Happy Trails, Thunder & Ann!

This past Sunday at the Broncos game, Thunder and Ann officially retired.

There was a "passing of the reins" ceremony held, 

and Ann and Thunder took a last gallop

around the field.

I looked at the new Thunder and thought, "That's no Arabian. That's an Andalusian."

I looked him up and I was right.

His new team. His new rider/trainer is Gretchen Flynn, and her husband, Phillip Flynn, is also listed as trainer. (All screenshots were taken from public social media sites.)

Sharon and Ernie Blake have owned all the previous Thunders over the past 33 years with Ann riding him for 28 of those years. In an interview on 9 News/Denver, Sharon said the reason they were "pass[ing] the program on to a new generation" was "the advancing age of Thunder and the entire team."

That is understandable. I'm sure it has been a wonderful time, but no doubt the work that went into it was exhausting, even with an entire team helping.

Well done, Ann, Thunder, Sharon, and Ernie. Yours is a wonderful legacy and I am delighted that Denver values it so much that they are continuing the program. Happy Trails in your retirement!

Stay 'tooned.

Ann & Thunder Retire

In case you haven't heard the news about Thunder and the Denver Broncos... 

Our daughter Sarah and her family lived in the Denver area and still avidly follow the Broncos (and the Packers and the Seahawks and...) They took me to the stadium once for an August scrimmage, so I have actually seen the team live and in person.

My classroom colors were orange and blue, too, but actually that is because my college degrees are both from the University of Illinois, a Big Ten team. (If there's anything I will root for avidly myself, it's Illinois basketball! )

But I have another connection to the Denver Broncos - one of  those "who'd have thought" ones.

Denver's mascot horse, Thunder, is ridden by a woman I went to junior high and high school with, Ann Judge.

Ann trains Thunder (not the horse's real name) and is a judge and horse trainer, living in Bennett, Colorado.

She is a year younger than me, but we were in choir, band, and drama club together. I remember her as a very nice gal, one who was quiet and even a bit shy. And, our high school colors are orange and blue, just as the Broncos' are!

I actually remember very little of her horsey side. I think that is because, even as a teenager, she was riding in big Arabian breed shows while I was on a backyard Appaloosa mare participating in local fun shows. She and I were both in 4-H together,  though, attending Horse and Pony Club meetings and showing at the local 4-H fair and show every summer.

Our paths haven't crossed since high school, although her family is still here in West Lafayette.  We are friends on Facebook and share a lot of mutual friends there. Ann is really good about staying in touch with her high school friends.

Some time ago, her father wrote and published a book titled The Bronco Girl. The book is still available on Amazon, and I have a copy and have read it. Ann came back to Indiana and did some local book signings with her dad when it first came out. I thought about going to one and saying "hello," but had a conflict and could not make it.

Here's a fun interview with Ann, Sharon, and Ernie appearing with Thunder(s) and sharing some history on the Thunder Spirit Team.

I usually don't watch much football but when I do, I root for Denver (and the Colts.) And, I am also hoping to catch a glimpse of Ann and Thunder racing across the football field every time the Broncos score.

I'm sad to see Ann and Thunder retire, but Sharon Magness Blake did say in an interview that they were all getting older and that it was time to step down. Ann has posted about it on her personal Facebook page  a couple of times, but I never saw a reason given other than what was written  in the official announcement above.

Happy Trails, Ann!

Guest Blogger: Nancy Kelly Tells Us about Thunder, Real & Model

 My friend, Nancy Kelly, is a knowledgable Hagen Renaker collector and long-time hobbyist. She has authored several books on Hagen Renakers as well as the model horse hobby. Nancy has become a dear friend over the years.

Nancy, Stan Sollars, and me at the 2019 FAMulous Collectibility Show. 

Nancy and I chat via social media a couple of times a week and recently she told me about having purchased an interesting model and what she did with it. I asked if she wouldn't mind guest blogging about that model horse and the real horse, Thunder, that it resembled. Here's what she wrote:

I am primarily a ceramic horse collector, but there are some wood carvings that I really admire. One particular artist, Peter Giba, was from the Chicago area and his work is found in museums and homes around the country. 

His horses usually sell for hundreds, or thousands, of dollars, such as this dapple gray Percheron that sold for over $3,000. 

A recent online auction featured nine of his horses. I eagerly placed a bid on a couple of them, and kept my fingers crossed. The horse with the saddle, labeled “Polo Pony” sold to a fellow collector for over $600. 

But the black horse that was missing his ears closed for under $100 and came home to me! 

I contacted a friend who is a wood carver and asked for advice on how to replace the ears. He a wood epoxy putty that cost less than $6 and is so easy to work with! It does firm up in about 15 minutes, so you have to work fast, but it is very sturdy once it dries.

I put some extra blobs on a piece of wax paper and tested the paint before committing to using it on the model, and I'm really happy with the result. The model is a satin finish, and the paint turned out to be, too!

This model was special to me because it reminds me of my own horse Thunder who we put down a few years ago. I love having Thunder in my office now!

So, who was Thunder?

He was a registered Quarter Horse, about 15.3 HH (very tall!). His official name was Dandy Timid Too. His previous owner thought that was too wimpy of a name, so he called him Thunder and we kept the name.

Nancy and Thunder going for a ride together.

Thunder's owner and his wife were going through a messy divorce and the horse had to go. The man showed us Thunder while his daughter was hugging Thunder and saying how much she loved him. Well, his hooves were so long they were curling up at the toes and his tail was a solid, matted "baseball bat". He was a grandson of Impressive, so of course we had him tested for HYPP as a pre-purchase condition. Happily, he tested n/n. He did have a heart murmur. But a heart of gold. He was a sweet, gentle "giant" that I always felt was taking care of me when I rode him or was even around him.

Photo of an elderly Thunder and Nancy's husband's horse Roy. Friends for decades.

He developed a choke around the age of 27. Our vet was out of town so an inexperienced sub tried to loosen it but wasn't successful. It stayed partially there. When our vet returned she examined him (lots of head bobbing and tossing, unsteady on his feet, glassy eyes) and we mutually decided he was suffering and needed to be put down. Even during that process he was amazing. Rather than falling over after being given the lethal shot, he went straight down in place, like he was laying upright but with his chin on the ground. Our vet had never seen anything like it! Even at the end he didn't want to hurt me by falling over on me, at least that's what I believe. ;)

As for Roy, he lived to be 31, and just laid down one day in the shed, said "I'm done" and died. Roy always did live life his way.

Thank you, Nancy, for sharing the story of your new model, how you repaired it, and of a horse that you loved.

Another Super Bowl Connection

I am not a football fan, although I do enjoy the game atmosphere. Craig played football and was All-State for Indiana his senior year, recruited by Notre Dame (but chose to attend Purdue where he was too small for the team), and was recently named to his school's commemorative 100-year team when they selected the best players of the past 100 years and put together a sort of dream team.

Craig's football genes won out over my horsey ones when it came to our kids; all six are huge football fans, while only one is a horsey girl like her mama.

I have tried to learn the game, and even chose two teams to follow: The Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos. (My choices made my family smile and say, "Oh, Mom!")

Our oldest daughter and her family live in the Denver area and avidly follow the Broncos (and the Packers and the Seahawks and...) They took me to the stadium once for an August scrimmage, so I actually have seen the team live and in person.

My classroom colors are orange and blue, too, but actually that is because my college degrees are both from the University of Illinois, a Big Ten team. (If there's anything I will root for avidly myself, it's Illinois basketball! )

But I have another connection to the Denver Broncos - one of  those "who'd have thought" ones.

Denver's mascot horse, Thunder, is ridden by a woman I went to junior high and high school with, Anne Judge-Wegner.

Anne trains Thunder (not the horse's real name) and is a judge and horse trainer, living in Bennett, Colorado.

She is a year younger than me, but we were in choir, band, and drama club together. I remember her as a very nice gal, one who was quiet and even a bit shy.

I actually remember very little of her horsey side. I think that is because, even as a teenager, she was riding in big Arabian breed shows while I was on a backyard Appaloosa mare participating in local fun shows. She and I were both in 4-H together,  though, attending Horse and Pony Club meetings and showing at the local 4-H fair and show every summer.

Our paths haven't crossed since high school, although her family is still here in West Lafayette and her father recently published a book titled The Bronco Girl. 

The book is available on Amazon, but I haven't read it. Anne came back and did some local book signings with her dad when it first came out. I thought about going to one and saying "hello," but had a conflict and could not make it.

I usually don't watch much of the Super Bowl (aside from the Clydesdale commercials...) but I am rooting for Denver in this Sunday's Super Bowl. I am also hoping to catch a glimpse of Anne and Thunder racing across the football field, and hopefully in the winner's celebration.