DressageDaily: Dressage & CT

Thursday, September 17 1998

Dressage & CT Magazine
Last Issue December 1998
USDF Needs Your Input

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We at Phelps/Hathaway Inc are saddened and disappointed that Dressage and CT Magazine will no longer be in publication after December. In the 20 years I have provided photos for publications, Dressage and CT has been the best monthly magazine to deal with. We are also frequent contributors to The Chronicle of the Horse, a weekly publication.

Some of the reasons:
Good communication with editors and staff
Adequate lead time to service their requests
Open to ideas for story lines
They return phone calls, photos, and pay in a timely manner
They have honored our reasonable requests for payment increases
We are treated with respect and appreciation

As an active member of The USDF (United
States Dressage Federation) this magazine has done excellent job publishing USDF News. They have been easy to work with, accommodating the needs of our organization.

As a long time member of The IAEJ (The International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists) I have shared with colleagues both photographers and writers our frustrations in working with some publications: Low pay
Long waiting period for payment
Lost photos
Last minute requests

The publishing industry is being greatly impacted by the internet. The growth of new magazines being published has slowed dramatically.

Why wait two months for a story when it can appear the next day?
Articles and stories can be archived and easily accessible
Why publish 3 photos, when 20 can be made available?
Why pay $1,500 for a one-time full-page ad, when you can provide much more information and access for a fraction of the cost, and it is accessible forever?

These and many more reasons is what have motivated us to invest our time, money, and energies in developing a presence on the internet.

There is definitely a need for the printed page, and a USDF publication is essential. We need a company that is receptive and open to conforming to the requirements of our organization, not a company that expects us to conform to theirs.

USDF Members are being asked for their input, please contribute.