How Twitter introduced two horses with almost identical names.

My version of "Stop Drop And Roll"

I admit it; I was one of the ones who scoffed at Twitter. After all the whole premise of the microblog service is so you can let people know what you’re doing at any given moment. And, folks, my life just ain’t that interesting! Especially since I’m double “tweeting” – for AQHA (@aqha) and my personal account (@larkit), where I talk about my own ponies and the behind-the-scenes at America’s Horse magazine.

But, lo and behold, it goes beyond what everybody had for breakfast. There is actually a thriving community of horse people on Twitter. We talk about health issues, training successes, horse art and even exciting events like the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. And, yes, sometimes we talk about things that are goofy, mundane, funny or sad – the things that make up the fabric of our everyday lives.

Along the goofy/funny theme, last week, I posted some fun names of real Quarter Horses (Bond Janes Bond, Go Ahead Make My Day, Ill Be Back and more) and then asked people to reply with witty and/or interesting Quarter Horse names they knew of. One of the first replies was from a lady who nominated “Stop Drop N Roll for a cutting horse.”

Well, it did, actually, stop and drop me in my tracks. Because one of my ponies is Stop Drop And Roll. When I was researching AQHA records to find out if that name was still available, I learned that there was a mare named Stop Drop N Roll. AQHA allows similar names, so I was able to go forward with mine. But was this my horse’s name-twin?

We exchanged a few more tweets, us two members of the newly formed “Stop Drop” club, and then we began e-mailing each other. (Because, really, there’s only so much you can say in the 140 characters Twitter allows you.)

We now knew each other’s names (Hers: Paige Strawn), and both of us had indicated that we had funny stories behind how we named our horses. And now we got to exchange those.

So, since Paige did come up with the name first, I’ll let her tell her story first here:

“It has been several years, 2000, I think, when we bought a GREAT mare named War Doc Mitzi. She came with a bay filly at her side that was just gorgeous. The sire was Hi Rollin In Reno, and we tried forever to come up with something to name her. My husband could not care less about what they are named, but he popped out with ‘Stop Drop N Roll.’ That was perfect for what she should do (cutting), but was particularly fitting, since I was burned as a little kid, and I swear to you, I have had people ask me why I did not just ‘stop drop n roll.’ Honest to God, people ask me that at least once a year.

“I was too little for school, and it may have been before that time, but I guess it goes to show how successful that campaign really is, huh?

“(When the filly was 2), we sold her to a trainer friend who put some time on her and sold her for about three times what she had in her. She still talks about her as a good one she should have kept for herself. … She was such a nice filly – super plain to describe, but stunning in real life. Maybe it was presence, or charisma, I don’t know – but I loved her.”

And now my turn:

I’ve blogged about my filly’s birth in 2006, but never talked about her registered name. Guess I was saving it for this …

My husband and I also tried forever to come up with a good registered name for “Zen.” He had a name (horrible) that he was dead set on, and I had my own idea that – in my opinion, anyway – was fabulous. We were at a stalemate. Friends tried to intervene with their own suggestions and even a coin toss, but neither of us was moving off our respective position. It was all (relatively) good-natured, but still, a stalemate nonetheless.

In the end, AQHA forced a decision, threatening to hit us with late registration fees if we didn’t make up our minds. So, reluctantly, he laid down his arms, and so did I. Neither of us would get the name we loved; a compromise was in order.

Chad, who was a volunteer firefighter, had been talking about that same education campaign in the schools that Paige referenced. He thought the phrase “Stop Drop And Roll” was pretty catchy. Grudgingly, I agreed. After all, with Zen’s cow-horse breeding and athleticism, it might be appropriate. What sealed the deal was a Barenaked Ladies song (one of my faves) that tells an antagonist to “stop, drop and roll” and quit arguing. So, this negotiated cease-fire would put an end to our argument and would, at long last, result in a catchy name for our little girl.

After Paige and I made our connection on Twitter, I looked up her filly on AQHA’s records. Oddly enough, both of the horses trace back to Mr Gun Smoke, a 1961 Superior cutting horse, so they are distant relatives. And both of the “Stop Drops” have that certain something about them, that presence and charisma. Certainly not enough similarities to earn the “separated at birth” designation, but hey, more than enough to earn them admission into the very elite “Stop Drop” club.

And for Paige and me, well, it was a fun chance encounter. She describes it best: “What a funny turn of events that led to this conversation, huh? … Twitter does seem frivolous, but then something cool happens like this, and everyone can use more fun stuff in their world.”

Visit www.strawnequine.com to learn more about the Illinois Quarter Horse farm operated by Paige and her husband, Barry. I will confess that I spent way too much time on that site looking at pictures of their adorable foals. (Work related, though! Work related!)

To keep the conversation going, if you know of a Quarter Horse with a witty play-on-words name … let us know! Use the comment function below to share your horse’s name, and if there’s a good story about how the horse got its unusual moniker, by all means, share that, too!

Happy riding!
Holly Clanahan
Editor, America’s Horse magazine

Don’t miss the fun, educational and heart-warming stories in the print version of America’s Horse! It goes to all members of the American Quarter Horse Association, and it’ll also keep you in the loop on Association news. We want you to belong!

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