Thunder, the Arabian gelding who is the mascot of the Denver Broncos, flew all the way from Colorado to support his team in the Super Bowl
Ann Judge-Wegener and Thunder III in action "There's no way I could replicate that at my training center," observed Ann Judge-Wegener, who is riding Denver Broncos' mascot Thunder III this evening at MetLife Stadium.
"Instead, I have to try to encourage a partnership," she commented, something she makes a practice of doing with her horses, "so no matter what goes on, they look to me for reassurance."
Judge-Wegener, who made appearances with the grey Arabian on the morning TV shows Friday after he happily traipsed the sidewalks of New York, doesn't admit to any Super butterflies.
"I'm never nervous, but I'm always ready," she says.
When she and the charismatic gelding lead the team onto the field today, she'll be relying on faith -- Thunder's faith in her, and her faith in him.
A show rider who is a U.S. Equestrian Federation judge in the Arabian and western divisions, she started her Broncos' involvement with the late Thunder I, a stallion. She went on to Thunder II, who does the games in Denver, and is continuing with Thunder III.
That horse, whose registered name is Me N Myshadow, was chosen for the Super Bowl gig and all it involves because he is in his prime at 14, while Thunder II, who has senior status at age 20, will take his bows at the Broncos' parade Tuesday in Denver.
The Thunders are under the ownership of Colorado philanthropist Sharon Magness Blake, whose horses have been involved with the Broncos for 21 years.
"I've learned so much from each one of them, about horses and what they will do for you if they believe in you, if you really try hard to speak their language," said Judge-Wegener, who is based in Bennett, Colo.
"You have to take a different tack with each one. You hear all this about desensitizing a horse. I don't know if you ever really desensitize a horse, because they're flight creatures, not fight creatures."
Instead, she said, "I approach the training process giving what I call `faith walks' with these horses."
She finds all goes well, "If they really believe in me and they have faith that I'm never going to put them in a circumstance that is dangerous to them, or make them feel threatened."
Thunder I was an Arabian stallion, she described as bold and courageous "with a huge ego" who "so loved the crowd."
Thunder II started out rather timid, so she worked him in many different ways, with cattle, in the mountains, in parades.
She's done much of the same with Thunder III, who she has had since he was three. She takes him places to see the sights and although he does not compete, he has been to open horse shows to watch the commotion, learning to handle the buzz.
"He has really evolved into this horse that is eager to experience all these new undertakings," his trainer said.
"You do so many faith walks with them, they get excited for what the next event is going to be."
Ann Judge-Wegener and Thunder III Conditions at MetLife will be different than at the Broncos' stadium, where one Thunder or another is a fixture and has a stall in which he can take breaks. The turf in New Jersey is artificial, while it's spongier in Denver, and instead of being chauffered into the stadium, Thunder III, like many fans, has a long walk from the parking lot. But during a test run Friday, Thunder seemed right at home.
"The horse is really social. He was eating it up, he's quite the poser," said the rider, noting Thunder was happy to meet people who greeted him during his stroll around the field.
Thunder III was bred by Blake, who at one time owned more Arabians than anyone else in the country, 900 in all, though she has since down-sized to 15. Serenaded by Lee Greenwood live, singing, "God Bless the USA," Blake has done some fancy riding of her own, threading Thunder III around 130 tables in a ballroom at her Western Fantasy event in Denver, a series of benefits that has raised more than $16 million for Volunteers of America.
"When I get ready to ride in, my first thought is, `What are you thinking?' Then when I go around, it's such a thrill. He really gets into it with me, so when I ride out, I want to do it again because it's so cool," said Blake.
Her goal with her horses is "to get out there and make for community awareness in a positive way and help where we can."
Thunder's adventure began long before he set hoof on the ground at MetLife. He arrived at Newark's Liberty Airport on a Fed Ex plane, under the wing of equine transportation guru Tim Dutta's Dutta Corp. Since 1988, Dutta has supervised the flights of many international competition horses worth millions of dollars, using the slogan, "We Give Horses Wings."
The flight cost $20,000 round trip, the price of air travel to Europe and back for a horse. The journey from Colorado normally would have been $5,500 each way if the flight could be shared with other horses, but as noted by Dutta -- a newly minted Broncos' fan -- the NFL had a schedule and Thunder had to make it.
It was Thunder's first flight, and the first time Judge-Wegener had accompanied a horse in the air.
Thunder did what any first-class air traveler would do; he ate, drank and slept.
"It was a great experience," Judge-Wegener said, while Dutta reported it went "smooth as silk."
Thunder's plans following his departure from the stadium tonight are to relax in a stall at Golden Gait farm in Millstone with a hot bran mash and hay as his post-game buffet.
After he returns to Colorado, he'll be back to work as a symbol of his breed and his species.
"There's been a lot of chatter on social media," said Julian McPeak of the Arabian Horse Association, citing the attention the breed is getting as a result of Thunder's newly raised profile.
Judge-Wegener is well-aware of the responsibility that entails.
"Both he and I are ambassadors for the equine world, Super Bowl or not," his trainer said.
While noting it's "a rush and exciting" to be in front of 80,000 people, she mentioned the Thunders also appear for smaller groups, doing whatever they can for good causes, whether it's the library or a holiday party for hundreds of kids at the Boys' and Girls' Club.
"What great character horses have," said Judge-Wegener.
"They definitely have a magnetic quality that especially children feel, and definitely a healing quality. That's why therapeutic riding is so helpful for different issues and different needs," she commented.
"I hope the people who are at the game, or who might get a glimpse of Thunder on TV, get their interest stoked in these incredible creatures who want to be a part of our world, they want to be our companions," the rider said.
"That humbles me every day and makes me continually want to do right by them."
ON THE RAIL -- Funeral services were held Friday for W. Gary Baker, 71, of Middleburg, Va., an outspoken activist in the equestrian community, who died Monday after being in deteriorating health for some time.
Baker, the energetic longtime chairman of Zone III for the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, also served as president of the Maryland Horse Shows Association and as a board member of the Virginia Horse Shows Association. He earned the Pegasus Medal of Honor from the U.S. Equestrian Federation, and was president of the National Hunter/Jumper Association.
A noted breeder involved in everything from ponies and steeplechase horses to raising cattle and Norwich terriers, he also spent many years as a show manager.
"He did a lot for a lot of people. He wasn't a fair weather friend," said fellow volunteer
Betty Oare, noting how active Baker was in so many facets of the horse world and the community.
"Somebody's going to have to take up the slack."
She noted, "he always stood up for what he believed in, even if it wasn't the popular view."
Contributions in his memory may be made to Seven Loaves, P.O. Box 1924, Middleburg, Va. 20118...
Biko, eventing's "Horse of the Century," died last week at the age of 30. Ridden by Karen O'Connor, his achievements included being part of the U.S. silver medal team at the 1996 Olympics.
After slipping the tendons off his hocks in 1999, he stopped competing, and had an official retirement ceremony in 2001...
An introductory "I Love Horses" Valentine trail ride will be held next Sunday at Lord Stirling Stable in Basking Ridge. The outing at the walk for persons with little or no riding experience will be preceded by a brief lesson. Registration is available at the stable office through Thursday. The fee is $35 for county residents and $45 for non-residents.
Call the stable office for information (908) 766-5955.
SLEIGH BELLS RING -- When the big snow came, Joanna Bligh took two days off from work -- she didn't want to waste a moment of her opportunity to use her horse-drawn sleigh in New Vernon.
She hitched her 9-year-old Morgan mare, Bluefields Rita, to a 1910 Portland Cutter sleigh, refurbished by Raymond Wisner of Hebron, N.H., complete with shafts made by the Carriage Machine Shop in Bird-In-Hand, Pa.
Joanna Bligh, with friend Jessica Gabel, takes a swing through the snow in New Vernon as Bluefield's Rita pulls the sleigh Even as the temperatures rose yesterday, she took yet another spin through the fields, sleigh bells jingling, accompanied by her friend, Jessica Gabel.
It was a scene straight out of a Christmas card and sure enough, a card company had come a few days earlier and taken some shots, Bligh said.
With the mercury expected to rise some more this afternoon, Bligh's sleighing days likely are numbered in the immediate future, but since the versatile Rita also is a riding horse, the two will still be able to have their outings after the thaw.
ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
Today: Duncraven Winter Circuit, 1300 Trenton Harbourton Road, Titusville; CJL Farm Show, West Milford Equestrian Center, 367 Union Valley Road, West Milford.
Saturday: Palermo Show Stables Winter Festival, 1555A Burnt Mills Road, Bedminster (through next Sunday); CJL Farm Show, Baymar Farms, 38 Harbor Road, Morganville; Dressage Schooling Show, Horse Park of New Jersey, Route 524, Allentown.
Next Sunday: CJL Farms Show, West Milford Equestrian Center, 367 Union Valley Road, Newfoundland.
Nancy Jaffer may be reached at nancyjaffer@comcast.net.