The show jumping community always knew Robert Ridland as a great rider, but now they also see him as the brilliant, strategic mind guiding the NetJets Show Jumping team to unprecedented success. Ridland brings several decades of international experience to the U.S. Show Jumping.

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. Show 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 Toronto 2015 Pan American Games as well as silver medals in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the 2017 FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final.

Lizzy Chesson has been deeply rooted in international equestrian sports for many years. As a groom for her mother, she was part of two World Championship Driving teams. At the age of 22, Chesson was selected to drive a pair of horses in the World Pair Championship in Hungary.

Chesson is a graduate of Columbia University where earned a degree in Art History. She began working for US Equestrian in 2006, first in the Show Jumping department as an assistant to then Managing Director Sally Ike. She was then promoted to Managing Director of Jumping in 2013.   

Chesson as Team Leader and Robert Ridland as Chef d’Equipe have gone on to deliver many medals and successes with the U.S. Jumping Team on the worlds stage while also building a strong pathway for the future. She enjoys hunting with the Essex Fox Hounds when she has time, she is also an avid amateur gardener and her life revolves around a littler terrier named Rags who many would have seen standing guard in the Gladstone office.

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. The duo earned a Silver Medal in the Team Finals with teammates Mclain Ward and Karl Cook. 

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

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisc., Elizabeth ‘Beezie’ Madden has been riding since the age of three and received her first pony as a Christmas gift at age four. Madden rode throughout her childhood and competitively for Southern Seminary Junior College, in addition to playing basketball and softball. However, riding was her true passion. She made her debut at the Grand Prix level at the age of 22. For nearly three decades, Madden has represented the United States in the world’s most prestigious competitions becoming the first American to break into the top-three on the FEI Jumping World Ranking List. She was the first woman to pass the $1 million mark in earnings in the sport of jumping. Madden has won the USEF Equestrian of the Year title five times, including back-to-back honors in 2006 and 2007 - the first rider ever to do so - and then again earning back-to-back honors in 2013 and 2014.

In 2018, Madden and the Dutch Warmblood stallion Darry Lou placed sixth in the Rolex Grand Prix at the 2018 CHIO Aachen in July. In 2019, she and Chic Hin D Hyrencourt were selected to represent the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Wellington CSIO4*, where the combination helped the team secure gold. Later in the year, Madden and Darry Lou captured the coveted $3,000,000 CP ‘International’ Grand Prix presented by Rolex during the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ CSIO5* before she guided Garant to a win in the $210,000 FEI Jumping World Cup Qualifier New York CSI4*-W in Old Salem, N.Y. in the same month. Madden and Darry Lou began the 2020 competition year representing the NetJets U.S. Show Jumping Team at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup USA, where the team secured a first-place finish after the combination produced a clear jump-off effort in a tightly contested competition with Great Britain. Most recently, Madden has captured grand prix wins and numerous top finishes at the 2021 Winter Equestrian Festival with Garant, Breitling LS, and Chic Hin D Hyrencourt.

In addition to competing, Madden runs a successful training and sales business with her husband John out of their Cazenovia, N.Y., and Wellington, Fla., bases.

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*.

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.

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.