Denver Broncos retire Thunder, their live horse mascot, after three decades

The Denver Broncos’ Thunder Spirit team, known for bringing the Thunder live horse mascot onto the field, is retiring from the organization after roughly 30 years. According to a report from Yahoo Sports, the caretakers Sharon Magness Blake and Ernie Blake, along with rider Ann Judge, will step away following what is described as the group’s final ride during the 2025 NFL season.

Thunder is one of the Broncos’ most recognizable game-day traditions, in part because the mascot is not a costume character but a live horse presented as part of the team’s pageantry. The report frames the retirement as the end of an era for the people who have operated the performance and logistics around Thunder for decades.

Yahoo Sports characterizes 2025 as the group’s last season, which places the change in the context of the NFL offseason, when organizations prepare for the next year of training camp, preseason work, and the start of regular-season routines. With Thunder Spirit no longer scheduled to appear as it has in the past, Denver will need a new plan for how it handles that specific piece of game-day identity going forward.

The Thunder Spirit team has been represented by a small, named group in the reporting: Sharon Magness Blake and Ernie Blake, and Ann Judge as the rider. While the report does not detail what the immediate replacement plan might be, the retirement itself suggests the Broncos will revisit how they stage the tradition, including who (if anyone) takes over rider duties and what, if any, live-animal element remains part of the presentation.

For Broncos fans, the impact is less about athletic competition and more about continuity. In the NFL, where franchises are constantly changing rosters and coaching staffs, signature rituals can become a steady reference point. Retiring a long-standing mascot tradition shifts that steady element, and it can also change the visual rhythm of home games for attendees accustomed to seeing Thunder appear during key moments.

From a team-building standpoint, the Thunder Spirit retirement underscores that traditions require operational work, not just branding. Live mascots mean coordination, preparation, and handling, and the named individuals being the ones to step away indicates that the work is person-driven as much as it is organizational. The Broncos will likely be judged on what they choose to replace it with, whether that is a new performer, an updated presentation style, or a different kind of mascot feature.

The next thing to watch is how Denver officially communicates the transition and whether it announces a successor or a revised game-day package. Because the current reporting is not presented as an official league or team release in the information provided here, additional confirmation from the Broncos or NFL office would be the most reliable way to lock in details about what replaces Thunder Spirit during the 2026 season and beyond.