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. 

Katie Dinan began riding at the age of four and, three years later, was active in the competition ring. She found much success as a junior and young rider. Dinan represented Zone 2 on the gold medal-winning team at the USEF Junior Jumper National Championships at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in both 2010 and 2011. She won the young rider individual gold and team bronze medals at the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North.

Dinan showed she was a solid senior level competitor in 2012, being named to the Long List for the U.S. Jumping Team for the London 2012 Olympic Games and awarded the USET Foundation Maxine Beard Show Jumping Rider Award for her competitive record and future potential to represent the U.S. in international competition. She reached another milestone in 2013 when she competed in her first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final with Nougat du Vallet. Dinan became a dependable teammate on Nations Cup teams, helping the U.S. team win silver in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Scotiabank at CSIO5* Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ Tournament with Nougat du Vallet.

In 2014, Dinan received the USET Foundation Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy as a young rider in one of the Olympic disciplines who exemplifies both sportsmanship and horsemanship. That same year, she partnered with Nougat du Vallet to compete in her second World Cup Final, represent the U.S. team at CHIO Rotterdam, and earn gold in the Furusiyya FEI Nations presented by Longines at CSIO5* Dublin. The following year, Dinan made her third World Cup Final appearance with Stakorado.

In 2016, Dinan and Nougat du Vallet returned to the World Cup Finals. Dinan and Dougie Douglas helped the U.S. team to a fourth-place finish in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ presented by Longines at CSIO5* Hickstead.

Dinan worked with a string of horses over the years, earning results in the top 10 in the U.S. and abroad. With Brego R’N B, Dinan returned to the World Cup Finals in 2022. The pair also were members of the U.S. team in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Ireland at CSIO5* Dublin.

In 2023, Dinan earned two consecutive $145,100 CSI3* Grand Prix wins with Brego R’N B at the Traverse City Horse Shows. Next, she partnered with Atika des Hauts Vents to win the Two-Phase Opener CSI5* at CSI Greenwich. Dinan closed out the year with a win aboard Brego R’N B in the $450,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Washington CSI5*-W.

Dinan began 2024 with a string of third-place finishes in CSI3*, CSI4*, and CSIO4* classes with Dijon Terdoorn Z and Atika des Hauts Vents.

Lillie Keenan has represented the U.S. in international competitions including as part of Nations Cup teams at Bratislava (SLV) in 2014; Hickstead (GBR), Spruce Meadows (CAN), and the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final in Barcelona in 2016; Ocala, Dublin (IRE), and Spruce Meadows in 2017; Wellington and Sopot (POL) in 2018; the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final in Barcelona in 2021; and Rome (ITA), Wellington, Aachen (GER), and the ECCO FEI World Championships (DEN) in 2022. 

Keenan was a standout rider from the start, making headlines for sweeping all three divisions in the 2007 USEF Hunter Pony National Championship at age 10, and then repeated the feat the following year. In 2011, at age 14, she competed against professional athletes and bested the class to take the win in the $100,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals. 

As an equitation rider, Keenan collected many of the sport’s top honors, including the inaugural Equitation Challenge at Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Show and the North American Junior Equitation Championship in 2012, The Excellence in Equitation Championship, the Equitation Classic, the USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals, and the ASPCA Maclay Finals in 2013. 

Keenan has been a competitive jumper from an early age. She won team gold at the North American Youth Championship in 2012 and 2013 and individual gold in 2013. In 2013, she rode Pumped Up Kicks to a win in the $125,000 Grand Prix at HITS-on-the-Hudson. Her versatility and success led her to earn the title of USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year that year. 

Keenan’s recent top results include a third-place finish in the 2022 CSI5* Paris Grand Prix with Queensland E, as well as a win in the 2021 $37,000 FEI Adequan WEF Challenge Round 1 CSI3* with Argana Van Het Gerendal Z. Keenan won the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award at the first week of the WEF in 2020.  

Keenan graduated from Harvard University in 2019 with a degree in History of Science. She currently trains with McLain Ward. 

Laura Kraut’s illustrious career began when she received her first riding lesson at the age of three. Encouraged by their mother, Carol, Kraut and sister Mary Elizabeth took riding lessons together throughout their childhood and still work together today.

Kraut’s first big break came in 1992, when she was named an alternate to the U.S. team for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Eight years later, she made her Olympic Games debut in Sydney, Australia, riding Liberty. In 2008, she was part of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Beijing Olympics, riding Cedric. In 2021, Kraut was a part of the silver medal-winning U.S. team at the Tokyo Olympics with her mount, Baloutinue.

Kraut and Miss Independent represented the U.S. at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, where the team won silver. She was part of the 2010 WEG team with Cedric, and was named to her third WEG in 2018, where she rode Zeremonie as a member of the gold-medal winning NetJets^® U.S. Jumping Team.

Additionally, Kraut has been part of the U.S. team at five FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Finals (2015-2019, 2021), including a bronze-winning effort with Zeremonie in 2016 and on the silver medal-winning team with Confu in 2017.

She was part of the winning teams at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup of USA at San Juan Capistrano CSIO5* in May 2023 with Dorado 212, FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Mexico at San Miguel de Allende CSIO5* in April 2023 with Baloutinue, before helping the U.S. Jumping Team secure their qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Kraut rode Dorado 212 to help the team secure gold and placed in fourth individually. 

In 2024, Laura rode to another strong season with Baloutinue, jumping a double clear for the team at the Longines League of Nations CSIO5* in Ocala, Fla., where they finished with just a single time-fault in the Grand Prix. The duo produced excellent rounds in Rotterdam CSIO5*, earning fourth overall in the Grand Prix. The duo secured their second consecutive selection to represent the U.S. Jumping Team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Kraut competed at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, marking her fifth Olympic Games and her second with Baloutinue. Alongside teammates McLain Ward (Ilex) and Karl Cook (Caracole de la Roque), Kraut and Baloutinue helped the team secure their third consecutive team silver medal. The pair finished eighth individually. 

Based in both Florida and Great Britain, Kraut and her longtime partner, legendary British jumper, Nick Skelton, run a successful training business.

As a junior rider, Spencer Smith competed at the FEI North American Youth Championships in 2012 and 2013 riding Skara Glen’s Voltan H and was the winner of the 2014 Pessoa/U.S. Hunter Seat Medal Finals. He competed as part of the winning U.S. Young Rider Team Nations Cup team riding IV Ever at WEF in 2015 where the pair also won the CSIOY Grand Prix.

Smith had a breakout year in 2018, representing the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team for the first time in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Rome CSIO5*. That same year he won the first major Grand Prix of his career in the $132,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI3* aboard his Selle Français gelding, Theodore Manciais. The pair went on to collect several more top placings in major international competition in 2018 and and 2019, including a win for the Massimo Dutti Trophy at the Global Champions League in Madrid. 

Spencer Smith represented the U.S. at the 2021 FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final CSIO5* in Barcelona, Spain, with Quibelle, where the pair were in impressive form. Later that year, Smith and Theodore Manciais marked another CSI5* win, earning a victory at the GCT/GCL CSI5* competition Samorin, Slovakia.

In 2022, Smith started the year off strong, winning the $140,000 Southern Arches Grand Prix CSI3* at WEF aboard Ayade Hero Z. Smith was selected to the short list for the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships and represented the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team at CHIO Aachen and the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Ireland CSIO5*.

After taking over the ride on Keeneland in 2024, the pair have become one of the most consistent combinations for the U.S. Jumping Team representing the United States in the 2024 FEI Longines League of Nations St. Gallen CSIO5*, FEI Jumping Nations Cup Dublin CSIO5*, and the FEI Longines League of Nations Jumping Final CSIO5* in Barcelona, Spain. In Dublin, the duo's double clear helped push the U.S. to the top of the podium against an incredibly competitive field. 

Smith’s parents own and operate Ashland Farms, a hunter, jumper, and equitation stable with locations in Lexington, Ky., and Wellington, Fla.