The Bar U Ranch National Historic Site has names for its two new Percheron horses.

Jim Barbaro of Sundre had the winning entry in a contest run by Parks Canada.

He came up with the names Poca and Terra after George Pocaterra, an Italian immigrant who arrived in Canada in 1903 with $3.75 in his pocket. Pocaterra worked as a ranch hand, trapper, hunter, explorer, coal prospector and opera stage manager. Pocaterra established the buffalo head ranch north of the Bar U which became one of the first dude ranches in Canada. He married Calgary opera singer Norma Piper.

"They got married in Italy in 1936 but they longed for this country so they came back and came back to the Buffalo Head Ranch, but the sold the ranch and then they finally settle west of Cochrane on the Ghost River," Jim Barbaro says.

Jim Barbaro

Barbaro says he knows a great deal about Pocaterra because his father knew him when they were both members of the Calgary Italian club.

"He had five languages under his belt including Stoney Indian which he was super at, they had to have an interpreter because he knew it better than the natives," Barbaro says. "It's an honour to have these two horses named after him."

Mike McLean with the Bar U says the search for names for the two newest additions to the stable was exhaustive.

"We asked people to help and they stepped right up to the plate," McLean says. "Wonderful stories, wonderful names, probably over a thousand entries from all sorts of media whether it was twitter, or facebook, we had lots of e-mails in, we had lots of snail mail, we eventually sat down when the contest closed on February 29, and we had a committee go through and pick out the names that met all of our criteria, came up with a short list, put them all into the grand prize draw Stetson and drew Poca and Terra."

Barbaro received a Parks Canada Discovery Pass good for two years of visits to national parks historic sites and marine conservation areas.

Jim Barbaro receiving his Discovery Pass from Travis Weber of Parks Canada