When former U.S. Eventing Technical Advisor and Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello announced last autumn that he would step down from the position when his contract ended, the equestrian community wondered who might take his place. Last week, the U.S. Equestrian Federation answered that question, announcing British Olympian and former USEF eventing development coach Leslie Law would be coming on as the new eventing chef d’equipe and high performance manager. He will be supported by Karyn Shuter, who will serve in the newly developed role of U.S. eventing high performance advisor.

Law, 59, is no stranger to the world of elite eventing competition. The 2004 Athens Olympic individual gold medalist was also a member of multiple medal-winning teams for Britain at the European Championships, World Equestrian Game, and Olympics, and he has amassed an equally impressive resume at CCI and advanced-level events stateside. He and his wife, Canadian eventer Lesley Grant-Law, are now based in Ocala, Florida, where they offer training, clinics and sales.

We caught up with Law to learn more about his new role, why this feels like the logical next step for his career, and how he plans to balance it all.

Not everyone understands the role of a chef d’equipe, or how it differs from a high-performance advisor. How would you explain these roles to an eventing enthusiast? Previously, Bobby wore both the chef and technical advisor hats simultaneously; how will your and Karyn’s roles be different?

In the most basic of terms, I regard my job as chef d’equipe to cover two main areas: first, supporting performance both at home and at major competitions, and second, developing the accompanying strategy to deliver performance. At any major team competition or championship, my role will involve developing strategies during the competition and leading the play. At home, my role will include offering mentorship and direction, and helping the athletes to develop strategies throughout the year to ensure they arrive in the right way, at the right place, and at the right time to deliver on our performance goals. Throughout the year, my job is to communicate with the athletes, their support system, selectors and the USEF, to ensure we peak at the very exact moment we need to, so then hopefully, my job at the competitions can be easy.

Karyn’s role will allow us to support our athletes more directly with performance improvements in their day-to-day programs, training regimens and management operations, to ensure we are evaluating every detail that can improve performance, and to catch the issues that may derail opportunities and goals. In addition, she’ll advise on overall program strategy. We want to ensure that the athletes have resources at every level to be able to continue to produce talent—and ultimately results—at the highest levels of the sport.

In what way does a chef work with an individual athlete’s coaches to better develop a horse/rider partnership? As a former team rider yourself, what do you value about this relationship?

I think an integral part of success for anything done at the highest level, whether it be business or sport, is communication. I have respect for our athletes’ personal coaches, and think that results are achieved with an open line of communication, trust and respect that needs to flow back and forth from athlete to personal coach and then to the chef. I had some incredible influences guide and push me during my time on the team for Great Britain, but I always was very grateful to [longtime British Eventing Team Performance Manager] Yogi Breisner. Yogi was always there for us in a supportive role, to encourage and communicate, but he also was never afraid to tell us like it was and be very direct when he needed to be. I was lucky to be a part of what was very much a British “dream team” for years, and I can tell you, with all the combined accolades and accomplishments of my teammates, our admiration and deference to Yogi never faltered. That’s the type of trust and respect I hope to foster in this role with our athletes and their respective teams.

How has your previous role as U.S. eventing development coach helped set you up for this new opportunity? Why is this the right moment in your career to be taking on this role?

My previous role was fantastic in that it gave me both an idea of how USEF works, as a corporate entity and as a sports organization, and also offered plenty of experience acting as chef at many Nations Cups across the globe. Just like the athletes, I think for a chef to be functional and supportive in the role, it takes a bit of experience to feel comfortable in those big team environments. I was lucky enough to have some great athletes in the development program with whom I helped attain some very good results, and that makes me feel quite confident I can continue to operate with the same mindset in this new role.

When I considered this role, my main thought was, “If not now, then when?” I think many riders with my resume have the idea it would be a great achievement to later be an acting chef and leader for an elite program in any country, but even more so for such a historically successful nation like the U.S. It is a real honor one can add to their lifetime, and a fabulous—albeit nerve-wracking—challenge to take on. But I feel ready, and I am certainly dedicated to the pursuit of achieving what we know we have so long been aiming for as a program.

Drawing on this previous experience, where does the U.S. eventing team stand in comparison to other teams around the world? Where do you see the emphasis being placed in these next few years in terms of team development?

Although one could take a quick glance and believe the U.S. has fallen short in some previous Games, quite honestly, they have not fallen very short. As with every country, a nation’s teams, horsepower and success come in cycles. I believe the U.S. is just coming into a new cycle of success, and the goals that our program and athletes have are attainable. We have some very good athletes—world-class athletes and horses—and unfortunately, like every country will experience at one point or another, we can’t control everything. Sometimes [unforeseen variables] have a direct impact on the outcome of potential results. This said, we have a few combinations that could really shine at the FEI Eventing World Championships [Germany] in 2026, and certainly with time, producing what I hope will be a very strong team for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Team development in the U.S. will continue to grow, as a result of more depth in horsepower and very, very intelligent planning for the combinations that continue to deliver against the performance objectives we set.

Can you share any specific goals (short- or long-term) for the U.S. eventing team?

The immediate short-term goal is to make the most of what we currently have on offer for the FEI Eventing World Championships next year in Aachen. It’s already upon us, and there really isn’t time to change much as far as athlete combinations; they are already there and established. So, the next step is we must take what is there and plan on how to laser-focus and make precise their path to the world championships in order to maximize results, both as a team and individually. Long term are the L.A. Olympics in 2028. We have more breathing room there, to create and build and understand the pressures that come with a home Games, and how that will impact expectations and execution.

What are your priorities short-term, and how might these lead to long-term success?

My priorities short term are to get a very good handle on both the athletes and any of the horses that could be in contention for team selection for the U.S. over the next four years. Obviously, I have an idea of who is out there, but we need to target any horse-and-athlete combinations that could be what we want for Los Angeles. “Heavy reconnaissance” will be a theme for this year so that we can identify, discuss and make plans that will best support the team objectives—because the success that can be achieved in four years is going to start by making good decisions today. Alongside that, of course, we will be focusing on combinations that are at hand right now for the world championships, and how best to maximize their potential and performance over the next year.

How do you plan to navigate the balance of travel and your commitments to Team USA with commitments to your own farm and clients? 

Well, this is something I have been doing for the greater part of the last 10 years, while also having anywhere from four to seven horses competing up to the CCI4* level. Now, I am taking a step back from competing, and that has freed up more time for me as I take on this very important role.

Luckily, Lesley and I have each other and can interchange much of our farm and home client work, so that has historically been our secret to success. When there are two of you, it is much easier to sustain success all-around. I am lucky to have a strong, smart partner who also wants to see me succeed with the U.S. program, so that makes the balancing act quite easy—not to mention I have a very American, sport-oriented son who is also driving me to ensure we find success for the U.S.!