Equestrian at the 1948 Summer Olympics

The Equestrian Events at the 1948 London Summer Olympics included Dressage, Eventing, and Show Jumping. All three disciplines had both individual and team competitions. The competitions were held from August 9, 1948 to August 14, 1948, with the first 5 days held in the military complex at Aldershot, the endurance day on the army grounds of Aldershot at Tweseldown, and the jumping at the Olympic Stadium in Wembley. World War II resulted in a greatly reduced number of competitors, including the absence of Germany, although Brazil made its first appearance in the equestrian events. 108 entries from 17 nations (Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the USA) competed. The youngest participant was Aecio Coelho from Brazil at 23 years old, while the oldest rider was the Italian Alessandro, Count Bettoni Cazzago, at 55 years old.[1]

The Disciplines

Tweseldown racecourse, site of the endurance day of eventing at the 1948 Olympics

Jumping

44 riders from 15 nations contested the 16-obstacle/19-jumping effort course. The 870 meter course had fences up to 1.60 meters in height, and was very slippery due to heavy rains during the week. One round of jumping was used for both team and individual competition.

Dressage

The dressage event had 19 riders from 9 nations. Since World War II had made training dressage horses hard, the difficulty of the test was reduced and only asked for 13 minutes of work with neither piaffe nor passage included. Only 3 judges were used rather than the traditional 5. Horses were also required to be ridden in an English saddle with a double bridle. They were not allowed to use martingales, bearing reins, bandages, gaiters or blinkers.

Eventing

45 riders for 16 countries rode in the eventing competition. Like the dressage competition, the requirements of the eventing were reduced. This included a shortened (3500 meter) steeplechase, lowering the speed of the roads and tracks phases from 240 to 220 meters/minute, and a shortened cross-country course at 33.5 km (compared to Berlin's 36 km course in 1936). The maximum height of both the cross-country and jumping were raised from 1.15 to 1.20 meters. The ground and terrain of the course were also challenging, taking place over difficult footing on a hilly course.

Medal summary

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Individual dressage
 Hans Moser and Hummer
Switzerland (SUI)
 André Jousseaume and Harpagon
France (FRA)
 Gustaf Adolf Boltenstern, Jr. and Trumf
Sweden (SWE)
Team dressage
 France (FRA)
André Jousseaume and Harpagon
Jean Saint-Fort Paillard and Sous les Ceps
Maurice Buret and Saint Quen
 United States (USA)
Robert Borg and Klingson
Earl Foster Thomson and Pancraft
Frank Henry and Reno Overdo
 Portugal (POR)
Fernando Paes and Matamas
Francisco Valadas and Feitiço
Luís Mena e Silva and Fascinante
Individual eventing
 Bernard Chevallier and Aiglonne
France (FRA)
 Frank Henry and Swing Low
United States (USA)
 Robert Selfelt and Claque
Sweden (SWE)
Team eventing
 United States (USA)
Frank Henry and Swing Low
Charles Anderson and Reno Palisade
Earl Foster Thomson and Reno Rhythm
 Sweden (SWE)
Robert Selfelt and Claque
Olof Stahre and Komet
Sigurd Svensson and Dust
 Mexico (MEX)
Humberto Mariles Cortés and Parral
Raúl Campero and Tarahumara
Joaquín Solano and Malinche
Individual jumping
 Humberto Mariles Cortés and Arete
Mexico (MEX)
 Rubén Uriza and Hatuey
Mexico (MEX)
 Jean-François d'Orgeix and Sucre de Pomme
France (FRA)
Team jumping
 Mexico (MEX)
Humberto Mariles Cortés and Arete
Rubén Uriza and Hatuey
Alberto Valdés and Chihuahua
 Spain (ESP)
Jaime García and Bizarro
José Navarro Morenes and Quórum
Marcellino Gavilán and Forajido
 Great Britain (GBR)
Harry Llewellyn and Foxhunter
Henry Nicoll and Kilgeddin
Arthur Carr and Monty

Medal table

 Rank  Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  France (FRA) 2 1 1 4
 Mexico (MEX) 2 1 1 4
3  United States (USA) 1 2 0 3
4  Switzerland (SUI) 1 0 0 1
5  Sweden (SWE) 0 1 2 3
6  Spain (ESP) 0 1 0 1
7  Great Britain (GBR) 0 0 1 1
 Portugal (POR) 0 0 1 1

References

  1. Equestrianism at the 1948 London Summer Games, Sports Reference, retrieved February 27, 2011

Coordinates: 51°15′37″N 0°46′17″W / 51.2604°N 0.7713°W