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Perhaps we have here another example of Osanwe? Gandalf summons Shadowfax 'in thought' (as Aragorn will later summon the Dunedain. Of course this opens something of a can of worms - does Shadowfax have a 'soul'? Is he capable of Osanwe himself?
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In regard to "summoning" horses, here's an excerpt from UT: A Description of Numenor:
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In Numenor all joruneyed from place to place on horseback; for in riding the Numenoreans, both men and women, took delight, and all the people of the land loved horses, treating them honourably and housing then nobly. They were trained to hear and answer calls from a great distance, and it is said in old tales that where there was great love between men and women and their favourite steeds they could be summoned at need by thought alone.
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This is in reference to the Numenoreans, but if they could do it, so could Gandalf, I'm sure. There was certainly love enough between him and Shadowfax.