A lot more often than we realize, attitude is the difference between first place and fourth or 14th. Yes, neither humans nor horses can be triumphant athletes without the blessing of pure ability, subsequently sharpened by proper and rigorous training. But the rest of the equation is completed by confidence, by believing in yourself, by believing that you can produce the kind of performance that could win, and by believing–really even expecting–that you best your competitors.

And it’s just that kind of attitude that the elite U.S. show jumpers have displayed for the last year. I’ll even suggest that it’s a key factor that elevated them to victory in the Samsung Super League series (p. 8). It was tremendously important for them to get into the Super League two years ago, and now what may be a watershed moment has occurred by beating Germany and all the world’s best teams in the year-long series.

Does it mark the beginning of a turnaround like the one that happened 50 years ago, when the legendary Bert de Nemethy began turning a rag-tag collection with no system or plan into a 30-year juggernaut? I know that George Morris, who was one of de Nemethy’s prot