April through December
Gypsy Woods Farm
10221 Askins Road
Richwood, OH
43344
Tel: 937-348-2895
Date of Birth: September 12, 1955
Marital Status: Married to Roberta, with daughter Young Rider, Noel
Discipline: Dressage

An apt adjective to describe George Williams is "hard-working." This top-notch dressage competitor not only works hard as a trainer and teacher, but he also puts in endless hours serving as vice president of the U.S. Dressage Federation, is chair of the U.S. Equestrian Federation High Performance Dressage Committee, co-vice chair of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Dressage Committee and is a member of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Board of Directors. Based at Joann and Chuck Smith’s Gypsy Woods Farm in Richwood, Ohio, Williams openly credits his popular Grand Prix partner, the crowd pleasing floppy-eared, Westfalen mare Rocher, with giving him an international reputation. In reality, however, years of hard work, including many at the famous Tempel Farms in Illinois, brought Williams his success. Rocher, no doubt, knew a good horseman when she saw him and mutual respect is what made them a winning team.

George Williams defies the old saying that nice guys finish last. As both a rider and trainer, George is one of the best, and he often finishes first. And he’s achieved this success without ever relinquishing the title of the dressage world’s 'nicest guy". An elegant rider, George is often underrated as a trainer despite his decades of experience training even the most difficult horses – of all breeds – from Training Level to Grand Prix.

George made his mark in the world of international dressage with his popular partner, the Westfalen mare, Rocher. Together, the pair racked up wins both nationally and internationally, including back-to-back victories at Dressage at Devon – winning both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle in both 2002, 2003 and 2005, making them the only pair to win Devon three times. In 2003, George rode Rocher to the U.S. Dressage Federation Grand Prix Horse and Grand Prix Freestyle Horse of the Year titles. That same year, Rocher was also the Chronicle of the Horse Dressage Horse of the Year. And, in 2005, George and Rocher were the USEF Collecting Gaits National Dressage Champions.

Table of Contents

• Rocher's Come Back in 2007
• George Williams is One Busy Man
• In the Beginning - Realizing A Dream
• Growing Up With Horses
• Early Trainers, Meeting a Mentor
• The Tempel Farms Years
• It's a Family Affair
• Rocher and Gypsy Woods Farm
• A Leader in the Equestrian World
• George's Favorites