Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Amanda Bailey's Journey to Dressage at Devon - In Her Own Words

DressageDaily is introducing a new feature this week, titled “In Their Own Words” the rest of the story behind events we cover, and the people in the news. While we are busy covering an event doing our best to bring reporting behind the scores, there is always much more to the story than the victory.

Amanda Bailey was featured in our coverage of the USEF/Markel Young Horse Championships, where she and her horse Faulkner (Hanoverian by Friendship x Wiesenbluete) placed third in the Four Year Old Division.Here she shares her journey to Dressage at Devon Pennsylvania from Jonesboro, Arkansas

After years of attending Dressage at Devon as a spectator, I was finally close to my dream of riding in the Dixon Oval. When I entered Devon months ago, it was the Four-Year-Old Test which was my goal. I decided to go ahead and enter Faulkner in the breed show classes he was eligible for (4 Year-Old Suitability and 4 and 5 yr old Materiale Colts and Geldings) as well as the Four-Year-Old Test, just because I was there and had a hard time justifying the trip for only one class. He is not eligible for the NA Breeder's Futurity class because he is an import. So, I signed up for the two breed show classes and the Four-Year-Old Test, even though the Four-Year-Old Test was really the only draw for me. I received entry confirmation of the breed show classes followed in a few days by the Four-Year-Old Test entry confirmation which said they needed a TIN (which is a SSN for prize money). So of course, I assumed everything is a go.

My husband Brian took a week off of work and bought plane tickets for him and our daughter Sophia to join us at Devon. My good friend Susan bought plane tickets, and my other really good friend Monica (from the Chicago area) made elaborate plans to join me at Devon as well. I planned on taking two days to make the trip, beginning last Saturday. On Friday afternoon, as I was running around like a maniac trying to get everything packed and ready for the trip, I happened to go through the mail. I had a letter from Devon. I opened it and to my absolute horror (that is really an understatement) it was notice that I was on the wait list for the Four-Year-Old Test. My heart sank!

I called the show secretary immediately and left a message. When she called me back, she informed me that I was second on the wait list because they were waiting for a second score. I had misread the prize list and only sent in one score. I could have, at anytime, given them any number of scores. I was not lacking in them. But because I was not notified of the error on the "entry confirmation" (which the show secretary informed me was just notification that they had received my entry form) I had no idea.

The show secretary was not very encouraging and went on to say there was no need to send another score now, because she was certain I wouldn't get in. There had been no scratches in that class thus far. My husband called her back and arranged to send a second score just in case. I was heartbroken. I cried, and cried and felt sorry for myself, and cried some more. I debated whether or not I should even make the trip for just the breed classes.

In the end, I got a grip on myself and decided that I would make the best out of the situation I was handed. I would still be riding in the Dixon Oval, a long time dream, and could hope that things would work out when I got there. So I started driving.