| Equestrian at the Games of the XVI Olympiad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venue | Stockholm Olympic Stadium |
| Dates | 11–17 June 1956 |
| No. of events | 6 |
| Competitors | 158 from 29 nations |
| Equestrian events at the 1956 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Dressage | individual | team |
| Eventing | individual | team |
| Jumping | individual | team |
The equestrian events at the1956 Summer Olympics were held inStockholm due to the Australianquarantine regulations and includeddressage,eventing, andshow jumping. All three disciplines had both individual and team competitions. The competitions were held from 11 to 17 June 1956 atStockholm Olympic Stadium. There were 158 entries from 29 National Olympic Committees: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA and Venezuela. This would be the first appearance for Australia, Cambodia and Venezuela in equestrian events.[1]
Although Melbourne was awarded the 1956 Olympic Games, Australia had a strict six-month pre-shipment quarantine on horses. A meeting in 1953 by Australian federal authorities ruled that they would not change the quarantine laws for the Olympic horses. Therefore, the equestrian competition would not be able to be held in Australia. In 1954, the IOC selected Stockholm, Sweden, as the alternate venue for the equestrian events. Therefore, the equestrian events were not only separated by city or country, but also continent, with the equestrian event being held in June (summer in theNorthern Hemisphere) and the other sports held in November (late spring in theSouthern Hemisphere).
A total of 66 riders from 24 countries contested the difficult Greger Lewnhaupt-designed course, which no one was able to ride clear in the first round. Considered the first modern course in Olympic history, it was 775 meters in length, to be ridden at 400m/min, with 14 obstacles and 17 jumping efforts. The gold medal was awarded toHans Günter Winkler of the Federal Republic of Germany, on his great mareHalla. He finished the first round with 4 faults, after landing heavily after an early takeoff by his mount, resulting in a pulled groin muscle. Knowing that withdrawal from the final round would result in his country's elimination, Winkler rode in the second round, and managed to complete it faultlessly. Winkler would go on to be one of the most medal-winning riders in Olympic history, with 7 medals to his name.
36 riders, 11 of which were women, from 17 nations competed in dressage. Of those 11 women, 2 won an individual medal (including previous silver medalistLis Hartel) and another placed in the top 10. There was controversy in the judging, since judges tended to have their own opinions of what was considered correct training and riding, and at the time there was no common ideal for dressage. The German and Swedish judges favored their own countrymen, and ended up being suspended by the FEI. Following this controversy, the IOC threatened to remove dressage from the Olympics. The FEI and IOC came to a compromise, resulting in only individual competitors being allowed at the 1960 Games, with up to 2 riders per country.
* Host nation (Sweden)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sweden* | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 |  United Team of Germany | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 |  Great Britain | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 |  Italy | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 |  Denmark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 |  Canada | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Switzerland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (7 entries) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | |
A total of 29 nations competed in Stockholm.
Argentina (7)
Australia (4)
Austria (5)
Belgium (3)
Brazil (3)
Bulgaria (4)
Cambodia (2) Canada (4) Denmark (6)
Egypt (3)
Finland (7)
France (8) United Team of Germany (9) Great Britain (8)
Hungary (3)
Ireland (6) Italy (6)
Japan (2)
Netherlands (1)
Norway (4)
Portugal (7)
Romania (6)
Soviet Union (9)
Spain (6) Sweden (9) Switzerland (9)
Turkey (6)
United States (8)
Venezuela (3)Five nations competed in the equestrian events in Stockholm, but did not attend the Games in Melbourne:
Egypt and Cambodia did not compete in Melbourne due to theSuez Crisis, whilst Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland all boycotted the Australian event in protest at theSoviet invasion of Hungary.[2]
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