CDS Membership Cards

Actually, this could be about membership cards in general. Well more specifically, dressage association cards. Your gym membership card is on you.

It all started because I never received my California Dressage Society card. I had forgotten about it until this weekend when I sat down to do my first show entry of the year. I am sure a lot of you do something similar, but I like to lay out all of my cards on one sheet and print up a whole year's worth.

After some starts and stops.

I pulled out my trusty show binder, prepared to do just that. I found both boys' USDF Lifetime Registration certificates, those are always easy to find, but couldn't find my USDF or CDS cards. My USEF card had only recently arrived so it was still encased in its plastic case.  

We are so ready for this show!

No matter how many times I shook my binder, the two missing cards were nowhere to be found. I wasn't too worried about the USDF card because that one is easy to print. In fact, I stopped searching and immediately went and printed a copy. If you're not sure how to do that, go to the USDF website and click Members/Horses at the top of the page. Under Person, click Print Card/Receipt. Type in your name, hit submit, and your info will pop up. Simply hit the mini print icon and your membership card will pop up, ready to print.

Even though I received my USEF membership card, I actually printed the copy from USEF because the online version now includes your SafeSport training information. From the USEF webpage, simply click the account button although you'll probably have to logon first. Once on the member dashboard, you'll see the option to print your card at the top of the page.

The CDS card was another matter. I went to the website and took a peek at the member page, but I didn't see an option for printing my card. I immediately emailed Paula Langan who runs the CDS Central Office. Paula is amazing. She answers questions from all 3,000 plus CDS members, and if the rest of the membership is anything like me, she does a lot of emailing. I must ask her no less than a question a week, and no matter how many times she sees my email address, she answers me anyway. 

Last summer's show season.

It must be particularly tiring to answer questions that a member can answer for herself. Even so, Paula politely informed me that CDS is no longer mailing out cards, Instead, riders can go to the member page and simply print their own. Guess where riders can do that? Yep, on the member page. I just hadn't scrolled down far enough. D'oh.

Sheesh. So, now my membership cards are all printed and ready for this year's show season. While I had planned to wait until March to start things off, it looks like Speedy and I are aiming for a show in just under two weeks. 

Fingers crossed that we both stay healthy!