After 33 years, Broncos bringing horse operations in-stable

The Denver Broncos are finally getting around to horses.

Thunder Spirit LLC, the private team that has owned, trained and managed the club’s iconic live mascot since 1993, announced Monday it is retiring. The Broncos will continue the Thunder program under the same name with a new team beginning this season.

Sharon Magness Blake and Ernie Blake, who owned and operated Thunder through their company, are stepping away along with longtime rider Ann Judge, the accomplished equestrian who has guided the purebred Arabian gelding on his end-zone-to-end-zone gallop after every Denver score since 1998.

“As we pass the reins,” Magness Blake said in a sly statement, “we appreciate the support of Carrie and Greg Penner for embracing the Thunder tradition and ensuring its next chapter continues for Broncos fans.”

The original Thunder debuted Sept. 12, 1993, during a victory over the San Diego Chargers. Four Arabians have carried the name since, appearing at three Super Bowl victory parades and leading the team onto the field for Super Bowl XLVIII and Super Bowl 50. The current Thunder, a gelding registered as Phantom JD, has served as the game day mascot since 2021.

Off the field, the Thunder program hosted an annual Christmas party for 300 children from local Boys and Girls Club chapters, complete with face painting, balloon animals and gifts from Santa — and, of course, a very patient horse.

Broncos owner Carrie Walton Penner thanked the Thunder Spirit team for “extraordinary contributions” and said the organization looks forward to building on the legacy.

No word yet on what the new arrangement will look like — or whether anyone has cleared adequate stable space at the team’s new facility in Dove Valley.

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