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. 

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.

Devin Ryan was born in New Jersey and discovered his love of horses as a child while riding at his grandfather's farm in Sussex County. He began his riding career at the age of 13 under the supervision of Delores Hunt. When Ryan was 14 years old, he competed in the United States Pony Club (USPC) Junior Tetrathlon (ride, run, shoot, and swim) and won the USPC national championship. While training in eventing, he caught the show jumping bug and has been on the rise ever since.

From 2002 to 2003, Ryan trained and rode for Alan Waldman in Holland at one of the top sport horse barns in the Netherlands. Upon returning to the United States, he took on the task of owning and managing his current facility at River Run Stables. Ryan has a knack for assessing young horses and identifying their potential, and it shows in how he has brought along Eddie Blue. Ryan acquired the Netherlands-born gelding when he was four years old, and it did not take long for Eddie Blue and Ryan to collect top placings on the grand prix circuit. As the runner-up at the 2018 FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, Ryan automatically landed a spot on the short list for the WEG Tryon 2018. During the WEG team observation period, Ryan and Eddie Blue were members of the bronze medal-winning team in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup CSIO5* at CSIO Sopot in June. As part of the U.S. team at CHIO Aachen, they jumped double-clear in the Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup. Ryan and Eddie Blue helped the NetJets^® U.S. Jumping Team clinch team gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018. They closed out 2018 by placing second in the $205,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto.

In 2019, Ryan collected top placings, earning second with Cooper in the $35,700 Upperville Speed Stakes CSI4* and third with Eddie Blue in the $300,000 DOHA.INC Grand Prix at the Hampton Classic. He and Cooper competed in the FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The following year, he found success at the Palm Beach Masters, winning the $10,000 CP Welcome Stake CSIO5* with Caspar’s Lasino. Ryan and Eddie Blue finished third in the $213,300 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington CSI4*-W and rounded out the 2020 season by winning the $213,300 National Horse Show Grand Prix CSI4*.

In 2021, Ryan had a third-place finish in the $401,000 Douglas Elliman Real Estate Grand Prix CSI5* with Eddie Blue.

In 2022, Ryan and Eddie Blue were third in the $200,000 Empire State Grand Prix CSI4* at the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Show. The pair was third again in the $216,000 Upperville Jumper Classic CSI4* at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show. Ryan and Eddie Blue improved to second place in the CSI3* Grand Prix of Greenwich at the Greenwich 2022. They closed out the year with a win in the $73,800 International Welcome Stake CSI4* at the National Horse Show.

This year, Ryan and Eddie Blue returned to the FEI Jumping World Cup Final, finishing 13th in Omaha, Neb. The pair then earned two second-place finishes in the Devon Horse Show & Country Fair CSI4*.

Paris Sellon is an experienced U.S. jumping athlete. She competed at the FEI North American Youth Championships in 2006 and 2009, winning junior team silver and individual bronze in 2006. Sellon competed on her first senior Nations Cup team in 2014 at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Bratislava CSIO3* with Heracross in Slovakia. She made her next team appearance in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Great Britain CSIO5* with Adare in England. In 2017, Sellon partnered with Cassandra in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Poland CSIO5*, helping the U.S. team earn the win. 

In 2023, Sellon was second with Anna Jo in a CSI4* class in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain.

Alessandra "Alex" Volpi has quickly risen to the top levels of jumping's international stage. She competed at the FEI North American Youth Championships in 2019 and 2021 with Foster 39, earning young rider team silver in 2019. Volpi was a member of the silver medal-winning U.S. Jumping Young Rider Team with Taiwan du Landey at the Palm Beach Masters CSIOY. In 2022, Volpi made her U.S. senior debut competing with Berlinda in the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Leipzig, Germany. 

In 2023, Volpi was a member of the winning U.S. Jumping Team in the EEF Nations Cup Uggerhalne with Berlinda, the third-placed team in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Sweden CSIO5* with Berlinda, and was third in the Drammen Grand Prix with Haya Loma N.