| Naming a horse business: What to put on the shingle Posted: 09 Jan 2011 12:30 PM PST Recently someone on COTH posted about their new horse business, and they wanted guidance on what to name it. I sometimes read blogs on branding and naming. Nancy Friedman of Fritinancy has some great posts about how to name a company/corporation. While it might be overkill for a small horse business, many of her suggestions will apply. Here are some of my thoughts on naming a horse business... - The name should at least suggest what you do. Do you run a boarding operation? Do you provide a service like training, breaking, etc? Are you a show barn? Do you breed? You don't have to hit us over the head with a long name "Blah-de-blah Sales, Training, and Boarding," but clue us in. In California Barefoot'nHealthy Farm lays it on the line (They take only barefoot horses). I love names that suggest a discipline, like Full Gallop Farm (an eventing barn in SC).
- The name should be unique. How many Misty Meadow Farms would you guess there are? Lots. How would you like to google a farm named The Riding Center (Freeburg, IL)? Good luck.
- Livery? Really? The term "Livery" is still in use out there. Ick. "Stable" and "Riding Academy" sound almost as dated. Personally I like names that end in "Farm," but "Ranch" or "Center" are okay in my book. Names that omit the property reference entirely can be classy and effective (e.g., Hassler Dressage).
- No cutsie names. Would you like to board at Klippety Klop Farm in Wisconsin? Me neither. And I couldn't bear to write a check of any size to Klippety Klop Farm or Pee Wee Horse Farm.
- High falutin' names. Out west there is the Academy of the Equestrian Arts. Folks, you can dress it up, but it's still a BARN.
- Does it sound good? There is a farm named Slate Belt Buckskins near me and I think it's an inspired name. It's got the alliteration thing going for it, it's a good regional reference, and it tells the consumer what they do (buckskins). In Los Angeles you'll find a stroke of genius in the farm name Dark Chocolate Farm. Talk about good associations! Some names just flow. Others, like Rural Retreat Farm (Lawrenceville IL) do not.
- Consider double meanings. In Tennessee there is a Hanging Limb Farm. I think that's a very scary name for a horse farm. The mind plays tricks, you know, and Hanging Limb isn't a far stretch from "Hanging a leg" or "Broken Limb," and now none of us are thinking of trees any more. One the sweeter side of double meanings, there is 3 Chestnuts Farm -- a small family run operation named after -- no, not the three chestnut horses they own -- but the owners' three red-headed children.
I love my current barn's name--Spring Fields-- simple, classy, and located in Springfield Township. What are your favorite barn names?  |
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