Ayden Uhlir: USEF Jr/YR National Champion
As I walked down the gangway with my ribbons fluttering, the woman in front of me asked the question that had been plaguing me all day, “Did you win a beauty pageant?” I try not to grimace and then explain for the tenth time today what dressage is. I get the same glazed look in peoples eyes every time. Then I ask, “have you ever been to Medieval Times and seen the dancing white horses? Dressage is kind of like that.” “Oh I’ve seen that,” they say, “that’s beautiful.”
Our sport is hard to explain and even horse people sometimes don’t seem to ‘get’ dressage. I think it is something that is born in the blood, or perhaps it is a disease we catch. At 5 I sat on my first horse at the race training barn. Family lore says that I turned to my mom and said, “this is my thing.” I have never looked back or regretted my choice. Through rides in the cold, the rain, the intense Texas heat we work. The other junior and young riders I have met all tell the same story. We all have sacrificed so many things for this sport. We homeschool, we miss football games, winter formals and graduations. Our family vacations are often to exotic locations like Tyler, Texas. We get up at 5 am to feed for an 8 am ride. We all have had those disappointments where on the morning of championships; after a year of training and sacrifice, our horse cuts off his eye in some magical way. (Yes, I was that girl at NAJYRC last year with emergency surgery the morning of competition!)
But with every ride, with every show, with every obstacle we learn. And then it happens, the dream becomes a potential reality and you imagine, you can feel the goal ahead. It is like living inside a dream while you are awake. After Saturday’s ride at Gladstone, I was floating. Time seemed to stop. There was no ride in the morning, no NAJYRC in a month. There was only that momment of contentment; just the realization that your hard work has made the dream real. I walked on a cloud all night, as if that ride was the pinnacle. It seems unreal even when the members of the press are asking you questions. You want to say thank you to all the people you care about; all the people that helped you. You want to share so much in a few minutes. It comes out in a blur of “thanks mom, thanks Schleese, thanks Bre.” You know you have missed something important but you won’t remember for hours.
In the morning the dream carried forward, but for the first time ever I started getting really nervous. I had to zone out everything. I put in my headphones, hung around the barn and walked; and then walked some more. I had a chance to win! I thought about what to do. I read and reread the judges comments. I listened as Jeremy Steinberg reviewed the playback of my ride. I listened to the commentators great points. I could see what to improve. I knew what the judges wanted to see from Sjapoer and I. In warm up I focused on improving those things.
When I halted at the end of Sunday’s ride; I felt sure. Regardless of the outcome. I had improved my ride and I had done all I could to show the judges that I had listened. Then as I exited the ring the announcer stated that I was the “first junior to break the 70 mark!” I started crying! I NEVER EVER cry. In fact it is a barn joke that I’m the only person not a member of the Cry Baby club. But now it is there on www.usefnetwork.com for everyone to see. I’m a member. As I walked back to the barn I saw Brandi walking her horse toward me. Like an old black and white movie we started bounding at each other. She had Lady in one hand and we hugged and hugged. She lifted me off the ground. At that moment of mutual rejoice the dream became a reality! We were the USEF Junior and Young rider National Champions!
Strangely, that night I didn’t want to celebrate. I didn’t want to go out. I went back to the hotel, sat around the pool and went to bed early. Perhaps because I knew I had all those stalls to strip in the morning, or perhaps because I wanted to sleep, perchance to dream again of our next grand adventure.