Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively remote city of Los Angeles ? a trip to the West Coast of the USA was a long one for Europeans ? half as many athletes took part as had in 1928. The economic crisis had also touched equestrian sport. Aachen in Germany, already one of the greatest shows, had only three nations in their 1931 and 1932 Nations Cups.

The great absentee in the equestrian sport of Los Angeles was Germany. Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Poland and Czechoslovakia ? all medal winners four years previously in Amsterdam also stayed away. France only sent a Dressage team; Netherlands only its strong Eventers. Sweden was fully represented, but to save money, the Eventing riders had also to do the Jumping competition. The US had full representation. In addition there were Mexicans ? who had the shortest journey - and an Eventer and Jumping rider from Japan.

The equestrian events were run by the US Cavalry Association, then the National Federation of the USA, affiliated to the FEI. Its president was Guy Henry, Olympic rider in 1912, now chief of the US Cavalry and, since 1931, FEI President.

BY EARTH AND BY SEA

It is interesting how the teams came to Los Angeles. Japan team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles. The Dutch sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles, France and Sweden took a ship to New York, then travelled by railroad across the USA, as did the Mexicans.

The most interesting arrangements were those of the Dutch. They remembered that the US equestrian team, travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928, had kept their horse fit by hiring the treadmill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races. The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage.

FRENCH HORSES

The amazing thing about these otherwise rather irrelevant Olympic equestrian events of 1932 in Los Angeles is the fact that all three individual gold medal horses were French-bred: Taine (Dressage) ? Marcroix (Eventing) ? Uranus (Jumping)

Key Facts and Figures (general):

·                      37 nations

·                      1,332 athletes (126 women;1,206 men)

·                      14 sports

·                      100,000 people who attended the Opening Ceremony

·                      The 1932 Olympics were the first to last 16 days . The duration of the Olympics has remained between 15 and 18 days ever since. Between 1900 and 1928, no Summer Olympics was shorter than 79 days.

·                      The 1932 Olympic Games probably had the first real press service ? it began operating in 1929 ? and did an intensive promotion campaign. They became a huge public success.

·                      At the victory ceremonies, the medal winners stood on a victory stand and the flag of the winner was raised.

·                      Official automatic timing was introduced for the track events, as was the photo-finish camera.

Key Facts and Figures (equestrian)

·                      6 nations (France, Japan, Mexico, Netherland, Sweden, USA). This was the lowest evet Participation in the Games was the lowest ever.

·                      35 entries (11 in Jumping; 10 in Dressage; 14 in Eventing)

·                      There were 25,000 spectators watching Dressage on the polo field of the Riviera Country Club. There were 100,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium (the Coliseum) for the jumping and the closing ceremony.

JUMPING (11 riders from 4 nations)

The jumping competition of 1932 was a disaster. The first known Olympic course designer, John A. Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also a multi Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928. It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1,060m.

Considering the weak starting field, with probably only six top riders ? as compared with 20-25 in Lucerne, Dublin or Rome at that time ? the two 1.60m fences, the wall and the water at 5 meters were far too much. No team finished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed.

DRESSAGE (10 riders from 4 nations)

Dressage was overshadowed by strange incident. During the ride of Bertil Sandstr o m of Sweden an unofficial side-judge, posted there by the US, reported that the rider had clicked with his tongue, which was forbidden by FEI rules. Sandstr o m claimed it was just a squeak of his new saddle. The matter was referred to the highly respected Appeals Committee, composed of Guy Henry, Olympic Rider 1912, Chief of the US Cavalry, FEI President; Clarence con Rosen of Sweden, organiser of the first Equestrian Olympic Games of 1912, FEI Vice President; Georges Hector of France, FEI Secretary General since 1921.

They came to the surprising conclusion that Sandstrom, who would have won individual silver, was to be placed last individually. This gave individual silver to a French rider and bronze to an American. But Sandstrom’s score was to count for the team competition - it did not endanger the gold medal of the French and kept the US in a nice bronze medal position.

For the first time, piaffe and passage were asked for and the test took 16 minutes.

EVENTING (14 riders from 5 nations)

The most serious contenders were the three riders each from the US, the Netherlands and Sweden. The former two got their three riders to the finish line ? Arne Francke of Sweden was eliminated on the cross country. While Pahud de Mortanges repeated his victory of 1928, the US took the team gold medal. Their best Earl Foster (Tommy) Thomson was second on Jenny Camp - a feat he was to repeat four years later in Berlin. Clarence von Rosen junior was third ? as he was a day later in the jumping competition.

To find out more about the equestrian events includes ,? to see the medallists and full results of 1932 Olympic Games. click here .

The medallists and full results?can be found here .