Now the 18-year-old Central Otago barrel racer, breakaway roper and team roper is on ‘‘a full ride’’ — a scholarship to Howard College in Texas, where she will get a fully paid tertiary education and training from some of the world’s top rodeo riders, including one of her idols, Taylor Munsell.
Competition for rodeo scholarships is fierce in the United States, but after watching videos of her in competition, the college saw great skill and potential in her.
Ms Sanders’ list of accolades shows she is more than capable.
At age 11, she won her first New Zealand national junior barrel racing title.
In her first year of adult competition in 2024, she won the national rookie barrel racing title and break open — a milestone achievement in anyone’s career.
Since then, she has also made two National Finals Rodeos in the breakaway event, and been on numerous representative trips to the United States and Australia.
Alongside her Howard College rodeo training, she plans to study either vet nursing/science or sport and health.
She will need to maintain a grade-point average and manage her academic studies while caring for her horse and attending a ‘‘very serious training programme’’.
She will attend college classes in the morning and then head to compulsory rodeo training from 2pm-6pm every day.
She will also be competing most weekends, including college rodeos in the Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.
Ms Sanders said the scholarship covered her tuition, books, accommodation, food, horse stalls, facilities and specialist coaching, but it would not cover horses and accessories.
So, before the semester begins in August, she planned to head to Texas to buy a horse, a horse float and a truck to get to and from events.
She is busy fundraising to pay for all that, as well as her competition entries, fuel, horse feed and vet costs — somewhere in the ballpark of $65,000.
