UA News

The pre-med Navajo student and rodeo champ credits her family and the First-Year Scholars Program in her success.

Horses and rodeo are a way of life for the Holgate family. For University of Arizona freshman Raynell “Nelly” Holgate and her horse Blueberry, it’s become a path that has led to national recognition.

Holgate, a freshman pre-med student, is Navajo and grew up in Page, Ariz., where the love of rodeo was instilled by her father. Her father taught himself how to train horses for rodeos and competed until he found a greater love in teaching his children.

“We grew up with horses and by the time my two older brothers were four years old, my dad began training them to ride and compete. When I turned four I was ready to start training with them but because I was a girl my father thought I wasn’t strong enough to handle a horse,” Holgate said.

He challenged her to begin carrying five-pound weights 100 times up and down the stairs at home each day until she gained strength and convinced her dad to let her ride. Her parent's bought her an experienced older horse which proved the perfect partner for Holgate as she learned to confidently ride and then began training her own horses for roping and barrel racing. 

By the time she was nine years old, she had gone through four horses before finding Blueberry, the horse that would make her a world champion.

With Blueberry, Holgate has been named the 2007 and 2008 Navajo Nation Fair Champion, the 2006 and 2007 All-Indian Rodeo Cowboys Association Barrel Racing Reserve Champion, The All Indian Rodeo Association Cowboys Association year-end Barrel Racing and All-Around Champion, a 2008 top barrel racing competitor in Indian Rodeo and most recently the 2008 Indian National Finals Rodeo World Champion in barrel racing. Holgate picked up her most recent award in Las Vegas on Oct. 5.

Holgate trained Blueberry herself. The horse was afraid of people after having been abused by someone on the open range on the Navajo Reservation. Blueberry recovered from the foot-long gash but developed a cantankerous attitude that kept the owner, Holgate’s aunt, from training the horse.

Holgate’s patience paid off and as the horse began to trust her, Holgate knew she could be a winner. “I learned from videos on barrel racing and began to finesse Blueberry’s running style," Holgate said. "I read horsemanship books and spoke with anyone I could about riding and training. Over time I knew what she could do outside of the arena, all I needed to train her to do it in the arena.” 

The horse’s fear of people and the rodeo arena was superseded by a will to run under Holgate’s leadership. Holgate and Blueberry started winning at multiple rodeos and now, their winnings help pay for Holgate’s college tuition.

Holgate, who also has competed internationally, said, “I have scholarships and my parents help with tuition costs, but my winnings help pay for costs associated with meals and housing. Also, my winnings go toward entry fees and travel to rodeo competitions.”

Balancing rodeo competitions with school is nothing new to Holgate, as she not only competed throughout high school in junior rodeo competitions but also ran track and cross country and played basketball. In addition to going to school and studying she saved hours each day to ride and train with her horse.  

Holgate credits the UA's First-Year Scholars Program with her ability to compete and balance the college workload of taking 15 units. The program, a living-learning community on campus, is run by the Native American Student Affairs office and is tailored to freshmen students.

“I’ve only known these students since the end of August and they were kind enough to remember my birthday and bring me a cake and sing to me – that really meant a lot," Holgate said. "In the program, older students help us with classes they have taken and there are tutors and mentors to help us make it through the first year and beyond.”

There are 29 scholars, nine peer mentors and two resident assistants working in the program. Scholars take several common courses and have access to mentors and tutors to establish permanent connections to the University. They also have an opportunity to live in a residence hall with other First-Year Scholars.

The program aims to increase graduation rates in the Native American community and has shown success with a 10 percent higher retention rate than Native American freshmen not enrolled in the program.

“I recognized Raynell’s drive and determination from the beginning. She is already so accomplished at such a young age, and what I am most impressed by is her humility. It’s such a joy to work with her in the First-Year Scholars Program,” said Natalie R. Youngbull, First-Year Scholars Program manager.

Meanwhile, Blueberry has learned to live without her trainer by her side each day. “She didn’t eat for the first three days after I left for college, but now knows we’ll still see each other and we’ll still race,” Holgate said. 

She rides again at the Arizona State Fair and in the International Indian Finals Rodeo from Nov. 6-9 in Chandler, Ariz., and looks forward to competing in more national competitions.