The jumping community always knew Robert Ridland as a great rider, but now they also see him as the brilliant, strategic mind guiding the U.S. Jumping Team to unprecedented success. Ridland brings several decades of international experience, both as a rider and coach, to the Chef d'Equipe position.

As an athlete, Ridland competed in the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games and won several grand prix competitions throughout his riding career. Ridland has been extensively involved in the governance of the sport, including several terms as a board member of US Equestrian and the United States Equestrian Team Foundation.

Ridland's vast experience as an international course designer helped shaped his analytical approach to the sport. He won the Course Designer of the Year Award twice while building the courses for the U.S. Olympic Trials and numerous international competitions. As an international official, he was the only American to have served as the FEI Technical Delegate for four FEI World Cup Finals. As a television commentator, he worked for many years as the color analyst for ESPN and CBS, as well as two stints for NBC at the Barcelona and Athens Olympic Games.

Since being named the U.S. Jumping Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor in 2013, Ridland has led the U.S. team to team bronze medals at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, and team gold at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C. Under his guidance the team has medaled at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, 2019 Lima Pan American Games, and most recently secured team gold at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. The U.S. Jumping Team has earned three consecutive team silver medals in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 

Nicholas "Nick" Dello Joio was born in Bedford, N.Y., and grew up in Wellington, Fla. Although Nick has two equestrian parents, he didn't take up riding until the age of 14. Now as a grand prix rider, he has quickly climbed up the ladder to success, following in his father’s footsteps.

Dello Joio’s father, Norman, achieved incredible success over his three-decade riding career, including winning the 1983 FEI World Cup Final in Vienna, Austria, with I Love You and the individual bronze medal at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games with Irish.

When Dello Joio began riding, he trained with his parents, and his talent was proven right from the start when he was circuit champion in the Children’s Modified Jumpers at the prestigious FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. In 2009, Dello Joio won his first grand prix, the $25,000 EMO Grand Prix at the Atlanta Fall Classic I, and just one week later scored another win in the $25,000 EMO Grand Prix at the Atlanta Fall Classic II. Both wins were aboard Malcolm, a horse he had taken over riding for his father. In 2010, Dello Joio received the USET Foundation's Maxine Beard Show Jumping Developing Rider Award. That same year, Dello Joio and Malcolm were selected for the USEF’s European Young Riders Tour, making a remarkable debut in Europe with a Nations Cup win at CSIOY Weirden (NED).

Dello Joio has secured several top placings throughout his professional career, including wins with Cornet’s Cambridge in the $140,000 Palm Beach Sports Commission Grand Prix CSI3* at the 2022 ESP Spring 3 and the $138,000 Big Ben Challenge CSI5*-W at the 2022 Royal Horse Show. The pair made their senior Nations Cup debut in the BMO Jumping Nations Cup CSIO5* at Spruce Meadows. 

Dello Joio has a steady competition schedule, a growing list of students, and produced numerous sale horses through his family's business, Wembley Farm. 

Kent Farrington’s roots in equestrian sport were seeded in Chicago, Illinois, where he began riding at the age of eight. He quickly made his mark, ascending through the junior ranks before turning professional in 2000. He has since gone on to represent the United States at numerous international championships, including as part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the bronze medal-winning team at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France, both with the KWPN gelding Voyeur.

In 2011, Farrington and Uceko represented the U.S. at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, where the team won gold. In 2015, he rode Gazelle as part of the bronze medal-winning team at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada.

In 2019, he became the first U.S. rider to win the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen and the International Jumping Riders Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva in the same year. In 2020, Farrington brought home numerous victories, including a top finish aboard Gazelle in the coveted $213,300 American Gold Cup Grand Prix CSI4*, besting a competitive jump-off of 15 combinations. At the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, Fla., Farrington set the tone early with a win in the $214,000 Marshall & Sterling/Great American Insurance Grand Prix CSI4* aboard longtime mount Creedance. He was named USEF’s International Equestrian of the Year for 2020.

Farrington’s early 2021 results included wins in the $137,000 NetJets Grand Prix CSI3* at WEF 3 with Austria 2, the $73,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic CSI5* with Creedance, and the $25,000 Palm Beach Equine Clinic Spring 4 Grand Prix with Kaprice. Over the summer, Farrington competed Gazelle as an individual at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Next, he scored several wins with Austria 2, Gazelle, and Orafina at Spruce Meadows. Farrington and Gazelle won the $213,300 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Lexington CSI4*-W at the National Horse Show. Farrington then partnered with Creedance to win the Trophée de Genève at CHI Geneva to close out the year.

Farrington began 2022 with a win in the $75,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Championship CSI5* on Easy Girl during week five of WEF. He and Orafina won the $75,000 Adequan WEF Challenge Round IX CSI5* during week nine of WEF. The pair scored another win $140,000 Bainbridge Companies Grand Prix CSI3* during week two of the ESP Spring Series. Farrington traveled to Thunderbird as part of the NetJets^® U.S. Jumping Team, riding Landon in the Nations Cup and winning the $186,900 Longines Grand Prix CSIO5* with Orafina. Heading to Spruce Meadows, Farrington and Orafina tallied three separate wins. The pair won again at Ottawa in the $215,000 RBC Grand Prix CSI5*. Farrington and Orafina continued their winning ways taking the $139,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI3* in Tryon and the $74,200 CWD Jump-Off Challenge CSI5* in California.

In 2023, Farrington won the CHF140,000 Florida Coast Equipment CIS3* Grand Prix with Landon during week two of WEF. He partnered with Orafina to win the $226,000 Adequan^® Grand Prix CSI4* at Desert Circuit IV on the West Coast. Back on the East Coast, Farrington and Toulayna $226,000 Horseware Ireland CSI4* Grand Prix during week 10 of WEF. Farrington partnered with Landon to take first in the Grand Prix and help the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team win gold in the 2023 FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Mexico at San Miguel de Allende CSIO5*. The pair were members of the U.S. team again and helped secure bronze at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Canada at CSIO5* Langley. Farrington earned CSI5* wins at Spruce Meadows with Creedance, Landon, and Toulayna. He rode Toulayna and Creedance to a one-two finish in the $145,000 CSI3* Grand Prix of Michigan at Traverse City Horse Shows as well as earning CSI3* and CSI5* wins with Creedance in the following weeks. Farrington tallied another win with Toulayna in the CSI5* Kubota Grand Prix at Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) Toronto.

Farrington made his third Pan Ameircan Games appearance in Santiago, Chile, earning team gold and individual silver with Landon. Back in North America, he took top prize in the $38,500 Strength and Speed Challenge and the $80,000 1.50m International Speed Challenge with Creedance at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Farrington closed out 2023 with a win in the Trophée de Genève with Toulayna at CHI Geneva. 

Farrington began 2024 with wins in the $62,500 Adequan® CSI4* WEF Challenge Cup with Landon and $116,100 Adequan® CSI5* WEF Challenge Cup CSI 5* with Toulayna during weeks 4 and 5 at the WEF. He debuted both Greya and Toulayna at the championship level in 2024, securing a fourth-place finish with Greya at the 2024 FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The pair were named to the U.S. Jumping Short List for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The duo were strong in their showing for the team, earning top honors in the Rolex Grand Prix of La Baule CSIO5* in June to secure their nomination to the team. 

Farrington and Greya travelled to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games where, due to an unforseen circumstance, they were unable to compete.

McLain Ward was introduced to riding before he could walk and has a competitive prowess that only continues to increase with age. In 1990, Ward became the youngest rider ever to win both the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Medal Finals and the USET Talent Derby at age 14. After turning pro, he quickly became the youngest rider to reach the $1 million mark in earnings in 1999, at the age of 24.

Ward is a six-time Olympian, including as a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. teams in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 with his longtime mount, Sapphire. With HH Azur, he was part of the U.S. team that took silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ward was also a team silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games riding Contagious and most recently earned team silver once again, this time aboard Ilex at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

He was a member of the gold-medal winning NetJets^® U.S. Jumping Team for the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 riding Clinta, WEG Normandy 2014 team bronze medalist with Rothchild, and WEG Aachen 2006 team silver medalist with Sapphire. As a Pan American Games athlete, Ward was a part of the gold-medal team in Guadalajara 2011 riding Antares F and won individual gold and team bronze in Toronto 2015 riding Rothchild.

In 2009, Ward rode Sapphire to his first-ever podium finish at the FEI Jumping World Cup Final, finishing in second place. In 2017, he finished the job, winning the FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Omaha with HH Azur.

Ward continued with a strong showing during the 2022 season securing two wins riding Contagious in the Turkish Airlines – CHIO Aachen CSIO5* Grand Prix as well as the RWE Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia – Aachen CHIO CSIO5* Grand Prix.

Ward was a member of the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team at the 2022 ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark, with Contagious. He closed out the year by winning the Rolex Grand Prix at CHI Geneva with HH Azur.

In 2023, Ward won the Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters with HH Azur. At the San Juan Capistrano CSIO5*, Ward helped the U.S. team win the FEI Jumping Nations Cup of USA with Contagious, Grand Prix of the United States with Kasper van het Hellehof, and Winning Round with First Lady. He was named to the U.S. Jumping Team for the 2023 Pan American Games to help the team secure their Paris 2024 qualification. Ward rode his longtime mount, Contagious, helping the team finish with gold and also earning an individual bronze medal. 

With the pressure of the 2024 Olympics mounting, Ward added a new mount to his string, bringing Ilex on board as a potential Olympic mount, alongside his veteran horse, Callas. Ward and Callas earned a second place finish in one of their first starts in a CSI5* Grand Prix of 2023, while both horses were strong for the U.S. Jumping Team, with Ward and Ilex bringing earning the team's only double-clear in their team debut at the Wellington CSIO4* and a strong showing for Callas at the Longines League of Nations CSIO5* in Ocala, Fla. Ward finished the winter season with a second place in the Rolex Grand Prix CSI5* in Wellington, Fla. with Ilex before heading to Europe as part of the U.S. Jumping Team Short List for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

Ward earned top finishes with both Callas and Ilex during their European Tour, which was capped by team selection with Ilex to represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games. The pair also earned an impressive second-place finish in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen, considered to be one of the most difficult Grand Prix classes in the world. 

Ward and Ilex were competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games where they earned a Silver Medal in the Team Finals with teammates Laura Kraut and Karl Cook. 

Ward’s home base is in upstate New York where he lives with his wife, Lauren, who is an avid competitor in the amateur divisions. They have two young daughters named Lilly and Madison.