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. 

Karl Cook began riding at eight alongside his mother, Signe, and sister, Annie Laurie. What soon followed was a lifelong passion for horses. Between 2007 and 2009, Cook’s trajectory was that of a successful Junior/Young Rider competing in the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) for three consecutive years, winning team and individual gold in 2007 and team and individual silver in 2008.

Based out of Pomponio Ranch South in Rancho Santa Fe, California, Cook has continued to produce top results throughout his professional career with the help of coach and mentor Eric Navet (France), competing in three FEI World Cup® Finals and multiple NetJets® U.S. Jumping Teams including at the 2023 FEI Nations Cup® Final in Barcelona. Ranking among Cook’s most notable Grand Prix wins are Hampton Classic 2022, American Gold Cup, $1 Million Coachella Cup, Major League Show Jumping Top Individual Rider in 2023, CSI5* Rolex Grand Prix of Rome in 2024, and winning Silver for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The 2024 season has been a strong showing for Cook and his string. With Caracole de la Roque, Cook took second in the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix in Wellington, Fla., before being named to the U.S. Jumping Team Short List for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The duo were strong in their Nations Cup competitions, and exceled in each of their Grand Prix classes, securing top honors in the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome CSIO5* in May and earning a second-place finish at the Rolex Grand Prix of La Baule CSIO5* in June. 

Cook and Caracole de la Roque were selected as the alternate athlete combination for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The pair ultimately competed on the team and helped secure the Team Silver Medal alongside teammates Laura Kraut and 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.

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.