The Oregon Dressage Society is listed as being located in Toutle, WA, with 507 members.
Isn’t that the case in everything in the US? CA is about 12% of the US population -that would be about 1/8 (remember, we have 50 states). We (I am a Californian) are also about 14.5% of the US’s GDP. We provide about 13% of the country’s food (and if you just go to non-meat, we go way up in %). As I mentioned up-thread, we have almost 40 million people in this State! Almost 50% more then TX, which is the next biggest State. Of course we are the 800 lb gorilla - or gold goose, or whatever you want to call us…
However - we still have little power in what happens at USDF/USEF. Everything still happens on the Eastern side of the US. So maybe there is a gorilla issue there too?
I love numbers!
While up here near southern VT 40 degrees is above freezing and therefore perfect riding weather this time of year! 
they MUST be PM members. “The Masses” are not eligible for medals. No one requires GMO memberships. Just one of the challenges DF places in the way of GMO success. As I understand it, California has a very vibrant GMO/Chapter awards program Big state with lots of $$.
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Ok…I have never been interested enough in supporting USDF to pay to become a PM member, but now that you mention it, yes, you reminded me that I was aware of that requirement.
But normalizing the medals vs GM membership is still a valid calculation. That is the WHAT.
If some states have have a higher percentage of medal numbers vs GM members and other states have less, then one could ask the question WHY?
That isn’t true. Medals are for both GMO and PM members.
And yes, CA has a huge (and expensive) GMO. But chapter awards? Not sure what those are. They do provide an annual award for the best education event and the best website. What they do run is a very successful championship show, and you have to be a member to participate. And a clinic for AA riders and another for Juniors. They raise a LOT of money to help send our elite riders east. And an annual education event (also pretty expensive).
They also offer rider awards, kind of like the medal program.
Chapters get no dues (those all go to the parent GMO) and have to raise their own money and run their own events. I am a long time Chapter chair, and my chapter is financially pretty solid, but many chapters struggle. The chapters do a lot of educational events, and help pay for the Aa and Jr clinics, and implement some of the other state programs. Many of the individual chapters DO offer awards - mine does a high point ribbon for AA, Open, and Jr/YR at each level Intro - 4th, plus FEI and Western Dressage. But that is not a GMO thing, that is individual chapter specific.
Ok…as usual…MOR is correct…and I was in error…here is the USDF Member Guide…no PM requirement.
https://issuu.com/usdf2/docs/members…88472/73270489
Page 20 of 112, …
ELIGIBILITY
Rider must have a USDF Participating or Group Membership…
All the more reason that normalizing the data against GMO numbers is worthwhile.
A better link
https://www.usdf.org/awards/performa…neralrules.asp
Eligibility
- Rider must: [LIST]
- Have a USDF Participating Membership (PM) or Group Membership (GM) when scores are earned.
- Be a member in good standing of USDF when scores are earned
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Sorry I was referring to those who were not PM members but had medals. SOrry I was not clear. Of course medals are available to GM members.
@Aeris I wonder if you could get the medal award dates - it would be pretty interesting to see time series data for the progression of gold medalists as well. I def appreciate you normalizing the data, but would you mind posting national numbers? total for B/S/G and total membership? I know I could find it but am lazy Thanks!
well there are more people in Fort Worth than the entire state of North Dakota,
I don’t have those numbers, but I have most of the yearbooks for the past 25 or so years, and I can tell you, 20, 25 years ago, getting a gold medal was a rarity, and mostly done by professionals. GP schoolmasters were virtually non-existent. In 1995 and 1996, the number of gold medals was in the 20s (22 and 28) each year. It was 79 and 94 gold medals in 2018 and 2019!
When I got my bronze medal, it was still fairly rare, and a real achievement - now days, everyone has one. Times have changed, and especially on the two coasts (east and west).
Do you think the qualifications for a medal should change? Especially now that test 1 of the levels often does not include all the requirements of the level. Should it be changed to test 3?
I know that when I got my Bronze I did not feel
as if I really had earned it. It took another year before I qualified for regionals at third… thereby demonstrating that I had (😉most) of the requisite skills of the level…
We’ve always had multiple tests - back in the days, it was FOUR tests, so test one was “easier”. Use to be, all they added in First 1 was trot lengthenings and some smaller circles, and you didn’t need a flying change until test 2 of 3rd level…
I think the advent of schoolmasters (for those who can afford them) has made medals more achievable - but is that a reason to change? I don’t believe so. We are already losing participation in the sport, especially at the grass roots - and for those who don’t have the $$$ for a fancy horse, low 60s is still a valid measurement.
But those low 60’s are probably at test 1 (probably are test 1!) which by your own statement do not show mastery of the level since movements are left out. (And I have been around long enough to remember 4 tests - even 4 Intro tests…)
