No one advertises that they teach badly. No one ever claims that their work is "unclassical." And almost every teacher with any sense of the language can declare in glowing phrases the depth of their devotion to their students and the well being of their horses.

            So, aside from the prose, what do you get from Susan and Bill? First of all, their students LEARN and they SUCCEED. If your goals are competition-oriented, the Woods' have brought students all the way from Training Level to Grand Prix and on many weekends have riders showing all around the Southeast. Since both are USEF judges, that perspective helps bring out in their riders the elements that make for show ring success, both in pure dressage and in the dressage phase of eventing. In their lessons, you can always expect a mix of practical, down-to-earth technique coupled with enough philosophy to put it in a meaningful context.

            If you just want to understand your horse better and make him go more comfortably and athletically, Susan or Bill can help you there as well. Both strive to create "thinking riders" who can make tactical training judgments and learn to be independent, not just riders who can do the exercises by rote.

            In either case, while Susan and Bill are task masters, they want you to retain a sense of balance and proportion about your riding and how it fits into your life. "If it isn't any fun, then you must be doing it wrong," is an approach they take to heart and apply in their teaching and riding.

            Phone numbers:

            Office complex, stables, and residences: 352 368-5814

          Bill’s cell: 352 208-7394

          Susan’s cell (but she hardly ever turns it on): 352 615-2767