Noel Williams Dressage
MY STORY
Noel Williams
The daughter of USDF President, USEF Dressage High Performance Pathway Development Advisor, USEF Youth Coach and previous US Dressage Team member, George Williams and trainer Roberta Williams, Noel Williams grew up around classical and high performance dressage. Noel has been riding and competing all of her life with an Olympic Dream at heart.. She has trained and competed numerous horses from young horses to FEI Grand Prix.
Noel aspires to continue her career on the international stage and to represent Team USA in competition. Noel's greatest passion is starting and developing young horses to campaign them through the CDI levels.
Growing up at the famed Tempel Lipizzans, Noel’s education began early. By the age of 8 she was assisting in the bi-weekly summer performances, helping prepare the foals and handle them, walking them the quarter mile to the performances. Early on she began handling foals and training them, teaching them to groom, bathe, have their feet handled, lead, etc. At Tempel she learned all aspects of a breeding operation, from foaling to live cover, as well as the starting and training of the young stallions. At just two years old, Noel was regularly long-reined on one of the Lipizzan stallions, developing a seat and learning the feel of all of the Grand Prix movements. Stallion handling comes naturally to her. Here, she also began her involvement in horse shows early on, volunteering as a test runner and scorer at Tempel Farms horse shows and NAYRC by age 8, as well as volunteering at annual Judge’s clinics. Noel was able to audit clinics with Conrad Schumacher and Guenter Sidel, absorbing a great education at a young age.
At the age of 12, Noel had the incredibly fortunate opportunity of joining her father in Germany while he trained with Klaus Balkenhol. It was here that she helped groom for her father at Klaus’ and indoor CDIs. Additionally, she was able to ride Klaus’ Olympic Team Gold and Individual Bronze mount, Goldstern, taking regular lessons on the Olympic legend.
Having shown over 50 horses from 3yr olds at their first show to CDI Grand Prix, Noel has a proven ability to start and develop horses. Most recently Noel served as the Head Trainer at Crosiadore Farm.
Noel Williams is currently located in eastern Maryland, where she operates Noel Williams Dressage. Growing up around classical and high performance dressage with her parents, US Youth Coach and former US team member George Williams and FEI trainer Roberta Williams, Noel has been riding and competing all of her life with an Olympic Dream at heart. She has trained and competed numerous horses from young horses to FEI Grand Prix.
TRAINING
Noel has trained with George Williams, Roberta Williams, Mette Rosencrantz, Bill Warren and Bill McMullin. She has also worked in lessons/clinics with Christine Traurig, Stephen Clarke, Anne Gribbons, Jean Bemelmans, Ulf Moller, Jan Brink, Cesar Torrente, Lilo Fore, Steffen Peters, and more.
Noel grew up watching her father train closely with Karl Mikolka and Klaus Balkenhol. She also took up an opportunity to ride Klaus’ Olympic horse, Goldstern, for a few months.
Along with the immense toolbox she has gained over the years working with top trainers and judges, Noel’s experience and education as a judge has helped sharpen her eye and improve her skills as a rider, trainer, and coach.
Noel is a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medalist, as well as a USEF small “r” judge. A member of the 2007 NAJYRC Silver Medal team (Region 2), and the 2005 USEF Junior Dressage Team Championships Gold Medal, Noel was also the 2005 USEF Junior Dressage National Champion on the Hanoverian stallion Pik L. Noel and Pik L still hold the record for the highest score in the Junior Individual Test at a national or international championship in the United States.
Noel received her USDF Gold Medal on Sir Velo, a Westphalen gelding she trained to Grand Prix, after George competed him at the US Young Horse Championships as a four and five year old. Noel and Sir Velo qualified for the US Developing Championships in the Developing Grand Prix, where they placed Fourth overall in 2016. They were named Reserve Champions in the Open Grand Prix at the USDF Regional Championships for the second year in a row in 2016 and 2017, qualifying them for the US Finals. The pair qualified four years in a row to compete in the Open Grand Prix at the US Finals, competing three years and placing in the Top 10 in 2015 and 2017.
Noel has started professionally handling recently, after attending the inaugural USDF Youth Breeder/Handler Seminar in 2015 and the USDF Handler Clinic in 2022. Later in 2022, she presented Fiorella CF to a Grand Champion finish at the Virginia Summer Dressage Breed Show. Handling is a natural fit for Noel, given her experience as a young horse rider and her background growing up on breeding farms.
Noel is passionate about young horses and breeding from a rider and trainer’s perspective, particularly US breeding. While Noel aspires to compete for the US Team, part of her main focus is on developing top horses, as well as top riders. Starting young horses and bring them up the levels is a true passion of hers and it brings her great joy to see them finish to Grand Prix. It also brings her great joy seeing her students accomplish their goals, from small goals such as riding their own horses, to large goals such as riding internationally or achieving their USDF medals.
