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.