Not many boys grow up loving dressage, but for Williams the sport has always been a passion. "Even in Pony Club and eventing, I always loved the dressage phase the best," he remembered.

Maybe he had dressage in his veins - his mother loved dressage and taught riding lessons. After high school, Williams lived and trained in Germany before returning to the U.S. where he continued to ride and show.

In 1981 Williams accepted a position at Tempel Farms, which is famous for its Lippizan stallions. They are featured in performances that include the airs above the ground. "The Lippizans are a lot of fun to work with," said Williams.

Williams never intended to spend nearly two decades at Tempel, but the years flew past in a flurry of activity. Williams became involved not just with riding, but also behind the scenes of American dressage. Many new programs were established at Tempel including the North American Young Rider's Championships, the USDF Judge's Forums, and the USET Developing Riders Clinics.

"Being part of that was a true highlight of my time at Tempel. The owners [of Tempel Farms] were extremely supportive of the sport," Williams said. The participation in these programs led Williams to a position on the AHSA Dressage Committee and he is now Vice President of the USDF.

Yet throughout all of this success, the yearning to compete at the highest levels never disappeared. This passion for competition eventually led Williams to seek new horizons.

Williams' chance to compete was finally realized when he accepted a position at Gypsy Woods Farm for owners Joann and Chuck Smith. Among the first tasks was to find a top-level young grand prix horse. The search for the right horse involved three trips to Europe and was unsuccessful until American Olympian Guenter Seidel told him about a horse in Klaus Balkenhol's barn.

The first time he rode Rocher, a 17.1 hand Westphalian mare by Rolls Royce, "she was a little bit difficult." Klaus convinced Williams to ride her a couple of more times before making his decision. It didn't take long. "By the second day it became quite obvious that although she was a bit more difficult, she was extremely talented," he said. "She was quite expressive in her movements. She took our breath away."

The mare landed on American soil in February 2001, and soon she and Williams were winning. The pair finished fifth at the 2001 USET Festival of Champions and earned a USET Grant that allowed them to travel back to Germany to train with Klaus. During this time, they made their international debut at the Oldenburg, Germany CDI and finished second in the grand prix with a 68%.

"It was very thrilling. I went into it without a clue how I would stand up to the German competition," he remembered.

They also competed at the Munich CDI and finished fourth and fifth with similar scores. "I was very happy with the consistency of the scores," he said.

Rocher's personality has made her an ideal show horse and friend. "She is one of the most level headed horses I know. She just takes everything in stride. When she's working she's very focused," Williams said.

The pair finished eighth overall at the World Equestrian Games Selection Trials and are now back in Germany for more training and showing. The goal is the 2004 Olympics. "I would love to have the opportunity to represent the United States in international competition," he said.

However, he acknowledges the constantly increasing quality of the US horses and riders. "It's not going to be an easy team to make, that's for sure," he said.