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. 

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. 

Adrienne Sternlicht moved through the pony and junior hunter divisions to turn into a serious competitor on the international grand prix circuit. Although her first passion was riding, she took a break during high school and returned while attending Brown University. In 2016, Sternlicht began her partnership with Cristalline and started to train with U.S. Olympic double gold medalist McLain Ward.

In May 2017, Sternlicht made her Nations Cup debut with Cristalline at the FEI Nations Cup™ CSIO4* Coapexpan in Mexico, where they helped the U.S. team win the silver medal. Since then, she has been a member of several Nations Cup teams and collected numerous individual top placings, resulting in her selection to the WEG 2018 NetJets U.S. Show Jumping Team Short List. Following her selection to the short list, she placed second in the $250,000 Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon, won a CSI5* class during Knokke Hippique, and was part of the U.S. team for FEI Jumping Nations Cup Ireland, where she placed fourth in the Longines International Grand Prix of Ireland. Named to the WEG Tryon 2018 team, she and Cristalline aided the U.S. team in their historic victory, bringing home the gold medal for the U.S. for the first time in 36 years.

In 2020, Sternlicht started the year with a CSI4* win at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla. aboard Just a Gamble before being selected to represent the U.S. Jumping Team for the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Wellington CSIO4*, where she helped the team secure gold. In 2021, Sternlicht was part of FEI Nations Cup teams in Sopot, Poland, and Rotterdam, The Netherlands, with Benny’s Legacy.

Sternlicht started off 2022 with a win in a CSI3* at the Winter Equestrian Festival in January riding Lafayette Van Overis, followed by a win in the CSI5* with Benny’s Legacy at WEF in February. She traveled to Europe for the summer season and where she was part of the U.S. team at the Mercedes-Benz Jumping Nations’ Cup of Aachen CSIO5* in June. In July, she and Benny’s Legacy earned a win at the Grand Prix of Valkenswaard CSI2*.

In October of 2023, Sternlicht and Benny's Legacy won the Open 1.40m Jumper Championship at Equus Events Tryon in North Carolina. 

 

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.