Bill Woods (2024)

Recipients of the USDF Lifetime Achievement Award are long-time USDF members, who have demonstrated a lifelong dedication to USDF and its mission through faithful volunteerism, attendance at annual meetings, and overall service to the organization, which makes William ‘Bill' C. Woods a perfect candidate. While Woods is now best known as a trainer and judge, who has instructed and judged in 43 states and five foreign countries, some may not realize the influence he had over the development of what has now become the USDF Instructor/Trainer Development Program. During his seven years as chair of the USDF Council of Instructors and Trainers, he was largely responsible for pushing to fruition USDF's program for instructor certification and the beginning of USDF's program of annual National Symposia. On his relationship with USDF, Woods has been there since its inception. When the New England Dressage Association (NEDA) became a charter GMO at USDF's founding meeting in 1973, it was Woods who attended the first USDF convention as NEDA's official delegate. Woods has been a pioneer in this sport and is always giving back to the community and helping others to understand dressage. His work to establish a way to certify instructors has impacted dressage instructors/trainers to this very day, and will continue to influence the sport into the future. For these reasons, and many others, it is USDF's distinguished pleasure to recognize him with the USDF Lifetime Achievement Award.

Induction Speech

In 2003, at the USDF's thirteenth anniversary convention our next nominee was named one of the 20 most influential members in the organization's history. Starting programs is never easy, but fortunately in the early years of USDF Bill Woods was there to help foster what would become one of the USDF's major programs.

Bill started his involvement by attending one of the first Violet Hopkins/USDF National Instructors' Seminars. He was a three-time participant and ultimately became part of the roster of clinicians from 1985 through 1991 serving with such luminaries as Maj. Lindgren, and Sally Swift. The Instructor Seminars were integral to the eventual formation of the Instructor Certification program now known as the USDF Instructor / Trainer Development Program and overseen by the Instructor/Trainer Committee. In the early years the Committees were referred to as Councils and Bill Woods chaired the USDF Instructor/Trainer Council for seven years. In that position he was largely responsible for the formation of the USDF's program for certification and the beginning of the program of annual National Symposiums which were held in conjunction with the annual USDF Convention.

As the first American designated by the USDF to conduct official Regional Dressage Instructor's Workshops, Bill presented over 30 of them in such diverse locations as California, New York, Arizona, Minnesota, Louisiana, and Alaska. Bill became the “voice” of the USDF annual National Symposium and editor of the symposium tapes each year from 1992 to 2002. In 1995 he scripted , edited, and narrated the first “On The Levels” video set for the AHSA/USDF.

Bill grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in a non-horsey family. Before his Junior year of high school, his family moved to a suburb north of Pittsburgh. It was there during the summer between high school and college that Bill's eclectic riding background started. It included Eventing, Fox Hunting and Polo. As he put it: “I'd been going out with a girl who was headed for the University of Colorado while I was bound for New Haven. Iknew she rode, so I suggested she could teach me how to ride and I'd give her tennis lessons as an excuse to hang out together. Only then did I discover not only was she was getting her Pony Club A that summer, her dad was the local MFH, her older sister hunted the hounds, and they had a barn full of field hunters which they also evented.” It's my guess that Bill really liked this girl!

After the girl's father hired Bill to help around the farm putting up hay and gathering a zillion eggs from the farmer's 18 thousand chickens, Bill was able to ride every day, alternating between a lesson one day and on the next day, a trail ride - with, of course the girl.

After about three weeks of this, he was informed he needed to learn to ride one handed because it was time to get the hounds fit for cubbing season. So, he would carry a hunt whip and help road the hounds. By September before he left for school, with “gritted teeth and a death grip on the neck strap, he went hunting for the first time”. Like I said, he must have really liked this girl.

After graduating in 1970 from Yale University, Bill served a stint as a naval officer. As he puts it: “It was the Vietnam era, and rather than find myself in a foxhole, I had opted for NROTC. After filling out a form for our detailer at the Pentagon, I was sent to Boston to join a 26 year old cruiser headed into dry dock in Boston for a year. [During] my off-duty time, I rented a basement apartment belonging to another MFH in Rehoboth, MA, where I was able to ride, work the hounds, and teach some beginners.” Bill ended up teaching at the Palmer River Riding Club in Rehoboth

As Bill was completing his military obligation, it had become clear to him that he wasn't going to be happy with a career that kept him in an office. Much to his parents' horror, that put the kibosh on any law school aspirations. Bill had found a job teaching basic riding where he was noticed by Pamela Fitzwilliams. Pamela was a BHS Fellow who suggested to the New England Dressage Association that Bill would be a suitable candidate for financial aid to enhance his dressage skills. Bill received his first American Dressage Institute Scholarship in 1972. He would later receive another in 1976. Although they were just for a few weeks, the experience truly opened his eyes and he went back to the ADI several times where he was able to ride with many top instructors.

During those years he had the opportunity to ride extensively with Tom and Michael Poulin, Louise Nathhorst, Locke Richards, Col. Bengt Ljungquist and was mentored by Swedish Olympian Maj. Andres Lindgrin for more than twenty years. He has judged or conducted clinics in 43 states and 5 foreign countries. He is a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist and has been a USEF R judge since 1989. Bill's articles on dressage have appeared in Connection Magazine and Dressage Today. In addition, Bill authored the book, “Dressage Unscrambled” which was published by Half Halt press in 2009.

It was through the Vi Hopkins seminars that Bill met Charlotte Trentelman. She invited him to Florida to judge and give clinics. In 1988, the year he turned forty he, along with his wife and business partner Susan, decided it was time to settle down. Their assorted students persuaded them that if Bill and Susan moved South, they would become regulars. Thus…“ the decision to leave my snow shovel behind was an easy one.”

Sadly, Susan passed away after 35 years of marriage in 2018 from early Onset Alzheimer's. Bill has since remarried (Elizabeth Beckhard Waller) and has become very active in Alzheimer's awareness and fundraising. It's easy to forget when a program has been in existence the number of years that it took individuals with a strong commitment to an idea or concept to see it to fruition. It is important that we remember and recognize those whose early efforts laid the groundwork for our current programs.

Bill Woods is one of those foresighted individuals and he played an instrumental role in the early development of the major USDF educational program geared towards instructors. On behalf of USDF I am honored to recognize Bill Woods with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

- George Williams, USDF President