The Best Horse Mascots In The NFL
Happy National I Love Horses Day to all those who celebrate. To honor the occasion, today is the next part of the NFL mascots series. You can go back and read about Flipper the Dolphin and Taima the Hawk. Today, we’re looking at the best horse mascots in the NFL.
4) Warpaint
Warpaint had to come in last place here through no fault of his own. He did his job pretty admirably while employed by the Kansas City Chiefs but was dismissed twice. Well, the character was rejected twice. There have been a few different horses in the role. The original Warpaint became a star in the mid-1960s as he circled the field, accompanied by his headdress-wearing rider. And there we have the underlying issue that made Warpaint problematic in later years.
Warpaint retired in 1989, replaced by K.C. Wolf, who deserves his own story at some point. In 2009, the Kansas City Chiefs, at Arrowhead Stadium, decided to reincarnate Warpaint and a new horse took part in on-field celebrations. There was a notable difference this time and an attempt to appeal to cultural sensitivities over the use of Native American imagery. The rider was a cheerleader and didn’t have the headdress this time. Yet, in 2021, there was an attempt to scale back this imagery further due to the Native American mascot controversy. So, Warpaint had to go back into retirement.
3) Miles
It’s difficult to say too much against Miles of the Denver Broncos. He’s a fine mascot who does a good job and doesn’t look too bad for a guy in a costume. The problem is that he doesn’t have quite the same aura about him as Thunder. He does at least have a meaner look in his eyes than the My-Little-Pony-looking horse that’s been hanging out with him. Thunder is the star attraction. Miles was literally his stand-in last year when Thunder’s rider had a scheduling conflict.
Having this split between a domesticated live animal and a person in a costume works perfectly when you can divide the duties and take as much strain away from the real animal as possible. Miles can go and greet the fans and take part in the community events while Thunder rides around on the field.
2) Thunder
Thunder clearly outranks Miles in Denver when it comes to the star mascot the fans want to see. Thunder is an icon and a lot of the credit for that has to go to his rider, Ann Judge, and the staff at the stadium. We’re now on Thunder IV following the retirement of the previous horse in 2020. Each animal has been well-trained to handle the noise and chaos of a football game. He trusts Judge, she trusts him, and no one else will ride him. As mentioned before, when Judge had a scheduling conflict, he didn’t appear. This upset some fans who didn’t understand why they couldn’t put some random rider on Thunder and get on with things. Thankfully, the Broncos knew better than that.
Thunder is so unfazed that he also spends time in parades and community events. He is also well taken care of, with a private stall near the visitor locker room, plenty of hay, and lots of treats. He meets fans here before the game and leaves at the 2-minute warning to avoid the rush of fans at the end.
1) Blue
To be an awesome mascot in the NFL, you need to know your role, connect with the fans, and have that extra X-factor. That’s why Blue is top of the list. On first impressions, Blue is a pretty goofy-looking creature that looks straight out of a 90s kid show — and you have to love him for it. It’s also pretty impressive that this rookie was able to encourage his team to a Super Bowl win in his debut season. Blue is also the master of the viral moment. He’s not afraid to let his frustration show and has fainted a few times at missed field goal attempts.
It’s no surprise that Blue is in the Mascot Hall of Fame — only the second NFL mascot to make the grade. Speculation of the tense relationship between Blue and Miles focuses on the whole situation with Peyton Manning and Miles’ grudge. Maybe there’s a little jealousy in there too.
The series so far
Part 1: Miami Dolphins https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/miamis-dolphins-from-misguided-mascots-to-axed-aquariums-ea3f05c750e9
Part 2: Arizona Cardinals https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/why-is-arizonas-mascot-a-cardinal-dc62bb70e16b
Part 3: Cincinniti Bengals https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/cincinnati-bengals-and-white-tigers-07d299cf371c
Part 4: Seattle Seahawks https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/why-seattles-seahawk-isn-t-even-a-seahawk-2a79872179ab
Part 5: Best Horse Mascots https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/the-best-horse-mascots-in-the-nfl-d2c30b787aad
Part 6: https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/could-the-detroit-lions-get-a-live-lion-d668ba09b648
