Starting in September, the USET held thirteen Grand Prix Dressage qualifying competitions throughout the US, one of which was canceled due to extreme weather in Arizona. Riders vying for a spot on the Olympic Team were required to compete in a minimum of two competitions, with an automatic drop of the lowest score if riders opted to compete in more than two qualifiers.

The top five finishers from the selection trials, May 13-14 & May 20-21, will go to Europe to compete in two selection trials between June 21 and July 23. Competitors' scores in those two trials will be used to determine which four horse-and-rider combinations will be named to the USET's Olympic dressage squad and which one will be named the alternate.

Selection trials were originally scheduled to take place at the USET Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ. However, USET officials opted to change the venue of the selection trials due to evidence that the West Nile Virus (WNV) had survived the winter and concern about possible restrictions on travel to Europe for horses that have been in New Jersey. New Jersey is generally regarded as a state with strong mosquito control and there is no actual evidence that horses in New Jersey are at risk. Still, USET officials felt that the possibility that Europe (EU) may place restrictions on horses from the Tri-State area, jeopardizing travel for the Team's dressage horses which are scheduled to go to Europe immediately after the Selection Trials, necessitated the change in venue.

By holding the trials in Florida, where there would be no travel restrictions on the horses following the selection trials, the USET was able to adhere to its season-long plan for bringing horses to the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia in the best form for winning medals.

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