Spring will be here before we know it
and some of you will be preparing for the recognized show season. You
had a new Coggins drawn, your USEF and USDF memberships were renewed in
January, and all that needs to be done is fill out the entry forms that
will be mailed on the opening date. For the other 99% of us, panic
strike as we try to get everything to the post office by closing date.
You can’t find your new membership cards, you’ve lost the horse’s
registration papers, (or you need to get both papers and new cards from
the horse’s owner) and now you don’t have time to get copies made before
the post office closes. And the final straw--by the time you cram copies
of every required document into an envelope, you end up paying extra for
the postage
In order to maintain your sanity (and to
keep your local show secretaries happy) may I suggest that you make use
of the USEF/USDF Master Verification Search engine. If you have all of
your memberships renewed in time, you can print a copy of all your
documents on one page. This search engine can also be used even if you
have only HID numbers for your horse and/or a USDF non-member
identification number for yourself.
I have found that it is much easier to
get to the search engine through the USDF webpage. Before you get
started, one word of advice. Have your numbers, your horse’s numbers and
the rider’s number (if different from the owner) with you when you
start. You can try filling in just the name of
your horse if it is unique, but there also might be twenty other horses
with the same unique name. Differences in spelling the rider’s name can
also halt the process. For example, if the USEF has my first name as
Mary Lou and USDF has it as Mary L., the search cannot be completed.
(Another problem is different spellings of last names—McCoy will not be
considered the same as Mc Coy.) So it is actually easier to start with
the numbers in front of you.
Start by logging onto USDF.org and then
clicking .membership. on the banner. On the new screen, click onto the
first choice .Search Membership and Horse Status. The new screen will
give you several choices. You want .USEF/USDF Verification Search (Both
USEF & USDF information.). When you open this screen, the directions are
very clear. You will first have to enter the horse’s numbers and click
on the choices given to you. The owner’s numbers will then come
automatically. If given a choice between selecting a USDF participating
membership or USDF group membership, choose the participating
membership. You will next have to type in the rider’s numbers, even if
they are the same as the owner’s. Finally, you are given a link to print
out the page. If you send this verification page in with your entry, you
do NOT need to send copies of your cards or horse’s recordings.
The only additional documentation you
must include with your entry is a copy of the Coggins. (By the way,
requirements for Coggins tests are not set by national and/or local
riding organizations but by state governments). If the results have not
come back from a new test, write "new test pending" on your entry.
You can send a copy later to the show secretary or bring it with you
when you check in. If you want to be considered for a breed award
offered at the show (such as ones offered for Trakehners or
Hanoverians), you will also have to supply a copy of the breed’s
registration papers. The master verification search is a easy
way to guarantee that you have all the necessary documents. It might
save you money since you won’t have to fill out affidavits at every
show. It definitely will make this show secretary very happy by making
her job so much easier.
