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. 

Kent Farrington’s roots in equestrian sport were seeded in Chicago, Illinois, where he began riding at the age of eight. He quickly made his mark, ascending through the junior ranks before turning professional in 2000. He has since gone on to represent the United States at numerous international championships, including as part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the bronze medal-winning team at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France, both with the KWPN gelding Voyeur.

Farrington began 2022 with a win in the $75,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Championship CSI5* on Easy Girl during week five of WEF. He and Orafina won the $75,000 Adequan WEF Challenge Round IX CSI5* during week nine of WEF. The pair scored another win $140,000 Bainbridge Companies Grand Prix CSI3* during week two of the ESP Spring Series. Farrington traveled to Thunderbird as part of the NetJets^® U.S. Jumping Team, riding Landon in the Nations Cup and winning the $186,900 Longines Grand Prix CSIO5* with Orafina. Heading to Spruce Meadows, Farrington and Orafina tallied three separate wins. The pair won again at Ottawa in the $215,000 RBC Grand Prix CSI5*. Farrington and Orafina continued their winning ways taking the $139,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI3* in Tryon and the $74,200 CWD Jump-Off Challenge CSI5* in California.

In 2023, Farrington won the CHF140,000 Florida Coast Equipment CIS3* Grand Prix with Landon during week two of WEF. He partnered with Orafina to win the $226,000 Adequan^® Grand Prix CSI4* at Desert Circuit IV on the West Coast. Back on the East Coast, Farrington and Toulayna $226,000 Horseware Ireland CSI4* Grand Prix during week 10 of WEF. Farrington partnered with Landon to take first in the Grand Prix and help the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team win gold in the 2023 FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Mexico at San Miguel de Allende CSIO5*. The pair were members of the U.S. team again and helped secure bronze at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Canada at CSIO5* Langley. Farrington earned CSI5* wins at Spruce Meadows with Creedance, Landon, and Toulayna. He rode Toulayna and Creedance to a one-two finish in the $145,000 CSI3* Grand Prix of Michigan at Traverse City Horse Shows as well as earning CSI3* and CSI5* wins with Creedance in the following weeks. Farrington tallied another win with Toulayna in the CSI5* Kubota Grand Prix at Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) Toronto.

Farrington made his third Pan Ameircan Games appearance in Santiago, Chile, earning team gold and individual silver with Landon. Back in North America, he took top prize in the $38,500 Strength and Speed Challenge and the $80,000 1.50m International Speed Challenge with Creedance at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Farrington closed out 2023 with a win in the Trophée de Genève with Toulayna at CHI Geneva. 

Farrington began 2024 with wins in the $62,500 Adequan® CSI4* WEF Challenge Cup with Landon and $116,100 Adequan® CSI5* WEF Challenge Cup CSI 5* with Toulayna during weeks 4 and 5 at the WEF. He debuted both Greya and Toulayna at the championship level in 2024, securing a fourth-place finish with Greya at the 2024 FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The pair were named to the U.S. Jumping Short List for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The duo were strong in their showing for the team, earning top honors in the Rolex Grand Prix of La Baule CSIO5* in June to secure their nomination to the team. 

Farrington and Greya travelled to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games where, due to an unforseen circumstance, they were unable to compete.

The 2025 season began with huge success for Farrington at Desert Horse Park in Thermal, Calif. with a win in the Longines World Cup Qualifier CDI5*-W with Toulayna. Down in Wellington, Florida, Farrington and Greya wracked up two CSI5* wins including the $500,000 Lugano Grand Prix. In April, the duo added a third CSI5* victory to their resume after winning the $400,000 Kentucky International CSI5* Grand Prix in Lexington, Ky. Shortly after, Farrington was named World No. 1 in the Longines Rankings for jumping.

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 earned her first major breakthrough in 1992 as an alternate for the Barcelona Olympic Games, later making her Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000 with Liberty. She helped the U.S. win team gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics aboard Cedric, and team silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with Baloutinue. She also represented the U.S. at three FEI World Equestrian Games: Aachen in 2006 with Miss Independent (team silver), Lexington in 2010 with Cedric, and Tryon 2018 with Zeremonie, as part of the gold-medal NetJets® U.S. Jumping Team. 

Kraut is the most decorated team athlete in U.S. history, having competed in more than 90 Nations Cup competitions for the U.S. throughout her career. With Dorado 212, the pair played a pivotal role in helping the team secure their qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. 
 
In 2024, Laura rode to another strong season with Baloutinue, jumping a double clear for the team at the LLN Ocala CSIO5*, where they finished with just a single time-fault in the Grand Prix. The duo produced excellent rounds in LLN 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.  
 
In 2025, Kraut was part of yet another team win at the LLN Ocala CSIO5* aboard Dorado 212 and finished second in the Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix CSI5* with Bisquetta to close out their winter circuit.  Throughout the year, she delivered consistent results for the U.S. Jumping Team, helping the team earn victories in the Rome Nations Cup CSIO5* and CHIO Aachen Nations Cup CSIO5*, to mark one of the team’s most successful seasons in history. At CHIO Aachen and achieved a standout individual win with Baloutinue in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen, finishing second. She rode Bisquetta to the lone clear round to win the Rolex Grand Prix of Dublin CSIO5*, which was followed by appearances for the team at Spruce Meadows CSIO5* and LLN Final in Barcelona, Spain. To conclude her 2025 season, Kraut topped the $750,000 Coachella Cup Grand Prix CSI5* in Thermal, Calif., with Bisquetta.  
 
Based in both Florida and the Netherlands, Kraut and her longtime partner, legendary British jumper, Nick Skelton, run a successful training and sales business. 

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

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 later that season. With Carissimo 25, Vale represented the U.S. Jumping Team in numerous competitions abroad, including the Rome CSIO5*, La Baule CSIO5*, Falsterbo CSIO5* and Dublin CSIO5*, where the pair finished on the podium individually in the Dublin Grand Prix CSIO5*. They also returned to Europe to help the team contest the LLN Final in Barcelona, Spain.  

Vale was selected to the U.S. Jumping Team for the 2025 LLN Ocala CSIO5*, where they earned a team victory, and LLN Rotterdam CSIO5* with Carissimo 25. He continued the momentum, representing the U.S. at CHIO Aachen, which was followed by his first career CSI5* win at Dinard with Carissimo 25. The pair went on to represent the U.S. in the Dublin CSIO5* in August, before concluding their season for the U.S. Jumping Team at Spruce Meadows, where they helped secure a podium finish.  

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

McLain Ward was introduced to riding before he could walk and has a competitive prowess which 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 a WEG Aachen 2006 team silver medalist with Sapphire, and represented the U.S. in 2022 in Herning with Contagious. As a Pan American Games athlete, Ward was a part of the gold-medal team in Guadalajara 2011 riding Antares F, as well as aboard Contagious at Santiago 2023, where the pair helped the team secure their Paris 2024 qualification. 

In 2025, Ward was selected to the U.S. Jumping Team for the LLN Ocala CSIO5*, where he and Ilex contributed to the team’s top podium finish. He went on the compete for the U.S. in the Rome Nations Cup CSIO5* on Imperial HBF and La Baule Nations Cup CSIO5* on Ilex. He was named to the winning U.S. Jumping Team for the CHIO Aachen CSIO5* with Imperial HBF and second place finishing team at the Falsterbo Nations Cup CSIO5* with High Star Hero. A highlight of 2025 was Ward’s win aboard High Star Hero in the FEI Jumping World Cup Qualifier CSI5* at Santa Anita.  

Ward began 2026 as a selected member of the U.S. Jumping Team for the Wellington Nations Cup CSIO4*, where he and Jordan Molga M contributed to the team's victory.  

Ward resides in Brewster, New York, with his wife, Lauren, and their two young daughters, Lilly and Madison.