Like most rodeo athletes, Mariel Sanders was excited for the Fourth of July rodeo run last year.
With many high-paying events held during the nation’s birthday celebrations, rodeo contestants chase big opportunities. Sanders was no different, riding the momentum of a strong start to her rookie season in the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA).
Riding her outstanding mare, Tipsy, Sanders was rolling—picking up seven rodeo wins, including a four-race streak in April, and was well on her way to her first International Finals Rodeo (IFR).
Then, things went dark—literally.
Sanders explained that she lost sight in her left eye during a run in Texas. “It came on suddenly and left doctors baffled,” she said.
Thanks to a gritty mare and an unwavering determination, Sanders returned to the arena—and to winning rodeos—within a month. She made that long-anticipated trip to Guthrie, Oklahoma, for IFR55 in January 2025.
But adversity wasn’t done with the Saltville, Virginia, cowgirl, who picked up her love for barrel racing from a friend’s mother as a youngster. Her mare, registered A Tipsy Gypsy, struggled through the IFR, and Sanders knew something was wrong.
Sanders said she left the IFR and rushed straight to Dr. Harvey in Decatur, Texas. “Tipsy had an epiglottic entrapment and had to have surgery to fix it,” she said.
Sanders explained that at the IFR, Tipsy struggled to breathe. “It was like she was trying to breathe through a cocktail straw,” she said. “She was running less than half a second off the pace.”
The condition occurs when folds within the epiglottis in the throat become displaced.
A New Plan: WCRA and the Road to Rodeo Corpus Christi
Sanders had been nominating rodeos through the World Champions Rodeo Alliance’s (WCRA) Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) with hopes of competing in Rodeo Carolina, Rodeo Corpus Christi, the Women’s Rodeo World Championship (WRWC), and Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo.
When Hurricane Helene forced the cancellation of Rodeo Carolina, Sanders shifted focus to the latter three events.
“That’s the biggest goal, to run for more money at the WCRA events and showcase this mare,” Sanders said. “If you go, nominate, and do well, it’s your ticket to the IFR—and you can haul less for that too.”
Sanders is currently ranked seventh on the RCC Leaderboard ahead of the April 6 cutoff date.
“I worked really hard at the end of the year to keep my position,” Sanders said.
With about two months until Rodeo Corpus Christi kicks off at the Corpus Bayfront, both Sanders and Tipsy are working back toward 100% health.
Sanders said Dr. Harvey told her it would take a few runs for Tipsy to regain her confidence. “She came back in mid-February in time for the Southern Rodeo Association Finals, where we picked up a check,” she said. “We ran at the NBHA Super Show in Asheville last week, and she was fourth out of 400 horses!”
Sanders credited Dr. Harvey with Tipsy’s return. “Dr. Harvey is God-sent,” she said.
A Fight Against Blindness
Ironically, Sanders was at Harvey’s Outlaw Equine Hospital when her own eye issues started last summer.
“I was having him check up on Tipsy before the Fourth of July run,” she said. Harvey noticed redness in her eye and recommended getting it checked, but Sanders wasn’t concerned until she arrived in Amarillo, Texas, the next day for her first rodeo of the run and felt pain in that eye.
“I ran that night, and it got worse,” Sanders said. “I had two rodeos in Oklahoma next, and by the time I got there, I had lost my vision completely in that eye.”
“In 24 hours, it deteriorated that quickly.”
Sanders made her way back to Decatur and sought medical attention. Her boyfriend flew out to drive her and Tipsy home.
“I ended up going to Duke University, and they tested for everything, ran cultures, and determined it wasn’t infectious,” Sanders said. After multiple specialist visits, doctors diagnosed her with an autoimmune disorder with no cure.
“We started treating the symptoms,” she said.
The pain slowly faded, and Sanders was fitted with a hard contact lens to aid her vision, which is still not fully restored. She also suffers permanent scarring.
“I look up at God all the time and thank Him for taking away the pain,” Sanders said. “I’m grateful for the healing I’ve had thus far.”
The Road to IFR and True Grit Recognition
With the pain controlled, Sanders hit the rodeo trail again, relying heavily on Tipsy.
“She really showed up for me all year,” Sanders said. The duo won seven rodeos after Sanders’ return and entered the IFR ranked fourth.
“It was mind-blowing to me that we even got in, much less that high.”
Her fellow IFR competitors took note of Sanders’ resilience, voting her the first recipient of the True Grit Award in memory of 2014 IPRA World Champion Natallie Overholt. Overholt, a many-time IFR qualifier, passed away in December 2023 after a battle with pancreatic cancer at age 44.
“That was the most meaningful award,” Sanders said. “It was given to me, but I took it in my heart for my horse. She dealt with my mistakes. She’s usually not one you can make mistakes on, but she learned to be so forgiving.”
A Partnership Built on Trust
The 10-year-old mare has a fiery personality—what Sanders calls a “typical red mare.”
“I got her 2 1/2 years ago, and I had no idea what I got,” she said, laughing. “I took her in on trade, sight unseen, and she came off the trailer pretty lame.”
Sanders gave Tipsy time to recover, using a team of vets and farriers to get her sound.
“I didn’t know a whole lot about her, but we slowly started jackpotting as she got better,” she said. “I took her to a rodeo about six months in.”
“She won second place, and I said, ‘This is your deal,’” Sanders said. “She likes the crazy atmosphere, the music, and the crowd. She found her spot.”
So has Sanders.
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Next Stop: Rodeo Corpus Christi
After multiple year-end finals in her first full year with Tipsy, Sanders has big goals for 2025, starting with Rodeo Corpus Christi.
The event will feature Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo drag race-style start, a unique format that requires a high level of precision.
Sanders sought advice from reigning RCC Champion Bayleigh Choate.
“I picked Bayleigh’s brain on it, and she said, ‘Your horse won’t have any issues,’” Sanders said. “Tipsy holds herself well and waits for me.”
“We’ve kind of been prepping all summer,” Sanders joked. “I’ve had one eye and just been winging it! So we’re prepped for ‘it will be what it will be.’”
Sanders and Tipsy will check in with Dr. Harvey before the busy Texas run in May and stick to the same philosophy that got them this far.
“We just kept going,” she said. “Quitting is not an option.”
