This video is presented by the USDF Historical Recognition Committee and features an excerpt from Bill Woods’ acceptance speech for the 2024 USDF Lifetime Achievement Award. You can see the full video of his induction speech on the YourDressage YouTube page here. USDF President George Williams presented Bill with this prestigious award at the 2024 USDF Salute Gala & Annual Awards Banquet, held at the Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention in Houston, TX in December.
Bill was recognized for his leadership role in our sport, particularly in establishing dressage instructor certifications in the United States. He has instructed and judged in 43 states and 5 foreign countries. In 2003, at USDF’s 30-year anniversary, Bill was cited as one of the top 20 historical influencers of the organization – this was 20 years ago, meaning Bill’s impact has continued to grow for an additional two decades since.
A true pioneer in our sport, Bill is always giving back to the community and helping others to understand dressage, including through his many articles, videos, and his book, Dressage Unscrambled. 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.
Watch his full induction speech here.
