Wow, announcer really gets horse's name wrong

[MIsMyName]

Has an announcer ever mispronounced your horse's name?

Well boy did my horse's name ever get butchered. I tried to make it easy by spelling his name how it sounds and I think it made it worse. My horse's name is Schickte (Shick-tee) and the announcer called him S--t. It would have been funnier if my horse didn't do well and if it wasn't a 4H show with tons of kids there with their parents.

Guess it's time to find my gelding a good show name.

[amastrike]

Yikes! My horse's show name should be impossible to mispronounce (Suicide Run). Haven't had any problems like that yet, although I did have one announcer who felt it was her place to insult my choice of show name, riding, etc., within my hearing and my barnmates' hearing.

[LuvMyNSH]

No announcer has ever gotten Mack K's Lily Langtree right, even at breed shows where all the horses have equally stupid names.

I could understand a foreign-sounding name throwing the good ole' boys for a loop, but it's small words in English...

[TheJenners]

My forever horse had her name butchered for the 12 years we showed. It's Aisha, pronounced Asia. I finally started writing Aisha (pronounced like "Asia")

[MIsMyName]

Yikes! My horse's show name should be impossible to mispronounce (Suicide Run). Haven't had any problems like that yet, although I did have one announcer who felt it was her place to insult my choice of show name, riding, etc., within my hearing and my barnmates' hearing.

That's unprofessional.

[amastrike]

That's unprofessional.

Yep. I wrote a letter of complaint to the barn that hosted the show and was promised that announcer would not be hired again. I also received a voicemail from the announcer apologizing for her behavior (she apparently thought I'm an idiot and tried the "I was just kidding, I thought you were laughing too" thing... but whatever, she got put in her place).

[MIsMyName]

My forever horse had her name butchered for the 12 years we showed. It's Aisha, pronounced Asia. I finally started writing Aisha (pronounced like "Asia")

Next time I'll write Schickte (pronounced Sh-ick-tee NOT S--t).

[MIsMyName]

Yep. I wrote a letter of complaint to the barn that hosted the show and was promised that announcer would not be hired again. I also received a voicemail from the announcer apologizing for her behavior (she apparently thought I'm an idiot and tried the "I was just kidding, I thought you were laughing too" thing... but whatever, she got put in her place).

Good.

[mcm7780]

I liked the time I showed a horse named Lamar Vannoy (it's from a song). The announcer got his name correct and messed up mine. My name is pronounced the way it is spelled but people always mess it up.

[JoZ]

My first horse had done some eventing before I got him. Since he was a grade QH/appendix type, he didn't have a fancy registered name; his name was Jesse. At one show registration, his former owner told the record-keeper his name, and he or she said "full name, please". The owner replied "It's just 'Jesse'". You can probably predict how she was announced:

"And next up is #134, Mary Smith, riding Just Jesse..."

So it's not just the pronunciation that can get garbled! ;)

[Janet]

Some announcers pronounce "Belle Fille" as "Bell Filly".

Or sometimes just "Bell uh, uh, uh"

[MIsMyName]

Lost in translation. Hey, that sounds like a good show name.

[Bluehorsesjp]

We had a horse in our barn named Fajita. Yes like what you order in a mexican restaurant.
The announcer pronounced it Fidgita, she was young at the time, but was not being fidgety :lol: oh and we were in CA, so no excuse

[rugbygirl]

My horse's show name is Tessaract (misspelled on purpose). Oddly, no one can get this. I usually just write her barn name, Spooky. They get that. And then screw up my name.

I want to name my next horse "Heilige Kuh" because it will be a black and white Tobiano, and SO MANY people have horses with German names and NO CLUE what they mean. :yes:

[Shades of Grey]

not to hijack, but I had a Tesseract as well (grey Conn/TB mare). She was the bomb!

[FlashGordon]

We had a horse in our barn named Fajita. Yes like what you order in a mexican restaurant.
The announcer pronounced it Fidgita, she was young at the time, but was not being fidgety :lol: oh and we were in CA, so no excuse

OMG my british hubby pronounces "fajitas" like that!

I always wanted to name a black or gray horse "Chiaroscuro" but figured it'd get slaughtered in the show ring (that is, if I ever made it there...:lol:)

[wolfatbay2002]

I know the butchering thing real good. It was never the horses name that was killed, but mine. Now let's fast forward 20 yrs, now married I'm going from bad (madien name Heddy) to worse (married name Dschaak). Can you see where I am going to have problems:lol: Now for the first time will also have a horse that will get butchered her name is Cisnc, yes she is a OTTB. Should I change her name for shows......or maybe mine? LOL:yes::lol:

[dressagetraks]

I'll never forget the show where I won my first blue on my favorite lesson horse. He was an Arab with an Arabish name. The announcer not only totally blew his name but also mine, which is a lot harder to mess up. In fact, until I heard him, I would have sworn my name was impossible to mess up.

My little silver yearling is officially named Erdenheim Toccata. I have before imagined how many possible ways announcers will mangle that in the future. :lol:

[chism]

YEP! My QH's registered name is "Blizzards A Champ", we were at a hunter show and they announced him as "Buzzards a Champ". Just thinking of buzzards....Eww

[chism]

My horse's show name is Tessaract (misspelled on purpose). Oddly, no one can get this. I usually just write her barn name, Spooky. They get that. And then screw up my name.



HEY! I have a horse named Spooky too, get a lot of ribbing on that alone.

[IsolaBella09]

My friend told me a story about a horse named Pinot Noir. Not too hard, unless you are a horse show announcer:

"Next in the ring we have number 365, Peanut New Year." :lol::lol::lol:

[Kementari]

I understand not being able to pronounce "Kementari Jauhara" (though it IS pronounced the way it's spelt) - but my other horse is named "Jude the Obscure," and that's gotten butchered regularly through his career, too. :eek:

Sometimes I think literacy is not a trait that is required of horse show announcers... :no:

(And yes, I have been an announcer, and while I'm sure I've butchered some of the odd names, I've pretty much gotten the ones that are written in plain English!)

[Beverley]

Okay, I announced my fair share of horse shows in high school, college, and a little bit as an adult (pretty much all unrated shows as far as I can remember). Y'all go give it a try before going too far down your critical path. Volunteers sitting in rain, snow, sleet, dust, heat, trying to read illegible writing at times, getting thrown because the order of go has changed to accommodate some trainer with multiple entries in multiple rings and having to search the page for the names that correspond with the number doing their circle in front of you. And of course sometimes the page gives horse's name and not rider's or vice versa.

I will tell you that I gave every name my best shot, and apologized over the air waves if I was mispronouncing it. If someone shouted out a correct pronunciation I announced that. I had one blooper I can recall, those who might have been offended laughed uproariously.

Here's the flip side from the announcer's point of view. I know, being fluent in French, exactly how to pronounce Pinot Noir. That might not stop the owner (who doesn't know French!) from saying 'you idiot, it's Peanut Nore!

So, just keep the other side in mind! If the worst experience you ever have at a horse show is an announcer butchering your name or your horse's, you'll be really lucky indeed.:cool:

[zooksuitriot]

Ok Big State Horse Expo. ...... I am the only Flippin Thoroughbred in the Darn Breed Expo.
So I decided to skip his cute little Show name... And go with his Jockey Club Name and be Official.

So I Ride in, full gallop. Showing off my 16 2 hh handsome boy. And of course he is working the crowd. The announcer..... ( Real Goof.... show producer... one in a million *Headdesk* Contributor)
is reading off my carefully written , factual 5 minute long introduction to the breed .
So he finishes and people stand to clap. And As I am making a lap around the outside, waving to the crowd .... I am waiting for him to announce mine.
It is Simple.. Jill Collins.
And "ROYAL RIZER"
Ok first impression. How would you pronounce it.
See it is supposed to be pronounced. (Royal Ryzer) .......... But instead.
Royal Rizzzzzzzzzer... like with a short i.... like biz... but riz like ..... eh!
I was pissed. Son of a cracker knew who I was too. I worked for his star client. A John Lyons Trainer. The stupid man and I have traveled all over together. And he messes up my horsies name ! Blah.

[Amwrider]

One of our riders had a beautiful, lanky and elegant unpapered saddlebred mare named Jewel. At one show she was announced as "Gerbil."

I can attest to the difficult job that announcers have. My ex BF announces and it is not an easy task.....

[Pirateer]

"And next up is #134, Mary Smith, riding Just Jesse..."

So it's not just the pronunciation that can get garbled! ;)

My gelding was originally registered as "Just Stewart". I kept trying to get trainer to commit to something besides "Stewart" and he said JUST STEWART. So I showed up with the USEF forms with JUST STEWART on them. Boy did he laugh...

[dani0303]

When my boy was imported from France his name was Fils Du Reverdy. We knew that it would be butchered at 97% of shows so we shortened it to Reverdy....but even that gets butchered!

[inquisitive]

My horse's names have all been pretty simple, but for a while I rode a large pony for another trainer. The pony's name was Holly. Once in the ring the announcer switched mine and the pony's name and announced it as "Now in the ring is Holly riding Heidi" :lol: My trainer started cracking up and yelled over to her and she laughed and fixed it over the speaker. I guess even simple, 'human' names can get messed up or switched around too :winkgrin:

[gully's pilot]

My horse's name has never been mispronounced, but at the last horse trial I was at, my name--Kimberly--was pronounced "Tiffany." Yep, I had a new show name for the weekend.

[Jetiki]

I had a QH mare in High School named Jetiki Magic, I can't tell you how many times she got called Chiquita, I pronounced it Ja tiki, but it was bad, I loved her, she was sooo opinionated. Silly mare.


Karen

[pAin't_Misbehavin']

Announcers get "pAin't Misbehavin'" right almost all the time. Sometimes the "p" gets left out, but that's alll right - I'd planned to change it once he grew out of adolescence anyway - that's why it's a lower case "p."

It's my barn names that get butchered. Poor little Quanah is called everything from Quantum to Kwanzaa.:lol: And Bram doesn't fair much better - people think I either named him after a cereal (bran) or a fish (bream). Since I actually named him after Abraham Lincoln (he emancipated me from my fear of hacking out), it may be better that my fellow South Carolinians misunderstand.:yes:

[Holly Jeanne]

I volunteered as an announcer at a schooling show this summer. I REALLY didn't want to and had asked to be the gate person but they couldn't get anyone to announce so I reluctantly agreed. My greatest fear and reason for not wanting to do it was messing up names. I know of one I got wrong and she forgave me. :lol: If I mess up you or your horses name, just let me know and I'm happy to correct it. Otherwise, please volunteer to announce so I don't have to! ;)

[caffeinated]

I liked the time I showed a horse named Lamar Vannoy (it's from a song). The announcer got his name correct and messed up mine. My name is pronounced the way it is spelled but people always mess it up.

Same here. I'm constantly amazed at the pronunciations of my last name. Not only is it pronounced exactly as spelled but it's a real English word, that most everyone has heard at some point in their life. Apparently even with pronunciation directions written down, they still get it wrong. It's pretty amazing.

[coloredhorse]

My first horse had done some eventing before I got him. Since he was a grade QH/appendix type, he didn't have a fancy registered name; his name was Jesse. At one show registration, his former owner told the record-keeper his name, and he or she said "full name, please". The owner replied "It's just 'Jesse'". You can probably predict how she was announced:

"And next up is #134, Mary Smith, riding Just Jesse..."

So it's not just the pronunciation that can get garbled! ;)

Fella I knew years back had a horse named Bill. He had papers (PtHA, I believe); the name on the papers was Bill. Poor guy had a helluva time at shows because his horse didn't have a "real name." At one, in frustration, he finally told the record person "JUST PLAIN BILL." Yup, #123, Joe Schmo, riding Just Plain Bill.

Led to the poor horse having a different show name at every show, which was fun for the owner and us onlookers ... my favorite was "I'm Just a Bill."

[Saidapal]

I had a cute as a button little half arab I used to show under her name Dahana (Da-Hay-Na). I tried everything to get them to say it correctly, and the inventedness of tries was amazing. I finally just gave up. After a while it got funny and we had fun with it. They would make the announcement of my placing, butcher her name, and my friends would all shout out the correct pronounciation.

[HuntJumpSC]

I've announced countless schooling shows, 14 year's worth, and I know I've screwed up a few times! ;) I think what few people realize is that without a competant announcer, it's hard to run a show, especially the schooling ones, since you're dependent on volunteers to help with other aspects of the show. On top of that, I usually take pre-entries, and alot gets lost in translation from trainers calling in & voice mails. Thank goodness I haven't screwed up too bad~ just little ones here and there, and I really do try and get them right. I've been on the receiving end, so I know how it feels to get your horses name royally botched up!

I think alot of times, announcers have a thankless job. They have to keep straight who's on course, who's on deck, how many trips there are, if there's an open card which trip it is, tack changes, placings from the previous class, etc....really, a good announcer will keep the show running smoothly, while one that doesn't have a clue can make it very frustrating. They have to sit there all day, potty breaks are at a premium, and even during lunch you have schooling in the ring to monitor. Makes for a very long day, especially when no one else wants the job and someone has to do it!

[aspenlucas]

My first horse had done some eventing before I got him. Since he was a grade QH/appendix type, he didn't have a fancy registered name; his name was Jesse. At one show registration, his former owner told the record-keeper his name, and he or she said "full name, please". The owner replied "It's just 'Jesse'". You can probably predict how she was announced:

"And next up is #134, Mary Smith, riding Just Jesse..."

So it's not just the pronunciation that can get garbled! ;)

Well I have a few mixups! :) Sir Lazealot is always "Sir Lancealot", guess I should make it LaZealot. :) Youritiquit, well they can't even begin to master that one. :) There are a few others, but on the same subject as above.
Before we were married my husband's name was Probst (long story short his mom gave him, not his dad's last name, but her EX husband's last name...ok not too smart, so since been changed). But at Cracker Barrel the lady said "what do you want me to put your name under". I replied "under Probst". I just KNEW she wrote it down that way. When they called "now seating Underprobst, party of two" I almost died. I was laughing so hard I was crying!

[SandyUHC]

Sticking up for the announcers here. You can come up with several pronounciations for almost ANY word, so to me it is not "amazing" that someone under a lot of pressure can say a name wrong. It is more amazing to me that the owner of "K Mariellaeb Touts Betterifly" has a fit if is isn't just perfect.

Which reminds me, I was helping at a show where there was a horse with three or four names, all easy words, but when you put them all together it became a bit tricky. The owner was incensed when the announcer got it wrong the first time and made sure everyone knew about it. After that the announcer tried so hard to get it right she would STILL get it wrong. I was out in the middle of the stadium arena and heard her pause and looked up and knew she was about to try it again, and we both started laughing so hard it still makes me giggle to think about it.

[Rebe]

I am also going to leap to the defense of announcers. But first, I will say, I think that there should be STRICT licensing requirements before anyone is allowed to have access to a live microphone...

Here's what an announcer has to be able to do:

Speak the following languages in order to read and pronounce the range of names that can AND will appear before them:
English
French
German
Spanish
Dutch
Belgian
Swedish
Italian
Hawaiian
Chinese (pick both Cantonese and Mandarin to be safe)
Sanskrit
Swahili
(OK, maybe the last three or four in the list are a stretch, but you never know)

The announcer must also interpret the handwriting of anything sent up to them from the office, or else figure out how many of the computer generated class sheets are just wrong (answer: most of them).

The announcer must answer questions about the schedule, the rules, the rings, the classes, and of course, the judging. The announcer is often held responsible for judge's decisions, as well as general show management issues. Don't think so? Park next to the announcer's stand and pay attention the crap that competitors expect them to know about and handle.

The announcer must take responsibility for "miscellaneous" announcements they are asked to make by the food vendor who wants more business, anyone who has lost or found something on the showgrounds, anyone trying to drum up clients for their side business "while we're here," and any other sundry things that someone thinks up. None of these requests will be made in writing - the announcer should be able to hear someone rattle off their request, and instantly memorize it perfectly, while still listening to the radio, filling out paperwork and announcing who's on course.

If you are unhappy with how the announcer is saying your or your horse's name, how about if you POLITELY go up to the stand, WAIT until the announcer has a free moment, and POLITELY give them the correct pronunciation IN WRITING?

[MyGiantPony]

Tally's show name is Land Yacht.

I've gotten Lord Yart and Land Yak.

[HuntJumpSC]

I am also going to leap to the defense of announcers. But first, I will say, I think that there should be STRICT licensing requirements before anyone is allowed to have access to a live microphone...


The announcer must also interpret the handwriting of anything sent up to them from the office, or else figure out how many of the computer generated class sheets are just wrong (answer: most of them).

The announcer must answer questions about the schedule, the rules, the rings, the classes, and of course, the judging. The announcer is often held responsible for judge's decisions, as well as general show management issues. Don't think so? Park next to the announcer's stand and pay attention the crap that competitors expect them to know about and handle.

The announcer must take responsibility for "miscellaneous" announcements they are asked to make by the food vendor who wants more business, anyone who has lost or found something on the showgrounds, anyone trying to drum up clients for their side business "while we're here," and any other sundry things that someone thinks up. None of these requests will be made in writing - the announcer should be able to hear someone rattle off their request, and instantly memorize it perfectly, while still listening to the radio, filling out paperwork and announcing who's on course.

If you are unhappy with how the announcer is saying your or your horse's name, how about if you POLITELY go up to the stand, WAIT until the announcer has a free moment, and POLITELY give them the correct pronunciation IN WRITING?

Bravo!!! :D

[Diamondindykin]

My last name always gets slaughtered at shows but my horses name is pretty straight forward.....San Lena Peppy. At my last show a couple weekends ago as usual my last name (Kudsk) gets messed up as normal. Well on the last day they let a young girl announce and amazingly she gets my name right but messes up my horses name! Go figure!

[Nancy!]

A guy I know named his horse Hoof Hearted just for the announcers. Now, say it fast. :D:lol::D

I'm sure Ted just did this just because Joanne had to announce. :winkgrin:

I've got pretty straight forward horse names but am always amazed when someone asks me how to spell my married name (Watson). After all those years of dating men with european names, they want to know how to spell Watson?:lol:

Nancy!

[MelantheLLC]

I will tell you that I gave every name my best shot, and apologized over the air waves if I was mispronouncing it. If someone shouted out a correct pronunciation I announced that. I had one blooper I can recall, those who might have been offended laughed uproariously.

Here's the flip side from the announcer's point of view. I know, being fluent in French, exactly how to pronounce Pinot Noir. That might not stop the owner (who doesn't know French!) from saying 'you idiot, it's Peanut Nore!

Really. If the OP doesn't want his/her horse announced the way it was, change the name. Because over a mic it will come out as sh*t more than half the time even if this tongue-twister is pronounced "correctly," (Why should there be anyone who would have any reason to know how to pronounce it anyway? It doesn't have any meaning in English.)

[amastrike]

Really. If the OP doesn't want his/her horse announced the way it was, change the name. Because over a mic it will come out as sh*t more than half the time even if this tongue-twister is pronounced "correctly," (Why should there be anyone who would have any reason to know how to pronounce it anyway? It doesn't have any meaning in English.)

Some names are hard; the OP's wasn't--pretty much phonetic.

[Griffyn]

Land Yacht to land yak... I can understand that you might not think its hilarious at the time, but Land Yak, thats pretty cute! Specially if you have a wooley one like I do.

[chai]

Beverly, I feel for you! I had 'Chai' long before anyone knew about the tea, and announcers would try very hard to figure that one out: shay, chuy, chay, kuyyy. Last year I was at a show where someone who kept winning named their horse "Tighty Whities". I felt kind of sorry for the British announcer who had to keep announcing that name in his beautiful, proper accent.

[caffeinated]

I've announced at local/schooling shows before, so I know it's not easy.

But really, how hard is "utter?"

I've been "oo-tay" and "yew-ter" more times than I can count, LOL :lol:

[Wellspotted]

There was a land yak at our last barn. :lol:

pAin't_Misbehavin'--

Please tell us your story about "Bram" Lincoln and hacking out. It sounds really interesting.

[MissintheSouth]

I just think of it as part of horse showing - it's like playing telephone. Since until recently, most every show's entry forms were hand written, and the spaces to write are pretty small, and then someone in the office has to translate that into the computers, and then THAT'S what the announcer gets....I always figure it's a 50/50 chance that Grand Duke will become Great Duck.

[tle]

having announced at horse trials for the last... geez, 10 years?... I would like to thank those folks who have posted either in defense of announcers or that they name their horses something easy. THANK YOU!!! See... there's a reason I avoid things like dressage shows... because I can manage spanish, but have NO clue on french, german, dutch or arabian-ish. And I personally have a shitty to pronounce last name. DEAL with it!! YOu've probably had folks mispronounce it all your life and you're upset at the announcer? sheesh folks! That list of things announcers have to deal with is absolutely spot on! Hell, I've had folks come up and want to correct my pronunciation of poor fluffy's something german name in the middle of me trying to keep up with 2 rings of dressage, SJ AND cross country plus answering some question like "aren't you the secretary?" Hell, with all that, it's amazing that any of the names don't end up as jumbles! LOL

[caffeinated]

And I personally have a ****** to pronounce last name. DEAL with it!! YOu've probably had folks mispronounce it all your life and you're upset at the announcer?

actually no, I don't think people are really "upset" as much as just amused or perhaps annoyed sometimes ;)

(I just laugh when they mispronounce mine, though I am sort of mystified, since it's not actually a hard to pronounce name, but not "upset" in the least")

here I was thinking this was a just a lighthearted little fun thread...

[Sport]

We run a local fall fair and I have ended up announcing a number of times and there is always a horses name or person's name that gives you grief.

When someone at the barn is picking a show name I always tell them to be kind to the announcer in their selection.

At this years show, the announcer did a great job, but got hung up on a last name, not hard to pronounce, but do you think she could get it right. We were laughing by the end because each time she had to announce it she hesitated because she knew she was going to get it wrong again.

My one horse's show name was London Fog. He was called London Frog at one show every time his name was announced. Frog has stuck with him for years. He has been retired for 8 years now and someone will still ask me how Froggy is doing and laugh.

[Sing Mia Song]

Tally's show name is Land Yacht.

I've gotten Lord Yart and Land Yak.

Or the time I announced her as "Lady Yacht," because, yep, that's what the office put in. ;) :lol::lol: Now, if anything looks weird, I call the offie and ask them to double check the spelling. Most times, they are typing stuff in so fast to get people their numbers that they make a typo.

[Showjumper28]

Well I have not shown my green bean yet, but I already know it will be said wrong.

I named him Celtic Charisma. Unfortunately most people say Celtic incorrectly. The way the basketball team pronounces it is WRONG. It is a "Ke" sound not a "S". But oh well, I named him, I get what I deserve.

However what I want to know is, how do you mess up "Connolly"? I have been called an italian dessert more than once. :lol: :lol:

[Sing Mia Song]

YOu've probably had folks mispronounce it all your life and you're upset at the announcer? sheesh folks! That list of things announcers have to deal with is absolutely spot on! Hell, I've had folks come up and want to correct my pronunciation of poor fluffy's something german name in the middle of me trying to keep up with 2 rings of dressage, SJ AND cross country plus answering some question like "aren't you the secretary?" Hell, with all that, it's amazing that any of the names don't end up as jumbles! LOL

I'm both an announcer and someone cursed with a really difficult first name, so I've got a sense of humor about both sides of the coin. In fact, I just posted this on another board:

I have you all beat for first names. If people see it first, they can't pronounce it. If they hear it, they can't spell it.

An illustration:

"Hi, my name is Shivonne."

"How do you spell that? C-H-E-V-O-N?"

"No. S-I-O..."

"Wait, S-H-I..."

"No. S-I-O"

"S-H-O..."

"No. S-I-O..."

"S-I-O???"

"Right. B-H-A-N"

"V-A-H-N?"

"No. B as in boy. H as in horse. A. N"

"B??? A-H-N?"

"No. B-H-A-N"

"S-I-O-B-H-A-N. Sibbon?"

"No, Shivonne. Shove, like push. On. Shove-on."

"But it's spelled with a B?"

"Yes."

Pause.

"What kind of name is that?" (Clearly thinking my parents were hitting the bong water shortly after my birth).

"It's Irish. It's the feminine of Sean. It means Jane."

"Ohhh." Pause. "It's pretty."

"Thanks."

Now, let's look at it the other way, as in on an entry blank:

"Now on course is number 542."

Pause.

"And we have no information on that rider." :rolleyes:

Various mispronunciations I have received include the aforementioned Sibbon, Sye-o-bon, Soh-ban, See-o-ban, and my personal favorite, Slobovia. In college, I once got a registration card addressed to "Slobah," and to this day I have college friends who call me Slob-A-Hahn. :winkgrin:

Then there's the people who think that it must just be a typo and my name is Sabina, Sabrina or Samantha.

And here's where it gets really funny. Many people hear my name and think I am...um, heavily melanated. Especially coupled with my last name, which is DeLancey. A sample call with Verizon:

"What's your name?"

"Siobhan DeLancey."

"Okay, hold on, Shavonda." Click. She's gone before I can correct her.

"I'm sorry, Miz Lancey, I can't find your account."

"No, no. It's DE-Lancey..."

"Okay, I'm sorry. And how do you spell your first name?"

"S-I-O..."

"Wait, S-H-I..."

"No, S-I-O..."

I'm telling you, the fun never stops.:cool:

[Holly Jeanne]

I named my mare Sindarin. I played with pronunciations and decided I could pretty much live with any, correct or not! :lol:

[equest]

"Okay, hold on, Shavonda." Click. She's gone before I can correct her.

"I'm sorry, Miz Lancey, I can't find your account."

"No, no. It's DE-Lancey..."

"Okay, I'm sorry. And how do you spell your first name?"

"S-I-O..."

"Wait, S-H-I..."

"No, S-I-O..."

I'm telling you, the fun never stops.:cool:

My name travails pale in comparison to yours. I'm forever dealing with misspellings/mispronunciations, but that must be exhausting!

My last name is easily pronounced phonetically but everyone seems to have trouble with it!

[MyGiantPony]

Or the time I announced her as "Lady Yacht," because, yep, that's what the office put in. ;) :lol::lol: Now, if anything looks weird, I call the offie and ask them to double check the spelling. Most times, they are typing stuff in so fast to get people their numbers that they make a typo.

LOL - I forgot about that. Hey, at least you got the Lady part right. Lord? For a mare? Not so much. :lol:

[MelantheLLC]

Some names are hard; the OP's wasn't--pretty much phonetic.

Try saying it 10 times fast. ;)

It's not really phonetic in English. There's no clue whether to pronounce it as two syllables, as the OP says (you note the OP explained this to us), or to make some sort of slur of the "ickte," which is what I'd imagine the announcer was trying to do.

[olympicprincess]

I have you all beat for first names. If people see it first, they can't pronounce it. If they hear it, they can't spell it.

....

"Okay, I'm sorry. And how do you spell your first name?"

"S-I-O..."

"Wait, S-H-I..."

"No, S-I-O..."

I'm telling you, the fun never stops.:cool:

:lol::lol::lol:

[Janet]

I have a half cousin, born in Ireland, but raised in Canada, with the same first name. But she gave in and just spells it "Sheevaun".

[marta]

my mare's name is Toast 'n Kipper. after one of our rides, the results were printed in the club's newsletter as Toast 'n Kippur... i realize it's just one letter but it sure makes a big difference...

[pAin't_Misbehavin']

pAin't_Misbehavin'--

Please tell us your story about "Bram" Lincoln and hacking out. It sounds really interesting.

Oh, I don't know if it's all that interesting, but I'll tell it.:) If you looked up "unsuitable as first horse for adult novice" in the dictionary, you'd no doubt find a picture of a really cute three year old recently gelded paint horse with a rearing problem. Which is how Quanah got his show name.

So Quanah and I took lessons. My RI thought it'd be good if our access to the wild blue yonder was limited;) so she tried making Quanah a lead line pony. That's when we discovered he also had a biting problem, and he became known round the barn as "Quanah the Piranha.":lol: So RI put us into successively smaller arenas, until finally we were riding in a tiny little round pen maybe 15 feet across.:lol:

It was about that time RI suggested Quanah and I continue our lessons separately. Quanah worked with a trainer and my RI put me on Bram, an older Clyde/STB cross she'd just got in as a schoolie. He was called Boots at the time for his four white socks. He should've been called Lord of the Ringsour - but that was ok because by then, I was getting pretty ringsour myself. I bought him and we hit the trails together - and I changed his name because he emancipated me from riding in tiny little rings. And also because I thought Boots sounded like something you'd call the cat. :D

ETA: the little paint horse grew up to be an upstanding equine citizen, btw - thanks to his trainer and the good example set by Brammie.

[fanfayre]

When I was a kid, I had a little Welsh pony. His name was Bryn Awr. Hell, even WE couldn't pronounce it, so we showed him under Bryn Arrow! A totally appropriate name, since the first 3 shows I took him to he ran away with me and dumped me in the water in April, in the dust and in the brambles, respectively.
As far as I know, I believe it means "white hill", although whether it was his true name or one the old horse dealer/my instructor named him I'll never know. If any welsh speakers could clarify for me I'd be grateful, as I've wondered for 30 years what the true meaning was...

[CHorseFarm]

My show horse's name was KABOOBI...sounds simple, huh? Apparently there was an old song "Kaboobi the Flying Camel". Also had another horse named Taschi. I had "Boobs" and "Tush"...LOL.

[CHorseFarm]

When I was a kid, I had a little Welsh pony. His name was Bryn Awr. Hell, even WE couldn't pronounce it
:lol::lol:

[HuntJumpSC]

We had a trainer come to one of our shows one time, can't remember who, but she's been one of the regulars over the years. They all decided to be cute and all the horses show names that day had something to do with "tater". :lol: We had Sweet Tater, Irish Tater, Tater Salad, etc....was pretty cute! :)

[Gunnar]

There is a mare at the barn with your name! The BO wrote two different pronounciation aids next to her name but i am sure it is still butchered reqularly!:eek:

I'm both an announcer and someone cursed with a really difficult first name, so I've got a sense of humor about both sides of the coin. In fact, I just posted this on another board:

I have you all beat for first names. If people see it first, they can't pronounce it. If they hear it, they can't spell it.

An illustration:

"Hi, my name is Shivonne."

"How do you spell that? C-H-E-V-O-N?"

"No. S-I-O..."

"Wait, S-H-I..."

"No. S-I-O"

"S-H-O..."

"No. S-I-O..."

"S-I-O???"

"Right. B-H-A-N"

"V-A-H-N?"

"No. B as in boy. H as in horse. A. N"

"B??? A-H-N?"

"No. B-H-A-N"

"S-I-O-B-H-A-N. Sibbon?"

"No, Shivonne. Shove, like push. On. Shove-on."

"But it's spelled with a B?"

"Yes."

Pause.

"What kind of name is that?" (Clearly thinking my parents were hitting the bong water shortly after my birth).

"It's Irish. It's the feminine of Sean. It means Jane."

"Ohhh." Pause. "It's pretty."

"Thanks."

Now, let's look at it the other way, as in on an entry blank:

"Now on course is number 542."

Pause.

"And we have no information on that rider." :rolleyes:

Various mispronunciations I have received include the aforementioned Sibbon, Sye-o-bon, Soh-ban, See-o-ban, and my personal favorite, Slobovia. In college, I once got a registration card addressed to "Slobah," and to this day I have college friends who call me Slob-A-Hahn. :winkgrin:

Then there's the people who think that it must just be a typo and my name is Sabina, Sabrina or Samantha.

And here's where it gets really funny. Many people hear my name and think I am...um, heavily melanated. Especially coupled with my last name, which is DeLancey. A sample call with Verizon:

"What's your name?"

"Siobhan DeLancey."

"Okay, hold on, Shavonda." Click. She's gone before I can correct her.

"I'm sorry, Miz Lancey, I can't find your account."

"No, no. It's DE-Lancey..."

"Okay, I'm sorry. And how do you spell your first name?"

"S-I-O..."

"Wait, S-H-I..."

"No, S-I-O..."

I'm telling you, the fun never stops.:cool:

[MIsMyName]

Please keep this thread friendly and lighthearted. I have a very good sense of humor and hold nothing against the announcer who called my horse Sh-t instead of Schickte. I laughed, even when a shocked mother asked me if that was really his name.

[Bravestrom]

I have a few for you:

Prodomus is always pronounced wrong Pro do mus - you wouldn't believe they way they pronouce it

Bravestrom - I get bravestorm - because they think it is a typo or bravestram.

My son mitchell is always called Michelle when they announce him on course and sometimes my other son gets called Stephanie because the announcers think that every rider is a girl.

[Whisper]

There's no clue whether to pronounce it as two syllables, as the OP says (you note the OP explained this to us), or to make some sort of slur of the "ickte," which is what I'd imagine the announcer was trying to do.
Yep - I would have thought it should be pronounced to rhyme roughly with "licked."

Sing Mia Song, I know several people named Siobahn, so I'm surprised you have that much trouble! People always have trouble with my last name, since it sounds very differently from how it is spelled, so I always use the "a as in apple" approach. :)

Most children and people whose first language isn't English have trouble pronouncing my name, so I usually just tell them my (shortened/related) nickname. It's easier that way.

[Wellspotted]

That list of things announcers have to deal with is absolutely spot on!

I think that Spot On! is a great name for a horse. Easy to pronounce, too, I thought ... no, wait ... it very likely might get announced as Spittoon! :lol:

However what I want to know is, how do you mess up "Connolly"? I have been called an italian dessert more than once.

:lol: :lol: :lol: No! It's an Irish dessert! :lol:

Bryn Awr

Bryn (or Br'n) Hour, more or less? with rather rolled r's?

[Wellspotted]

Oh, I don't know if it's all that interesting, but I'll tell it.:) If you looked up "unsuitable as first horse for adult novice" in the dictionary, you'd no doubt find a picture of a really cute three year old recently gelded paint horse with a rearing problem. Which is how Quanah got his show name.

So Quanah and I took lessons. My RI thought it'd be good if our access to the wild blue yonder was limited;) so she tried making Quanah a lead line pony. That's when we discovered he also had a biting problem, and he became known round the barn as "Quanah the Piranha.":lol: So RI put us into successively smaller arenas, until finally we were riding in a tiny little round pen maybe 15 feet across.:lol:

It was about that time RI suggested Quanah and I continue our lessons separately. Quanah worked with a trainer and my RI put me on Bram, an older Clyde/STB cross she'd just got in as a schoolie. He was called Boots at the time for his four white socks. He should've been called Lord of the Ringsour - but that was ok because by then, I was getting pretty ringsour myself. I bought him and we hit the trails together - and I changed his name because he emancipated me from riding in tiny little rings. And also because I thought Boots sounded like something you'd call the cat. :D

ETA: the little paint horse grew up to be an upstanding equine citizen, btw - thanks to his trainer and the good example set by Brammie.


Thanks, p'Ain't_Misbehavin'. What a great story! :yes:
("Lord of the Ringsour" -- that is great. I've got to remember that. :lol:)

[AppendixQHLover]

My saddle seat morgan's name was Old Homestead Jovial. The first two words were fine...but Jovial nope. I got joval, ovial, and so on. His barn name was/is Joe.

My first horse as an adult his show name was Attaining Ashpiration. NEVER was pronounced right, so we stuck with his barn name.

MY new guy his show name is Red Sox Fever. That hasn't been pronounced wrong yet!! It is pretty easy to say. I have gotten flack from my friends who are fans of other teams.

[JenEM]

Sing Mia Song, I work with a Siobhan (um, hers has an accent somewhere too, I think....), and honestly, for the first six months I had to put her name on any paperwork, I just put it down as S. Lastname :lol: She returned the favor by spelling it phonetically on most paperwork given to us :lol:

When I was little, being one of 8 Jens in a class was a bit annoying. Now I'm just grateful that despite travelling all over the US, Europe, and even to Africa, no one's had much trouble with my very, very common first and last names. We'll see how things work out with Cally, who's shown so far twice this year as "Drama Queen" with no issues.

[fanfayre]

Bryn (or Br'n) Hour, more or less? with rather rolled r's?

I always thought it was more like owww-er (usually what I said after getting run away with and dumped):lol:

[dressagetraks]

This thread reminds me of an Arab (the people, not the horses ;)) whom I heard speaking once at a function. He got up and introduced himself with, "Hello, my name is . . ." and off he went. It was about 20 syllables long and took him about 5 seconds to say all 20 of them, I think. The audience was sitting there just a bit stunned, couldn't have even made an attempt at it immediately after he said it himself, and he went on with " . . . but that's not what my wife calls me. She calls me Butch." :lol:

[Janet]

Reminds me of the story of the college student who got a job at the college radio station. Since they played classical music, he got a crash course in Italian and French pronounciation.

So he plays a Verdi Aria sung by African-American opera singer Leontyne Price, and announces it a
Lee-on-tee-nay Pri-chay.

[Fitte]

As a junior I rode my gelding down the centerline and instead of his name, "Hartley's Heir" being announced, I was riding "Harley's Whore"

yeah. that's not the same.

[TB or not TB?]

As a junior I rode my gelding down the centerline and instead of his name, "Hartley's Heir" being announced, I was riding "Harley's Whore"

yeah. that's not the same.

:lol::lol::lol:

[Emryss]

I'm both an announcer and someone cursed with a really difficult first name, so I've got a sense of humor about both sides of the coin. In fact, I just posted this on another board:

I have you all beat for first names. If people see it first, they can't pronounce it. If they hear it, they can't spell it.

I'm telling you, the fun never stops.:cool:

I can both pronounce and spell Siobhan properly. I actually like the name and I suppose it is best that I had boys, because I'm sure one of them would have been saddled with it!

[lindat]

When I was showing Arabians we had very little problems at the Class A shows but the local open shows were always interesting.

The all time best though was when an announcer introduced one of our stallions, Marco's Scimitar as Mario's Ska ma ter... I didn't know he was talking about my horse until I heard my name! :lol:

[Penthilisea]

I use to work at a farm where two sisters showed. Their parents were straight out of staten island italians, super nice folks, definite mafia connections.

So their name had the same # of sylabels and twists as say... Tortellini. So they would get permutations like Tortelloni. Tortialooney. Tor... tor... torleny!

I felt badly for them, the worst was the older sister had a first name starting with the same letter, Toni (short of antonia) So imagine for me Toni Tortellini... (only not tortellini, ya know?)
And even better, she showed a paint pony mare named Tupelo. All those vowels and t's!
Toni Tortellino on Tupelony!
And so on...

[bumknees]

When I was a jr riding my mare her name was Tom's Chulita. I got used to the mispornouncations of her name.. They ranged from Tom's Chulata, Toms Chula etc. the one that got me laughing so hard I had to drop myself down in the order of go in the next class and sent someone else into the ring to collect the ribbon was Tom's Bannana... Now I do not recall ever seeing a B anywhere in her name. We will not even go into the different words that came from my rather simple maden name.. Buck... Best left to everyone to figure those out because I heard them all. sad thing is it was normally the same announcer who did the slaughtering of either one of our names... He after several yrs of hearing how to pronounce them finally got it right in our last show...

[meaty ogre]

A friend I used to show with had a TB whose registered name was Knead the Dough - a cute play on words, which I love.

I believe it was at an MSA show or some other show at PGEC where the announcer must have misread it and said "Needs to Douche" over the loudspeaker. For a brief second we all looked at each other in silence thinking, Did he really just say that? Then we were consumed by laughter. My friend did not find it funny at all and actually dismounted and marched directly to the office to demand a correction. I've though about it every time I've been back to that venue and it still cracks me up.

[SerenaGinger]

When I was a kid, I had a little Welsh pony. His name was Bryn Awr. Hell, even WE couldn't pronounce it, If any welsh speakers could clarify for me I'd be grateful, as I've wondered for 30 years what the true meaning was...

Not a Welsh speaker, but:

http://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/fun/welsh/LexiconForms.html

mountain time?

[TrakGeorge]

[QUOTE=Rebe;3550410]I am also going to leap to the defense of announcers. But first, I will say, I think that there should be STRICT licensing requirements before anyone is allowed to have access to a live microphone...

Here's what an announcer has to be able to do:

Speak the following languages in order to read and pronounce the range of names that can AND will appear before them:
English
French
German
Spanish
Dutch
Belgian
Swedish
Italian
Hawaiian
Chinese (pick both Cantonese and Mandarin to be safe)
Sanskrit
Swahili
(OK, maybe the last three or four in the list are a stretch, but you never know)


QUOTE]

I have to laugh at this. At my undergrad graduation we had a LARGE international population. The same lady every year (bless her heart) would say all the names. We had a meeting a few weeks before graduation and she went through the whole 400 names. Graduation came and my parents were sitting thier waiting for her to mess up some hard names. Who does she slaughter....Kimberly. :lol:

My last name at shows is always butchered, in fact we have been the "B" family for a long time...my horses are pretty easy.

[theoldgreymare]

Not us but we were at a show this summer and someone's horse was named "Solve The Puzzle for Autistic Awareness". As the aunt of a profoundly autistic child I found it touching that someone would give their horse a show name that called attention to Autism. It must be a cause close to the owner's heart. The poor horse was called "Solve The Puzzle for Artistic Awareness" so many times that day (with many puzzled looks from spectators). By the end of the day the announcer was just calling the horse "Solve The Puzzle".

[ellemayo]

I used to show Arabians with my friends, and at horse shows we would always have a good laugh whenever the announcers would have to call our horses names. My horse was named Aali Baaheth, pronounced Olly Baheeth... I think the weirdest pronunciation I ever got was Ally Baneth. Don't know where that came from :)
Though I can't really say I blame the announcers, some of those names are so weird. We had Justica Cannes, (often called Just A Can) and Arundle Royale as well. Poor announcers lol

[Trevelyan96]

Its amazing... my guy is Trevelyan.... TREV-EL-YAN... 3 syllables, sounds just like its spelled. I get TREV-A-LON, TRE-VEL-I-YAN, TRAVEL-ON, TREV-YAWAN. I even had a judge ask me once what his name was... told her and the announcer, and they STILL got it wrong. :confused:

[Trevelyan96]

OMG my british hubby pronounces "fajitas" like that!

I always wanted to name a black or gray horse "Chiaroscuro" but figured it'd get slaughtered in the show ring (that is, if I ever made it there...:lol:)

Yeah... I wanted to give my chestnut the name Castagna, which is italian for chestnut, but my daughter wouldn't let me because she said the show announcers would butcher it... so we named him Razzaro instead. What do we always get at shows.... RAZZABO, RAZOR, RUSSO. arghhhh.

But that's still better than his registered name, which is Red Wrecker. Imagaine the laughs that would get in the hunter ring.

[Roan]

Siobhan,

Boy, do I empathize with you. My first name is Eileen and people almost NEVER spell it correctly and they don't pronounce it correctly.

I can forgive the misspellings, because nowadays people take liberties with how their names are spelt, but I REALLY take exception to being called "Elaine".

I dunno HOW many times I've answered the phone and the person has asked for "Elaine".

I do not understand how they get "Elaine" out of "Eileen". There's no "A" in Eileen!

My daughter is constantly called "Deidre" instead of "Deirdre", which is annoying but understandable. At least those names look alike.

Eileen

PS
I was taught it was pronounced "SHO-van"?

[Tilly]

My pony's name never gets butchered. It's kind of hard to screw up Rubies and Pearls.

My first name never gets screwed up by horse show announcers, but regular people have a problem if they see it on paper first.

It's Hana. You say it like Hannah. Other people pronounce it Hawn-uh. It never ceases to crack me up.

[Kementari]

I was doing a clinic for some Girls Scouts, and writing out their name tags as they told me their names. When one girl said, "Siobhán" and I spelled it correctly her eyes positively bugged out! :lol: Lucky me, she did in fact even spell it with the accent, so I got bonus points. :winkgrin:

(If one spells it in Irish, the accent should be there - but most people nowadays, even in Ireland, spell it without the accent. :yes: Of course, most people also pronounce it without the accent (which makes the difference between shi-VAHN and shi-VAWN), so all is well! ;))

My cat is named Riabhach Oráiste. It is good he doesn't need any announcing... :eek: :lol:

[Roan]

. . .
(If one spells it in Irish, the accent should be there - but most people nowadays, even in Ireland, spell it without the accent. :yes: Of course, most people also pronounce it without the accent (which makes the difference between shi-VAHN and shi-VAWN), so all is well! ;)). . .

That explains it. I studied Gaelic for years and then while doing genealogical research I found out my mother (from Glasgow, passed in 1970) was in fact from a Glasgow Irish family and not Scottish. They emigrated to Scotland during the Potato Famine. So, I'm Irish, not Scottish. The languages are very similar, but the accent differences throw me for a loop sometimes. I really need to start studying Irish ;)

Eileen

[Tucked_Away]

It's Hana. You say it like Hannah. Other people pronounce it Hawn-uh. It never ceases to crack me up.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news (as a fellow Hannah-first-syllable-rhymes-with-can, I really do!), but pronouncing the first A in "Hannah" (or "Hanna," or variations) as "ah" or "aw" is legit. Those people aren't exactly mispronouncing your name; they're just pronouncing it in the correct way for a tradition/culture other than yours.

[Kementari]

That explains it. I studied Gaelic for years and then while doing genealogical research I found out my mother (from Glasgow, passed in 1970) was in fact from a Glasgow Irish family and not Scottish. They emigrated to Scotland during the Potato Famine. So, I'm Irish, not Scottish. The languages are very similar, but the accent differences throw me for a loop sometimes. I really need to start studying Irish ;)

Eileen

Yep! Being so similar makes it even more confusing when they diverge! :yes: I only had a semester of Irish, which was enough to get the basic rules of pronunciation and just enough vocabulary to be dangerous... :lol: Of course, having not used it in seven years, I've forgotten most of it, unfortunately. But I can still spell strange (to English speakers) Irish names, and translate most common place names - hey, at least I remember SOMETHING! :winkgrin:

[HighFlyinBey++]

My pony's name is TA June Bug. I never thought it would cause a problem with the announcers on our local open pleasure show circuit, but one day she became "Ta Junebug." I laughed and called out "T A June Bug--she's named for her sire." After that, I just spelled it "T.A."

I've never had a problem with CMA High Flyin Bey :)

My own name? :rolleyes: Fortunately it's gotten more popular & pronounceable.

[Pennyhill]

A bit of a twist here - but I have to say I was always relieved when the announcer didn't pronounce one clients horses name as it was written - you see, she had rescued this scrawny, ugly paint mare who had lost a good third of each ear to frostbite. She turned into a pretty nice girl with a very bold jump, so off to the schooling shows we went. Her show ring career was short - turns out she will jump anything from anywhere, unless there happens to be a judge watching her, then she prefers to simply stand perfectly still and look pretty :rolleyes:

However, the name she came with was Frosty. Owners choice of show name?

(F) Earless Frostie. Yeah, written out just like that. Thank goodness it always came out as "Fearless Frosty" instead!

[tarheelmd07]

People seem to have a harder time with my last name than they do with any of my horses's names. Before I got married, my last name was pretty simple - Johnson - nothing tough there. My husband is part Chinese and my married name is Ong. 3 letters, spelled just like it sounds...but people have a terrible time with it. If I say it, they pretty much always spell it wrong...or if they see it written down, a lot of people don't even try. I've taken to telling people my name is "Ong. Like Long without the L". I've also just settled for being called Dr. O at work

One of the horse's I'm riding is named "Surf Guitar" which has been announced as "Smurf Guitar"...doesn't really bother me, as the name has kind of stuck and he's often referred to affectionately as "Smurf" at home...funny only because he's HUGE