Several weeks ago, upon my return from Europe, I gave Bill Steinkraus a call. I call both Bill and Frank Chapot from time to time to discuss results and to seek advice in my still-new position of the show jumping team’s chef d’equipe. Not only are they two of my oldest, best friends, but they’re also mentors for whom I have the highest respect. No one is more pro-American in regards to our equestrian sport than these two men.

Bill is a gentleman of the highest intellect. But he also has a great wit. The first thing he asked was about all the “rose petals” strewn at our feet in Barcelona. Then he asked what our “encore” should be. I replied that we, the show jumping community, had daunting tasks ahead of us next year.

What with Frank’s 2004 Olympic team having been declared the gold medalists and our Super League winning this summer, we’ve re-established ourselves as a power to be reckoned with on the international scene. Now the trick is to maintain this position.

That means that now—and I mean right now during these autumn and winter months—I want the riders to concentrate very hard on the FEI World Cup qualifiers. I’d like as many of the good horses qualified for the final in Kuala Lumpur as possible so that when we get to next April we can all sit down and decide which horses to send there without jeopardizing our prospects in August’s World Equestrian Games.

At next year’s winter circuits, people are going to have to shift their focus a bit, toward their particular horse’s best preparation for the WEG trials. Qualifying for the World Cup Finals and not over-jumping one’s horse before the trials is a delicate balance. Let’s be honest: The big problem with all equestrian sport today, all over the world, is there’s just too much.

The World Equestrian Games are the centerpiece of next year’s program. My suggestion for next year’s WEG—although the various USEF committees haven’t yet approved it—is to have a six-day WEG format after we’ve completed the circuits in Indio (Calif.) and Palm Beach (Fla.). From this five-round competition, the top six horse-rider combinations would select themselves objectively.

But, before, during or after these trials, another four horse-rider combinations would be picked subjectively. Then these 10 combinations would be put into two groups by the three selectors and myself: Group A, the horses most likely to go to the WEG, would participate in an early European tour in May; Group B would embark on a tour in June. The horses in Group B would basically be reserves in case some in Group A falter.

By using Europe as part of the selection, we’re more likely to get the real players, much more likely than we are by using just the one-week selection trials.

These two groups would go to five Super League shows to sharpen them for the WEG and to put us in contention to defend our title.

As I’ve said before, it’s absolutely imperative that we stay in the Super League, so we have to send top teams. Group A would go to La Baule (France) and Aachen (Germany), where the WEG will be. Group B would go to Rome (Italy), Lucerne (Switzerland) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands).

The beauty of this system is that it allows people to make long-term plans and it accommodates, rather than disturbs, my principle of participation, preparation and selection in regard to the biggest five-star European Super League horse shows.

The World Cup Finals are rather important to me next year, if only for psychological reasons. We haven’t had any particularly stellar World Cup performances in recent years, and, as a consequence, the organizers might allot us fewer slots in the future. And that would not be good.

It will not be absolutely mandatory, but I’d like as many World Cup-bound horses and riders to contest the $150,000 Charlotte Grand Prix, in Charlotte, N.C., in early April. We can act as a team, prepare as a team, and go as a team—in Charlotte and in Kuala Lumpur. We have to do it this way if we’re to have a more realistic chance against the excellent contingent from Europe. Plus, this competition is another great preparation for the WEG.

In late July and early August I’m hoping to field tour No. 3, which will compete at Hickstead (England) and Dublin (Ireland). This tour will be chosen from the USET computer list with room for some possible subjective choices. Of course, horses selected for the WEG would not be able to participate on this tour, for a variety of reasons. The WEG team, which competes in late August, will be announced after Lucerne, about June 15.

I plan to have the five WEG combinations go to Europe around Aug. 1 to attend a training camp the weeks before the WEG. Most likely we’ll be stabled in the Netherlands. We’ll participate in one warm-up show, somewhere in the vicinity of Aachen.

Next year’s great Spruce Meadows Masters show runs immediately after WEG is over. This would mean a lot of heavy, heavy jumping within a two-week span. While I wouldn’t prohibit someone from showing their horse in both shows (it is possible!), I would encourage at least some of our WEG participants to stay over for the Super League Final at the lovely show in Barcelona, Spain, a few weeks later.

Yes, I’d like to win that too, because I’m greedy when it comes to success in competition. And this plan would not be at the horse’s expense.

I’d love to have a solid, successful World Cup Final in Malaysia, win the Super League (again!), and win both a team and individual medal at the WEG. Repeating Beezie Madden’s $850,000 win at Spruce Meadows would be nice too!

Yes, this plan will require a great deal of ambition, dedication, hard work and sacrifice on the part of our top riders and the people around them. And it will also take money for our federation to accomplish it. So any little bit of help each and every one of you can give will be much appreciated. You can help America win!