Every time the Denver Broncos get set to take the field, a white Arabian horse strides through Empower Field at Mile High Stadium — marking both the team and the western spirit that has driven the state since its inception.

That horse, Thunder IV, is part of a long lineage of Thunder mascot horses since 1993, all owned and trained by local equine enthusiast, entrepreneur and philanthropic leader Sharon Magness Blake.

Magness Blake will be honored for her long-running work throughout the state when the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) presents her with the 2025 Citizen of the West Award in January — an honor the group bestows on an individual who embodies the “spirit and determination of the Western pioneer.”

“The Citizen of the West is the highest award the National Western can bestow upon a great Westerner, and I can think of no one more fitting for this honor than my friend, Sharon Magness Blake,” Pete Coors, chairman of the Stock Show’s $150 million capital campaign “Honoring the Legacy” told The Denver Gazette.

“Sharon grew up in the East but I think she’s always had the heart and soul of a Westerner. No one is a better representative of Western heritage, culture and values than Sharon,” he said.

Each year, the National Western Stock Show picks an individual whose life personifies that “true representative of Western lifestyle, ideals, agricultural heritage and traditions.”

Magness Blake’s extensive work in the western world includes creating Magness Racing Ventures — which sold 900 animals worldwide at its peak — and cofounding Western Fantasy, a major fundraising event for Volunteers of America (VOA).

The Western Fantasy events have raised more than $36 million over the last 30 years, according to a press release from the NWSS.

Magness Blake’s efforts in raising money for charitable causes has now topped over $100 million throughout her career.

She served on the boards of the University of Colorado Hospital Foundation, the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation, Volunteers of America, the Denver Art Museum, the University of Denver, the National Cable Television Center and Museum, Wings Over the Rockies and the Denver Council of the Boy Scouts of America for which she chaired the annual Sports Breakfast.

She has also co-chaired countless events and galas throughout her years in Colorado and is a Trustee for the National Western Stock Show and serves on the Honoring the Legacy Capital Campaign Committee.

“I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Sharon on a variety of projects for more than a decade. She brings her creativity, passion and an incredible work ethic to every charity, event and project she touches. I have never seen anyone capable of making so much magic,” Angela Lieurance, capital campaign director for the NWSS, told The Denver Gazette.

“Sharon is not only one of my best friends, she’s also a mentor and a hero,” Lieurance said. “She’s all about excellence, quality, imagination and impact.”

The widow of cable pioneer Bob Magness, who passed away in 1996, Magness Blake has been married to retired attorney and former Breckenridge mayor Ernie Blake since 2004. They live in Cherry Hills Village.

Magness Blake will be honored as the 46th Citizen of the West during the annual award dinner on Monday, Jan. 13.

The 2025 National Western Stock Show runs from Jan. 11-26 at the National Western Complex in Denver. Tickets, schedules and more information are available at nationalwestern.com.