The Netherlands' Anky Van Grunsven celebrated a hat-trick of
back-to-back individual Olympic titles at the Beijing 2008 equestrian events in
Hong Kong. Pictured riding double Olympic champion Salinero who will be her
partner at London 2012.
23 nations
10 teams
Five countries represented by a team and one individual
13 countries represented by an individual only
50 riders in total
The Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven will be setting a new record when becoming the first Dressage rider to compete at seven Olympic Games.
Van Grunsven already shares the record for most Olympic medals in Dressage. Along with Germany’s Isabell Werth and Reiner Klimke, she has won eight to date, so she will be out on her own if she picks up her ninth in London.
She is defending Individual champion, and the only Dressage rider ever to take three back-to-back Olympic titles – at Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004 and Hong Kong in 2008.
There will be three separate competitions – Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Freestyle to Music.
The Team medals will be decided after the first two competitions when the scores are combined.
The Freestyle will decide the fate of the Individual medals.
The Judges Supervisory Panel will be in operation for the first time at an Olympic Games.
The dressage event starts with the First Horse Inspection on 31 July, and brings the equestrian competitions at London 2012 to a close on 9 August.
In the history of Olympic Dressage, Germany has dominated the medal tables, taking 12 team and seven individual titles.
The last time the Olympic Games were staged in London, in 1948, Switzerland’s Hans Moser and Hummer won Individual gold in Dressage and France took the Team title.
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