Snap Judgment – "Free Reign: Tooth & Claw"

Release Date: January 29, 2026
Podcast by: Snap Judgment & PRX
Main Story Subjects: Pardis Madhavi’s connection to horses, sexual revolution in Iran, legacy and freedom; Miracle Mike, the headless chicken (Fruita, Colorado).

Episode Overview

This episode of Snap Judgment explores the deep, magical bonds between humans and animals through two riveting stories. The first, "Free Reign," features Pardis Madhavi, an Iranian-American scholar whose unlikely connection to horses in Iran mirrors generations of women’s resistance and search for freedom. The second story recounts the true, bizarre tale of Mike, the headless chicken of Fruita, Colorado, and the unlikely legacy between a farmer and his famous bird.

Key Story #1: Pardis Madhavi – Horses, Homeland, and Hiding

Introduction: A Broken Cavalry (03:55–05:22)

• Wynton Washington (Host) opens with a Harry Potter metaphor, comparing the conjuring of a Patronus to the inner strength people find in real life.
• Introduces "Free Reign," focusing on Pardis Madhavi’s real-world story of transformation through her connection with horses.

"Patroni take many forms, and today on Snap Judgment we're gonna meet one of them. Snap Judgment proudly presents Free Reign." – Host (04:28)

Pardis’ Search for Roots and Revolution (05:22–08:51)

Background:

• Pardis keeps a wooden horse from her grandmother, symbolizing a homeland she never knew (her family left Iran when her mother was 8 months pregnant).
• Her first trip to Iran at 21 is to research the women’s movement, quickly immersing herself in the country's "sexual revolution."

On the Edge in Tehran:

• Life under Iran’s morality police—navigating daily risk and rebellion.
• Story of being pulled over for "immodest dress"—instead of arrest, the officers flirt.

"We're wearing bright red lipstick… totally out of uniform. We were certain we were gonna get arrested, and these two cute morale police officers come up, and instead of arresting, they ask us out on a date." – Pardis (07:10)

• Living with quiet fear as colleagues are routinely jailed in Evin Prison (dubbed "Evin University" for the number of imprisoned scholars).

The Feminine Frontier: Horses and Freedom (09:06–15:18)

Encounter in Nature:

• On a date outside Tehran, Pardis is transfixed by women galloping past on horseback, scarves streaming—an outlawed symbol of female liberty.

"I just remember looking at these women and taking them in and being like, there is no way that I am not going to ride a horse… I just know that I have to ride." – Pardis (10:24)

Learning to Ride:

• Apprenticeship with the women at the rural stable: hesitance, awe, and dreams full of horses.
• Describes the arena, the olive-tree-lined road, the smells of hay, dirt, kebabs—deep sensory memory.
• The stables’ women—names changed for safety—form a sisterhood, especially teaching patience and strength.

Key Lesson:

• Pardis insists on riding the trail before she’s ready, gets spooked by motorcycles (possibly morality police), and is bucked off.

"When you're not locked in on your horse, you can't be present to them and they aren't going to be present to you. And so before I knew it, I was bucked right off." – Pardis (14:28)

Danger, Identity, and Exile (17:38–24:43)

Aftermath:

• Despite danger, Pardis persists, learning subtle communication with horses—not by pressure, but by its absence.

"I remember learning about how horses respond to the absence of pressure. Not to pressure…" – Pardis (18:22)

Years of Fieldwork:

• Seven years riding and researching—she becomes known as the Sex Doctor, even welcomed at underground sex parties.
• Risks: death penalty for sexual activity, arrests for minor transgressions, but people find ways to bribe, evade, and survive.

Catastrophe & Banishment:

• While lecturing at University of Tehran, Pardis is pulled offstage by the morality police, stripped of citizenship, and permanently exiled.

"I was pulled off stage, and I was actually kicked out of Iran and stripped of my citizenship… I was told that if I ever came back, I would just be going straight to Evin Prison." – Pardis (23:15)

Loss and Depression:

• Back in America, she’s shattered—locks away memories, photos, scarves, field notes.
• A gesture from her brother—a birthday horseback ride on a stormy California beach—causes her to confront loss and longing.

"I get on the horse, and we start riding towards the beach, and the wind is getting stronger… before I knew it, my horse had thrown me. And I just sat there and really took it all in. That was my last ride for about 10 years." – Pardis (27:12)

Legacy and Healing (28:07–35:06)

Rediscovery:

• Years later, while helping her parents move, she finds an old notebook with a stallion on the cover and a letter: the horses she loved are her legacy.
• On FaceTime, her elderly aunts reveal her grandmother was an equestrian freedom fighter, using horses to help abused women escape Iran.

"She would put these women on horses on horseback, and they would ride all the way across the country for many days… She helped carry those women out of Iran and into places like Afghanistan on horseback." – Pardis (30:29)

Call to the Ancestors:

• Pardis now trains Caspian horses in Arizona, feeling spiritually linked to her family’s lineage and the horses’ guardianship of ancient traditions.

Final Reflection:

• Deep connection with her horse Adonis—freedom in self-realization, learning to trust, let go, and move forward.

"Sometimes the best thing we can do is not try to control everything around us… Tighten up, stop forcing, and let that quiet power guide you." – Pardis (34:10)

Key Story #2: Miracle Mike, the Headless Chicken (36:41–51:00)

Introduction and Family History (36:41–38:41)

• Troy Waters recounts his upbringing on a Colorado farm and the legacy of his great-grandfather, Lloyd.
• Lloyd was a hard but practical man, famous locally for his bizarre farming skills.

"He taught me how to shoot, taught me how to skin, taught me how to trap. The other thing he taught me is he taught me how to drown the skunk and resuscitate it." – Troy (37:04)

The Legend is Born (39:22–41:44)

• In 1945, Lloyd accidentally nearly misses beheading a rooster; it survives—walking, preening, even trying to crow.
• Named "Miracle Mike," the chicken became a local oddity—fed with an eyedropper straight down the gullet.

Sideshow Spectacle (41:45–46:40)

• Promoter Hope Wade sees a business opportunity; Mike is taken on tour, examined by university scientists, and featured in Life Magazine.
• The public is mystified or horrified. Mike becomes a sideshow sensation, seeing more of America than any chicken ever had.

"That chicken had the best life of any chicken. It was nurtured... got to see more of the country than any other chicken ever got to see, even though it didn't have a head." – Lloyd (Troy quoting) (46:40)

End of an Era (47:09–50:00)

• After nearly two years, Mike chokes to death in a Phoenix motel room when his caretakers forget the syringe needed to clear his throat.
• Lloyd later confesses to never selling Mike, contrary to the myth he spread for years.

Legacy and Aftermath (50:00–51:05)

• Most of Mike’s touring profits went to taxes and the promoter; Lloyd modernized his farm with what was left.
• The story ends with a reflection on mortality, legend, and never quite recreating a miracle.

"Knowing Lloyd, the way I knew him growing up, I'm sure that every time he swung an axe again, I'm sure that was in the back of his mind." – Troy (50:09)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the horsewomen of Iran:
  "I thought, you know what? That's freedom." – Pardis (09:28)

• On risk and rebellion:
  "At the time, a place where if you're walking in public with red lips, you could get your lips slashed with a razor." – Pardis (21:15)

• On exile:
  "My heart was absolutely shattered." – Pardis (24:18)

• On discovering her grandmother’s true legacy:
  "Her grandmother literally put women on horseback and then hopped on her own horse and led them to freedom." – Narration (30:29)

• On Miracle Mike:
  "Hope Wade's also the one that come up with the name Miracle Mike, the headless chicken." – Troy (44:23)

Episode Themes & Takeaways

• Freedom against the odds: Both stories center on people and animals navigating oppressive, improbable circumstances to achieve something extraordinary.
• Legacy and connection: Whether it’s the intergenerational legacy of horses or a family folk hero, the stories reveal how the acts of one generation echo in another.
• Control and surrender: Pardis learns freedom is found not by forcing control, but by trust and collaboration.

Timestamps of Major Segments

• 03:55 – 05:22 | Introduction & Harry Potter metaphor
• 05:22 – 24:43 | Pardis Madhavi’s journey: Iran, horses, peril, loss
• 24:43 – 35:06 | Healing, legacy, rediscovery, ancestral revelation
• 36:41 – 51:05 | The tale of Miracle Mike, the headless chicken

Recommended Action:
For those intrigued by Pardis’s story, the episode recommends her book, Book of Queens (35:07), detailing her time on horseback in Iran.
For more on Mike the Headless Chicken, see Snap Judgment’s website.

Episode produced by Anna Sussman; story scores by Dirk Schwartzhoff and Renzel Goriot.