August 2020 ~ Dressage Letters ~ Page 4 budgeting, performance tracking, show recognition, show scheduling, video library and quite an endless list of membership services. Also under Administration is PRINTING AND POSTAGE . Printing is the main method of communication between CDS and its members, and also between members. The printed word in Dressage Letters and the Omnibus is how CDS explains rules, award systems, recognizes outstanding competitors and volunteers. Dressage Letters tries to compile all the information you will need about clinics, shows, events, and seminars. Dressage Letters is what makes CDS a great network for dressage enthusiasts to give and get information, sell horses to each other and promote businesses. Dressage Letters, the Omnibus, and the Roster all added up to a large printing bill. In order to save on printing and postage CDS transitioned to purely digital for the Omnibus and eliminated printing of the membership Roster. Dressage Letters is going digital during the coronavirus pandemic as another cost saving measure. But even in its digital format it still communicates to all the members by covering past events and upcoming programs and offering advertising to businesses to connect with the members. Postage can be mostly reduced by email blasts, social media, and the website. With the need to conserve resources CDS now relies on as much digital communication as possible. Hopefully you feel that with just a phone call, email, fax, or note you can find out the answer to questions such as: How do I get my membership card? Am I qualified for Annual Show? How do I nominate my horse for the Futurity? Can I get an ad in Dressage Letters? Is this date free for a show? Who is my Chapter Chair? Where is the Adult Amateur Clinic? What is a Chapter? How do I apply for a scholarship?And can I still get an ad in Dressage Letters? Next down the line is dues to USDF . We are required to send $24 to USDF for every person who joins CDS. A monthly update is sent with the check to inform USDF how many new members we have and their addresses. This is not optional. CDS must pay for every member whether they are already a USDF member or not. This figure ranges from 50 to 150 members per month depending on the time of year. There are always many more new members in the spring and early summer as they are eager to start out their year with all their memberships in hand. This spring of course, membership has been drastically impacted by the Coronavirus. Hopefully riders will realize that CDS still needs their membership and their support and will renew their memberships. Be sure to encourage your friends to join and renew, CDS needs their support. Another assorted business category is ASSOCIATION expenses and in that section I have added together with the USEF dues, the expenses for the CDS Executive Board meetings and expenses for CDS Delegates to go to the USDF Convention. These expenses are the nuts and bolts of the working CDS Board. They have to meet at least five times a year to keep CDS directed and functioning as a business and to have an opportunity to discuss new programs, ideas and avoid problems. In more cost savings measures the CDS Board meetings have turned to zoom to avoid travel and hotel expenses during the pandemic. The board members are missing the face to face meetings and discussions and hope to hold one in the fall. USDF has changed the USDF Convention is a virtual meeting as well. After these sections, all the portions of the pie get smaller. PUBLICITY reflects a small percentage of the pie and in this category I have included all the promotional expenses of CDS. This means the advertising that CDS does for membership, facebook campaigns or special events. It also includes any donations, like the UC Davis, Dressage Foundation, and USET. And it also includes promotional expenses, such as our merchandise that we sell to promote CDS and raise scholarship money for the Scholarship Fund and Competition Grant Fund. The EDUCATION section reflects moneys spent on Seminars, Symposiums, Annual Meetings JrYR clinics and the Amateur Clinic. Also included in the pie are the SCHOLARSHIP expenses. This section represents the money given out to Chapters for educational events, Club 100 Funds used for Junior education and Travel Grants awarded to competitors going to Selection Trials, or National Team Competitions such as Young Riders or the USEF National Championships. This section is not necessarily coming out of membership dues, most of the income is generated through the Travel Grand Fund on show entries and the sale of Chapter Baskets and Arena Pylons and Letters. Last, but not least important, is the section for INSURANCE . CDS pays for an insurance policy that covers all CDS sponsored events whether they are shows, clinics, seminars, or meetings. All CDS Chapters have this insurance when they put on shows or clinics and they can have their facilities named as additionally insured on a certificate. The extent of the insurance is $1,000,000 liability for each occurrence for the base policy and an addition one million excess liability. An additional policy for Directors and Officers is purchased as well. This includes all members and Chapters. The Chapters now contribute to approximately a third of this expense. There are more areas of income and expense to CDS but the areas mentioned above reflect your membership dues. Other areas such as Championship Show, Junior Championships, Futurity, Prize Lists, Programs, and Show Recognition, all generate their own income to pay for their expenses. AWARDS will be a new income avenue. The CDS awards system is based on year-end achievements. CDS will now offer for purchase a certificate or brass plate for every competitor who reaches for the goal of at least 60% and achieves it. Of the 3,100+ members in CDS for 2019 over 1700 competitors surpassed that 60% goal many times. 54% of the CDS membership has quite a good basic level of proficiency in competition, since just one 60% at Training Level represents hours of study, training and many dollars spent with instructors and trainers. Can’t Sit the Trot? Learn the secret towards sitting the trot with Seat Specialist, Erica Poseley • How to absorb your horse’s movement through correct body mechanics. • How to maintain your alignment while sitting the trot. • How to engage your core properly. 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