Thunder is the stage name for the horse which is the official live animal mascot for the Denver Broncos football team. Three racial Arabs have held this role since 1993, all the gray horses whose coats are lightened by age until they are completely white. Sharon Magness-Blake has had all three horses, and Ann Judge has been their rider since 1998 and coach since 1999. By 2016, Thunder has appeared in four Super Bowls with the team since 1998. The original Thunder performed in Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII and Thunder III appeared on Super Bowl XLVIII and Super Bowl 50. Thunder III also made appearances in Times Square and on the morning news show in New York City as part of a pre-match promotion for the Super Bowl XLVIII. He regularly appears in parades, visits hospital and school visits, and attends other public functions. He had been flown on the plane, ridden in an elevator, and appeared indoors at press conferences and banquets.
The task of the Thunder as a mascot usually includes leading the team into the field at the start of every home game, and running along the field whenever the team scores a goal or field. Thunder and riders also interact with fans before the game; horses are very popular with children, who are allowed to take care of him. The horses who have served as Guntur need to remain calm in a situation that usually scares most horses, like being in a soccer stadium with thousands of cheering fans, exploding fireworks, cheerleaders waving pom-poms, and other common eyeglasses for the National Football League (NFL) game. The Thunder share a mascot duty with Miles, a man who wears a horse's head mask over the Broncos uniform.
The original thunder, later named "Guntur Sr.", was described as brave and brave. He is a male stall listed as JB Kobask, a former horse show-off, who was the team mascot for the Broncos from 1993 until his retirement in 2004. He continued to make a community appearance until his death in 2009. Guntur Sr was successful in 2004 by "Thunder II ", an Arabic heritage listed as Winter Solstyce. He is a Magness-Blake private horse. The judge described him as somewhat timid when he first started his role as a mascot but eventually evolved into it. He retired from mascot duties early in 2014 but appeared in the 2016 Super Bowl 50 victory parade in downtown Denver following the Broncos victory over the Carolina Panthers. "Thunder III", a pecan listed as Me N Myshadow, was a substitute for Thunder II, and trained specifically for mascot duties starting at age three when he started under the saddle. He began appearing in pre-season games in 2013. Although Thunder II is still active as a team mascot during the 2013-14 season, Thunder III was sent to the Super Bowl XLVIII because he is younger and better able to handle air travel. He is described as casual, preferring to fall asleep during the game when not performing.
Video Thunder (mascot)
History
The original Thunder, JB Kobask, was loaned to the Denver Broncos by Sharon Magness-Blake of Magness Arabians after he received a phone call from a team official asking if he had a "white horse". The Thunder's debut as a team mascot was on 12 September 1993, during the Broncos victory over the San Diego Filler. Angela Moore, his rider at the time, swung it down the pitch after every Broncos goal. The Thunder mascot's task is expanded to include sending game balls to the referee at the start of every home game. The audience was allowed to interact with the Thunder and stroked it before the game. Magness said, "Lightning friendly, and Broncos supporters think this is a good luck for the opposing team to maintain our mascot". She is very popular with children, appearing in T-shirts, and is referred to as "second most popular bronco" after former quarterback John Elway. Thunder appeared in the retirement retirement pension Elway in 1999. When the team's uniforms were redesigned in 1997, the Thunder was the inspiration for incorporating the horse's head profile as part of the logo on the team's helmet. During a press conference February 4, 1997 introduced a new logo, team leader and art director for Nike, a new designer, describing it as "a strong horse with fiery eyes and mane."
The original Thunder, also known as Thunder Sr., was retired in 2004 after serving 11 years as a team mascot. Magness-Blake replaced it with Thunder II, a 1994 Arab hatred listed as Winter Solstyce. He is Magness-Blake's personal favorite on horseback before taking on his new role as a team mascot. As the Thunder II grew older, Magness-Blake anticipated the need for a replacement and added a third gray horse to the team. He is known as Thunder III, a 2000 Arab hatred listed as Me N Myshadow. Thunder III originally served as a substitute for Thunder II, and was trained specifically for the team's mascot role from scratch under the saddle.
Maps Thunder (mascot)
Mascot tasks
Thunder leads the team to the field at the start of every home game, and usually runs from one end of the field to the other whenever the team makes a goal. He may also make a run after field goals, but not security. Each time he made his escape, four crew members walked on the sidelines to the final zone to escort Thunder back to odd position. The additional handlers ensure the security of the horse and the people around it. Helper Thunder also removed the dirt he might drop on the field. As well as his support crew, Thunder has a bodyguard who travels to the match. The Thunder share a mascot duty with Miles, a man who wears a horse's head mask over the Broncos uniform.
The horses that have served as Thunder have been trained to remain calm in situations that would normally cause the horse to respond with a fight-or-flight response, such as a blink of a pyrotechnic display blaze, or the goods suddenly landing on the ground including skydivers with parachutes and various objects thrown by spectators, or loud music and sounds associated with tens of thousands of cheering fans on Mile High. Ann Hakim has explained that because so many unexpected things can happen, it is important that the people who work with him remain calm; it is a belief in the rider and his handler, not just desensitization, that helps the horse stay stable: "You want them to look at you for the right response and for confidence and confidence so that the flight response does not start." He explains the process by saying, "If there is something scary to him, as long as he sees me, and I tell him he's fine, he's fine." The only intimidating stimulus which is an ongoing problem for Thunder Sr. and Thunder II is when the crowd will do waves; Thunder Sr. will stand still, but tremble. Thunder II will become tense, requiring ground handlers and riders to help calm him down. Thunder III is the first of the mascots to tolerate wearing earplugs, which help protect his hearing from loud noises during the game.
Magness-Blake said one of the most dangerous parts of the Thunder job was early in the game when he led the team into the field, as there was a cheerleader in front of him waving their poms and an eager football team behind him.. Ann Judge also commented about the team getting "amped up" with energy and excitement when Thunder led them to the field, explaining that "For him, amped up means danger." On one occasion, someone walked out unexpectedly in front of the Thunder as he led the players into the field. Thunder stops immediately, avoiding potentially dangerous situations. Another unexpected event occurred in 2014 when Super Bowl XLVIII when the pyrotechnic screen should have been executed before Thunder led the team out but it suddenly happened unexpectedly during the run. Thunder responded to the situation with confidence, continuing to run forward onto the field, though he made the lead change fly with every explosion.
The number of lightning thunderstorm records may occur during the 52-20 win on 29 September 2013, when he crossed the field eight times. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning joked, "Might have to give 'Thunder an I.V. after this one." The judge said Thunder, age 19 at the time, was not tired at all, describing it as "full of saliva and vinegar" the next day.
Thunder appears mainly in home games, but has been transported out-of-country when the Broncos play in the Super Bowl. While at home, Thunder arrived at Mile High about two and a half hours before kickoff. He was taken to the stadium through a visitor tunnel. He has a large private box kiosk located next to visitors' locker rooms, and has straw, water and treats, including a large basket of carrots and apples. The judge signed the signature for about 45 minutes before every game, allowing fans, especially children, a chance to become more familiar with Thunder. Thunder usually leaves the field before the game ends. He was loaded into a horse trailer and transported out of the stadium on a two-minute memorial.
Guntur has other tasks off the field, and has appeared in many public exhibitions and charity functions in the Denver area, including visits to schools and hospitals. He has often appeared as part of a color guard at the Denver National Western Stock Show. Thunder had taken the elevator, walked through an indoor tunnel, had been driven between the banquet table at Magness-Blake Western Fantasy Fund, and had attended an indoor and outdoor press conference.
Super Bowl Appearance
At Super Bowl XXXII in 1998 in San Diego, Thunder Sr. appears in the field after touchdown. This is his first away game, and takes 26 hours to reach the goal. Upon returning home, he led the team's victory parade in front of 600,000 fans in Denver. Guntur also attended the Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami in 1999.
In early 2014, the Thunder was again granted permission by the NFL to perform at the Super Bowl XLVIII. Thunder III, age 14 at the time, traveled because of concerns over the age of Thunder II (20 years) and the stress experienced by some horses during air travel. This is the first time the Thunder mascot has been flown. He was transported to the east coast in a FedEx cargo plane, designed and equipped by Dutta Corporation specifically to transport horses. FedEx sponsors air travel for its promotional value; a fee that usually runs about $ 20,000. The day after his arrival in Newark, New Jersey, Thunder was transported to New York City for a television appearance on Today and Fox & amp; Friends . He also runs through Times Square.
At Super Bowl XLVIII, Thunder led the team into the field early in the game, making it the first Super Bowl where he was allowed to do so. The Thunder was also allowed to run in the final zone after touchdown, but because the MetLife Stadium was regarded as a neutral zone for both teams, it was not allowed to run the length of the field.
For the Super Bowl 50, Thunder III was fired at San Francisco, a two-day trip that took four days because of ice and snow, getting complicated with the 24-hour closure of I-80. Arriving there, the Thunder was stood at the Stanford Equestrian Center. Thunder II, who retired at the end of the 2013-2014 season after the Broncos won the AFC Championship game, remained in Denver. The following Tuesday, he led the team in the Denver victory parade while Thunder III was still on the way home.
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People
Magness-Blake has three Arabian horses that describe the Thunder. He grew up poor in Philadelphia, and did not ride horses until he was 20 years old. He married Bob Magness, founder of Tele-Communications Inc., who also loved horses, and together they started an Arab breeding operation that at its peak had 900 horses. After the death of her husband in November 1996, Magness-Blake reduced horse operations and currently has about 15 horses. In 2004, he married Ernie Blake, a lawyer and mayor of Breckenridge, who also loves horses. The couple, along with two others, are part of the Thunder ground crew at a football match.
The first horse trainer for JB Kobask as Thunder was Tom Hudson, coach for Magness Arabians at the time. The first racer of the mascot is Angela Moore, then 19-year-old assistant coach to Hudson and graduate of Colorado State University. Ann Judge, also known as Ann Judge-Wegener, became a Thunder rider in 1998. A year later, Judges took over as coach and rider. He has been a coach and a Thunder II rider for his entire career with the Broncos, and also did it for Thunder III. The judge grew up on an Arab horse farm near West Lafayette, Indiana, and graduated from Purdue University in 1980 with a degree in English Education. He has been riding a horse since he was five years old, was a 4-H participant as a youth, and after completing college as a horse trainer, he first worked in South Carolina and then in Colorado. The judge has been described by the management of the Broncos as a "successful horseman". He has competed at the national level in the Arab and Pinto horse race competitions. He is also a horse show judge who has decided on national and international events. Both Thunder II and Thunder III are on Judge farms in Bennett, Colorado.
Horse
Guntur Sr.
JB Kobask, a pure Arab race horse in 1983, became the first live horse mascot for the Broncos in 1993 after a successful horse career. He is the son of the US national heritage, Stallion Arab GG Jabask, and grandson of the Arabian * Bask who grew up in Poland, several US National Champions after his importation into the United States. JB Kobask also has a large number of Crabbet breeding in its genealogy.
The stallion was kicked by a mare in a 1997 breeding accident, resulting in a fracture requiring two arthroscopic operations in its lubrication, similar to a human knee operation, and out of commission for six weeks; two more months are needed before he can run at full speed. After his recovery, he continued his mascot duties and performed at Super Bowl XXXII in January 1998. He served as the Broncos mascot for 11 years and retired in 2004 after suffering arthritis, which made it difficult to run on the field. He continued to make a community appearance until his death in 2009 at the age of 27.
Thunder Sr. famous for his brave and courageous personality, and described by Magness-Blake as a "strong ego". He has been trained to support command. But he remains calm and in control in a very intense situation, and the Judge believes he has the sixth sense for when to get excited for the show and when to cool down. The stallion is especially soft around the children who want to keep it. During the game, when he waits to perform, he has a tendency to watch players on the pitch.
Thunder II
Winter Solstyce, an Arabic foaled in 1994, became "Thunder II" in 2004. He was a private horse Magness-Blake for several years before becoming a Broncos mascot. His father's monk was Salon, an Arab horse raised in Russia from Tersk Stud which was first exported to Germany and then brought to the United States. Winter materstory's mother Surstyce is * Gondolier, who is a Polish National Champion and Arab World Stallion World Champion at Salon du Cheval in Paris, imported to the US in 1981. The rest of his line goes back to the Polish and Russian Arabian horse breeding program. He is linebred to Negatiw's horse, which appears four times in his pedigree.
Thunder II stands 14.3 hands (59 inches, 150 cm) and weighs more than 900 pounds (410 kg). Dubbed "Dos" by Judge, Thunder II has been described as somewhat shy with a more quiet personality than his predecessor. Initially, he was nervous with white marks on the soccer field and would try to jump over them. He is also afraid of cheerleading pom-poms. For desensitization training, the Judge and other Thunder team members will take him to a football field at a local high school to work with people carrying pom-poms and running across marked areas. Handling uses operant conditioning with positive reinforcement, connecting the pom-pom with carrot treatment. Finally, he starts to switch to his handler to anticipate traktiran every time he sees a cheerleader with pom-poms.
Thunder II will look attentively with his ears forward, apparently a gesture, for his photograph to be taken whenever a photographer steers the camera toward him. He is known as a friendly and very gentle person with children who met him before every game. Instead of watching players on the field like Thunder Sr., Thunder II likes to watch people in the stands. When bored, he consoled himself by grabbing the zipper pulling his handkerchief jacket and running it up and down. He also learned how to open the bottle of water and squeeze it for water. Officially retired in 2014, Thunder II occasionally makes a public appearance.
Thunder III
Thunder III is Me N Myshadow, an Arab hatred 2000, and a third Arab race to serve as a team mascot. Ann Judge called her "Tres". Me N Myshadow is hosted by Monarch AH from a Gondolier princess, making her a distant cousin to Winter Solstyce. Monarch AH is a racehorse that won 19 of its 23 races, including several storied races for the Arabs, earning US $ 213,646. He is the son of Polish imports * Wiking, an eminent ancestor of Arabian horse racing. When Magness-Blake reduced the horse breeding program, Monarch AH was sold to Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayad Al Nahyan from the United Arab Emirates.
Thunder III began his mascot duties as a substitute for Thunder II. He appeared in several preseason game games in 2013, and made the most common appearance as a team mascot in the Denver community that same year. Its main public debut is in 2014 as a team mascot at Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey.
{College of live animal mascots}}
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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