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Introduction

When the American flag flies high at international competitions, it’s a sign that the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is succeeding in its mission—providing resources to ensure accomplishments in the global arena.

And what accomplishments U.S. teams have delivered: fantastic performances by horses and athletes representing the country in eight disciplines, earning scores of medals and the respect of the world for their prowess.

As the 70th anniversary of the USET’s founding approaches, we remember the visionaries who ensured the country would be well-represented in the Olympics, Nations Cups, and other important competitions after the cavalry disbanded following World War II and the Army equestrian team was no more. Whitney Stone, the longtime USET chairman, and those foresighted pioneers who joined him, went to work on what it would take to put American equestrians atop podiums across the continents.

They could not, of course, envision the future specifics of the new organization’s reach: there were no Pan American Games, World Championships, or World Cups in 1950. But they laid a masterful foundation that could be expanded as the need arose and the number of those participating in teams grew exponentially over the years to come.

In 2003, the USET became a foundation. Working in conjunction with the U.S. Equestrian Federation, the foundation is its philanthropic partner, supporting not only the competition, training, coaching, travel, and educational needs of America’s top equestrian athletes and their horses, but also aiding in funding the pipeline of developing international high-performance competitors. These rising stars someday will have medals placed around their necks at the world’s most important equestrian sporting events.

To understand what has been achieved over seven decades, it’s important to recall the hundreds of athletes whom the USET Foundation and U.S. Equestrian Federation have helped to raise the flag. It’s fascinating to learn the histories of dedicated equestrians competing at the highest level, no matter which discipline they pursue. While the details of their personal accounts may differ, every one of them shares a love of horses and their country. All have an engaging tale about their success and how they have overcome the inevitable complications along the way, giving the reader insight into what it takes to reach the top tier of the sport.

The compelling stories collected in this volume, as told by the athletes who have become part of equestrian history, demonstrate how to make dreams reality, while acknowledging sacrifice as the other side of achievement. Those who compete at the highest level share several characteristics in addition to the love and appreciation of the horse. All have demonstrated singular focus to achieve excellence, putting aside other pursuits as they strive to represent their country. While the book is called Riding for the Team, it is a general title that also includes the drivers and vaulters who are not in a saddle while competing.

This is the third volume in a series. The first, the U.S. Equestrian Team Book of Riding, was published to mark the organization’s 25th anniversary in 1975. Edited by William Steinkraus, then the president of the USET, it offered training principles, riding pointers, and history lessons from those who became legends of the sport.

The second book, Riding for America, which I edited in 1990, was an update that included athletes and other key figures who made their mark during the generation after the USET’s founding. While the first book dealt only with the Olympic disciplines of show jumping, dressage, and eventing, Riding for America also included the USET’s newest discipline at that time, combined driving.

Nearly three decades later, Riding for the Team continues the tradition while adding four other disciplines supported by the Foundation: vaulting, which is gymnastics on horseback; endurance; the Western sport of reining; and para-dressage. There’s something for everyone on the roster of international horse sports these days.

The athletes who share the inside story of their achievements in these pages are only a small sampling of the worthy competitors who have represented the country since 1990 and brought honor to the effort. Because so many people were candidates to be part of Riding for the Team, we are not including anyone who was in the 1975 or 1990 books, even if they are playing a different role in the current era. The stories listed in the table of contents offer simply a sampling of the many outstanding individuals who have contributed to an impressive equestrian record for America over the last 30 years in the Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Games, a multi-discipline World Championships format that debuted in 1990. This book would have to be many times its current size to include each of them.

We are grateful to everyone who has given their all, not only by riding for the Team, but also by supporting it in so many different capacities, from the veterinarians to the coaches, grooms, volunteers, sponsors, and contributors, to the athletes’ families who have shared a dream and helped make it come true. The officers and staffs of the USET Foundation and the U.S. Equestrian Federation, the governing body of American horse sport, also play instrumental roles in the sporting triumphs that make a nation proud.

On a personal note, over the last half-century I have known most of those whose stories appear in these books. Some I have followed since their days in equitation, interviewing them after they won those championships and then again, years later, once they stepped down from the podium after the Olympic medal ceremonies. From the sidelines at nine Olympics, all eight World Equestrian Games, and dozens of World Cup finals, I’ve had a ringside seat from which to follow triumph and tragedy, victory and loss, all of which play their role in the vibrant panorama that is equestrian sport today. It’s been a privilege.

Nancy Jaffer

Gladstone, New Jersey

Special thanks to Sara Ike of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, who was kept busy obtaining and organizing the many photos in this book.

In addition to the USET Foundation, the organizations referred to in this book are:

■ The U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF): The governing body of horse shows in the United States, as well as an umbrella group for a variety of breeds and disciplines, it is an official member of the FEI (see below) and the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).

■ The American Horse Shows Association (AHSA): The original U.S. governing body of horse shows, a predecessor of the USEF.

■ The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI): Based in Switzerland, it is the governing body of international equestrian sport and formulates its rules.

■ National Reining Horse Association (NRHA): Dedicated to the promotion of the reining horse, it serves as the standard-setting body for the sport of reining, while promoting public interest in agriculture and ranching through reining horse shows and programs.

■ American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC): The organization that sanctions endurance riding in North America, it also promotes the establishment, maintenance, and preservation of trails.