Bill Woods Announced as 2024 USDF Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Lexington, KY (November 1, 2024) – The United States Dressage Federation™ (USDF) is thrilled to announce ‘Bill Woods as the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Bill will be recognized during the Salute Gala & Annual Awards Banquet, held during the 2024 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention, in Houston, Texas.
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 Bill 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.
Regarding Woods, USDF President George Williams added, “I’m a strong believer in the importance of remembering and recognizing those whose efforts in the early years of USDF laid the groundwork for our current programs. Bill Woods is one of those foresighted individuals. He was instrumental in the early development of the major USDF educational program geared towards instructors.”
And now a splurge of shameless self promotion:
Judging and teaching both at home in Central Florida and all around the country, Bill Woods acknowledges more than forty-five years of experience that can help you better understand and train your horse. He has been active on the national dressage scene since 1980, his dressage specialty arising from a broad background in balance-seat work, both on the flat and over fences. Known for his ability to outline sound, classical goals and to . . .
If you can’t believe him, here’s an observation from USDF Gold Medalist Dana Jo Fitch about Bill’s work with her students:
“Quite often instructors do a lot of assuming. I will tell you one of the things your students at Sharon’s absolutely love about their lessons with you is that you don’t make fun of them, you keep your patience and you take the time to talk and explain everything to make sure that they understand clearly. They also like that you have 100 different ways to explain the same thing.”
(A Housekeeping Note)
The tabs at left (or below on your phone) will help you find your way around this site. Take particular note of Bill’s blog: BLAGGO, including the link at the bottom of the Blaggo page which will take you to over 400 archived posts. The QOTM tab connects to more than one hundred questions sent in by readers seeking advice on all orders of dressage topics. VENI VIDI VIDEO is your gateway to a whole page of dressage videos, both educational
and informative. And STORECRAZY is the link to Bill’s on line store.
Calendar: Where to Next
And now . . . the blog returns
With the Blog on semi-hiatus, I offer you a sampling of the nearly 500 I have penned in the past 15 years. Here I interrupt with a reprint of
“Changes You Can Believe In”
FIND IT HERE
AND OLD BLOGS NEVER DIE
AND THEN THERE’S THE BOOK
BANG IT HERE
THE QUESTION OF THE MONTH IS BACK !
CLICK HERE TO SEE BILL’S ANSWER AND TO GO TO THE ARCHIVES
As many of you know, Bill’s wife of 35 years, Susan Hayes Woods, died in April of 2018 from complications induced by Early Onset Alzheimer’s. CLICK TO HER STORY
And here, a recounting of her astonishing David versus Goliath courtroom victory back in 2009. “And as for Woods, our thanks for reminding us that one person still can make a difference in making sure government serves the people justly, even against tall odds.” THE POWER OF ONE
Life does go on, and on March 5, 2019, Bill married the former
Elizabeth Beckhard Waller, a dear friend of his and Susan. The three met on the same day in March of 1972. Here is Elizabeth completing her Third Level ride last April to finish her Bronze Medal.
Meet Nils, the ferret who rides in Bill’s hip holster to be released when a horse is too lazy behind in a lesson. Animal lovers, please don’t worry that Nils would harm a horse with his teeth. He carries a tiny red lunge whip for the job.
AND NOW MAKE YOUR WAY TO PAGE 2
Think of it as PAGE 1A where more of Bill’s “The Man Who Mistook His Life for Dressage” will be revealed.