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. 

Alise Oken is an up-and-coming jumping athlete for the U.S. As a young rider, she competed in the FEI North American Youth Championships in 2010 and 2011, winning the young rider team silver medal in 2010.

Oken competed in her first senior Nations Cup in 2014 with Teirra in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup CSIO3* Lisbon (POR).

In 2018, Oken was a member of the U.S. Jumping Team with Hitchcock VD Broekkant that collected bronze in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup CSIO3* Lisbon (POR).

In 2023, Oken was a member of the winning U.S. Jumping Team in the EEF Nations Cup Uggerhalne (DEN) and won the Drammen Grand Prix (NOR) with Gelvera. Over the summer, the pair aided the NetJets^® U.S. Jumping Team to a third-place finish in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Sweden at the Falsterbo Horse Show. 

Oken and Gelvera began 2024 by competing on the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team for the inaugural leg of the Longines League of Nations Abu Dhabi CSIO5*-LLN (UAE), which earned a sixth-place finish against a talented field. 

Callie Schott came as a young professional under the tutelage of John and Beezie Madden, producing young horses and competing at the national and international levels.

In 2022, Schott won the $37,200 Tbird Grand Prix CSI2* with Teddy Z at Thunderbird Show Park. With Ironix, Schott won the $10,000 Maritime Travel Cup CSI2* at Spruce Meadows 'North American' Tournament. Schott partnered with Garant to win her first CSI5* grand prix of her career, the $216,000 MLSJ CSI5* Grand Prix of Traverse City during the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. Schott tallied another win with Ironix CSI2* Kubota Canada Qualifier at the Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments.

Schott began 2023 with top-10 placings with Garant at the Winter Equestrian Festival. The pair were third in the $145,100 Grand Prix of Traverse City CSI3* and the $145,100 Agero Grand Prix CSI3* during the Traverse City Horse Shows.

In 2024, Schott made her senior team debut at the Longines League of Nations™ Abu Dhabi with Garant, helping the NetJets^® U.S. Jumping Team to a sixth-place finish in a highly competitive international field. Schott and Garant were second in the $62,500 LeMieux Grand Prix Qualifier CSI4* at the World Equestrian Center - Ocala. The pair earned a third-place finish in the $330,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSIO5* during the Longines League of Nations Ocala. 

Schott and Garant were short listed for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and represented the U.S. Jumping Team in the FEI Longines League of Nations Netherlands CSIO5* in Rotterdam. 

Aaron Vale has numerous Grand Prix wins and represented the U.S. in Nations Cups and FEI World Cup™ Finals. 

In 2022, Vale rode Elusive in the FEI World Cup™ Finals in Leipzig, Germany, finishing in 20th place. Vale and Prescott won the $75,000 Lugano Diamonds Welcome CSI4*-W at Split Rock Fort Worth. 

In 2023, Vale began the year with three wins on I.Adermie R 4: the $40,000 1.45M CSI3* Speed and $40,000 1.45M CSI3* Two Phase Special at the World Equestrian Center (WEC) Ocala Winter Spectacular and the $55,000 CSI4* Longines Grand Prix Qualifier at Live Oak International. He racked up four wins over the summer at WEC Ocala with Cristo Beech, Elusive, and I.Adermie R 4. Vale closed out the year with a win aboard Carissimo 25 in the $226,000 BrainJuice Holiday II CSI4* Grand Prix presented by BrainJava. 

In 2024, Vale began the year by representing the NetJets^® U.S. Jumping Team at the Longines League of Nations™ Abu Dhabi CSIO5*-LLN with Carissimo 25. He rode Prescott to the win in the $100,000 MARS Equestrian Grand Prix CSI3* at WEC Ocala.

Vale manages Thinkslikeahorse, a full-service training facility in Williston, Fla., with quality jumpers, hunters, and equitation horses.