Rider ready to hang up the reins

BOISE – The woman who rides the 15-year-old mare that gallops around the famous blue turf of Boise State University’s Bronco Stadium during home football games is riding off into the sunset after four years, saying she wants to let somebody new take over the reins.

“I really love it,” Vanessa Hanson, a 23-year-old criminal justice major at BSU, told the Idaho Press-Tribune during the No. 9-ranked Broncos’ 61-10 win Friday over Fresno State University. “I debated giving it up and giving it one more year. But it’s a lot of work and there are some other girls who want to do it.”

Hanson said Precious, a handsome mare with a white blaze down her face, was initially nervous from the strange environment of a football stadium.

Over the years, however, she’s developed the temperament to keep her cool in the middle of shouting fans, bass drums and the repeated cannon fire that signals BSU touchdowns.

After four years of duty, even the most exciting games have become so blase for the animal that Precious falls asleep between touchdowns, field goals and extra points.

Vanessa Hanson said most Bronco fans know Precious by name. “I think she’s more of a celebrity than I am,” she said.