Backgammon
- Badger
- Bounty
- Checkers
- Comet
- Crow
- Dice
- Domino
- Dreamer
- Dusk (or Dusky)
- Eclipse
- Flint
- Jack
- Magic
- Magpie
- Midnight
- Monkey
- Oreo
- Panda
- Penguin
- Pie
- Pingu
- Raccoon
- Raisin
- Rockstar
- Snoopy
- Starlight
Names for brown (or bay) and white horses
Just like black and white horses, you can choose a name that reflects the horse’s color and breeding, or you can choose a name that demonstrates the mystique behind your horse.
- Amazon
- Autumn
- Biscuit
- Buttons
- Cappuccino
- Coco
- Coffee
- Cookie
- Flora
- Hershey
- Java
- Kenya
- Mahogany
- Maple
- Mocha
- Nutmeg
- Pepper
- Pickles
- Rebel
- Red
- Ringo
- Spartan
- Spirit
- Stella
- Tawny
- Teddy
- Trigger
Names for chestnut (or sorrel) and white horses
While you can easily obviously use one of the names above for brown and white horses, I personally think that there are certain names that suit a lighter colored horse better. This is why they’re perfect for chestnut and white horses.
- Apache
- Breeze
- Bronze
- Buttercream
- Butterscotch
- Caramel
- Cherokee
- Chester
- Cheyenne
- Chief
- Cisco
- Dakota
- Dollar
- Firedance
- Firefly
- Geronimo
- Ginger
- Navaho
- Nevada
- Rain
- Saffron
- Scout
- Sienna
- Sundance
- Syrup
- Topaz
- Wildfire
Names for colored horses
Some names are perfect for all colored horses regardless of what colors they are, they may reflect their personality, history, or breeding but they’ll also hint at their coat pattern or coloring.
- Bandit
- Banjo
- Blemish
- Blossom
- Bryn (or Brindle)
- Calico
- Chip
- Chipmunk
- Flora
- Freckles
- Gizmo
- Jigsaw
- Marbles
- Mosaic
- Patch (or Patches)
- Pebbles
- Puzzle
- Rainbow
- Rocky
- Scooby
- Smudge
- Sparkle
- Splash
- Splatter
- Spot
- Tapestry
- Tonto
Names for spotted horses
Spotted horses can be difficult to name sometimes, there’s so much choice. Do you look for a name based on their color or their spots? Below is a list of names that are perfect for spotted horses, some reflect their coat pattern while others their color.
- Ace
- Blanket
- Blot
- Bubbles
- Charm
- Comanche
- Confetti
- Constellation
- Dalmation
- Diamond
- Dot
- Hands
- Harmony
- Jackson
- Jewel
- Nugget
- Joker
- Picaso
- Polka
- Snowflake
- Starburst
- Stardust
- Starlight
- Skittle
- Spotlight
- Spot
- Star
Names for roan horses
Naming a roan horse can be great fun because you’ve got so much to play with. Firstly there’s the horse’s color, their breeding, or even just the roan effect.
- Ash
- Backdraft
- Blizzard
- Blue Moon
- Brie
- Coal
- Cobalt
- Dust
- Fire
- Flapjack
- Frostbite
- Glitter
- Graphite
- Hydra
- Ignite
- Liquid
- Mist
- Punch
- Quartz
- Rusty
- Shadow
- Shroud
- Sterling
- Storm
- Summer
- Truffles
- Willow
Show names for colored horses
When it comes to show names for your horse you can have great fun combining different names to make something truly unique or you can extend your horse’s stable name. For example, if your horse was called Magic his show name could be It’s A Kinda Magic.
- Ace of Diamonds
- Ace of Spades
- Apollo Sunset
- Bella Donna
- Black Diamond
- Black Gold
- Black Jack
- Black Magic
- Black Pearl
- Bolt Out of the Blue
- Comanche Chief
- Cookie Dough
- Crazy Horse
- Dakota Dreamer
- Dream Weaver
- Eye of the Storm
- Fire & Rain
- Five Past Dreams
- Hang on Snoopy
- Polka Dot
- Queen of Hearts
- Roll the Dice
- Shady Lady
- Shrouded in Mystery
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Thunder ‘n Lightning
- Unforgetable Fire
How to pick your horse’s name
Everybody has got their own way of choosing their horse’s name but if you want to involve your horse why not write your favorite names down on pieces of paper and hide them under separate buckets (along with a small treat). Once you’ve done this allow your horse to pick whichever bucket he wants, giving him whatever name is in the bucket.
Another way to pick your horse’s name is to add your age and your horse’s age together (halving it if it’s more than 26 or dividing it by three if it’s more than 52) then use the corresponding letter of the alphabet to decide the first letter of his name. You can then use this to pick a name you prefer from the ones bringing with the same letter.
Further reading
- Do horses know their names?
- 300 of the best horse names
- Spotted horse breeds
- Horse colors explained
- What to do after buying a horse
- Fun things to do with your horse
- How to buy the right horse
I hope you found this article helpful. If you did I’d be grateful if you could share it please as it would really help me.
Recommended products
Over the years I have tried hundreds of different horsey products, from various blankets and halters to different treats. Some I’ve loved, others I’ve hated but I thought I’d share with you my top all-time favorite products, the ones I never leave the yard without. I’ve included links to the products (which are in no particular order) that I really think are great.
- Horse Knots by Reference Ready – If you’re like me and enjoy pocket reference guides then you’ll love this knot tying guide. These handy cards can easily fit in your pocket or attach to the saddle for quick reference. They’re waterproof, durable and are color coded to make them easy to follow.
- Mane ’n Tail Detangler – Even if you never show your horse you’ll need to detangle his tail from time to time (and possibly his mane too) which is always a challenging chore! I’ve found that if I run a little bit of detangler through my horse’s tails every few days it stops them from getting matted up and makes combing them easy, even if they’re coated in mud. I don’t know if I should admit to this or not but it also works wonders on my hair.
- TAKEKIT Pro clippers – Over the years I’ve tried a lot of different clippers and while some were obviously better than others I found these to be by far the best. They are heavier than a lot of other clippers but for me, that’s a good thing, it makes them feel more sturdy and hardwearing. On top of that they have a range of speeds so are just as good for clipping your horse’s back as they are his face. I also like the fact that they come in a handy carry case but that’s not for everybody. The company that makes them is super good and incredibly helpful too, a real bonus these days. The only thing I wasn’t keen on was the fact that it doesn’t come with any oil, but that’s not a major problem as it’s not difficult to buy lubricant.
- Shire’s ball feeder – There are so many boredom buster toys out there but I like to use these every day, regardless of whether or not my horses are bored. I find that it helps to encourage my horses to problem solve by rewarding them with treats (or pieces of fruit) but it also mimics their natural grazing behavior which helps to keep them calm and de-stressed.
- Horse safe mirror – This is a strange one that many people are surprised about but I like to put horse safe mirrors in the trailers as well as in the quarantine stalls. It helps to prevent the feeling of isolation by giving the impression of other horses being around. Being herd animals horses can get extremely stressed when they feel that they’re on their own but with these stick-on mirrors, they believe that at least one other horse is with them.
- Rectal thermometer – I know this isn’t glamourous at all but it’s vital for your horse’s well-being to be able to check their temperature and a rectal thermometer is the easiest way of doing this which is why I’ve added it to the list.
Shopping lists
I’ve also put together a few shopping lists of essential items that I’ve found helpful over the years. I’ve broken the lists down into different categories rather than put everything in one massive list 😉
