Individual, Men
| Date | 30 July – 2 August 1952 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Ruskeasuon liikuntapuisto, Helsinki / Laakso, Helsinki / Tali, Helsinki / Hämeenkylä, Helsinki | |
| Participants | 59 from 21 countries | |
| Format | Dressage, cross-country, and jumping. | |
There were 59 entrants from 21 countries, but only 34 riders would finish the event. The cross-country test consisted of 7 km on roads and paths, followed by a 4 km steeplechase, then 15 km again on roads and paths, followed by 8 km cross-country, finishing with 2 km on the flat. The jumping was contested over 12 obstacles up to 1.20 metres in height.
Finland’s Mauno Roiha led after the dressage phase, ahead of Germany’s Willi Büsing. However, Roiha was disqualified in the cross-country phase, which was led by Sweden’s Hans von Blixen-Finecke, Jr., who also moved into the lead entering the jumping phase, trailed by his teammate Olof Stahre and France’s Guy Lefrant, as Büsing dropped back to fifth place. Büsing was one of nine riders to go clear in the jumping phase, which moved him up to the bronze medal. Both von Blixen-Finecke, Jr. and Lefrant had 10 faults in jumping, but it was good enough for them to win the gold and silver medals, respectively.
Von Blixen-Finecke, Jr.’s father had won a bronze medal in 1912 individual dressage. His aunt was Karen von Blixen-Finecke, better known by her nom de plume of Isak Dinesen, under which she was a well-known author, especially for her work, Out of Africa, which became a popular movie in 1985. Guy Lefrant would win two other Olympics medals, a bronze in 1960 team eventing, and a silver in 1964 team jumping.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | Horse | NOC | Points | Dressage | Cross-Country | Jumping | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Hans, Baron von Blixen-Finecke, Jr. | Jubal |  SWE | -28.33 | -123.33 (14) | 105.00 (1) | -10.00 (=10) | Gold | ||
| 2 | – | Guy Lefrant | Verdun |  FRA | -54.50 | -119.50 (11) | 75.00 (=5) | -10.00 (=10) | Silver | ||
| 3 | – | Willi Büsing | Hubertus |  GER | -55.50 | -103.50 (2) | 48.00 (12) | 0.00 (=1) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | – | Pedro Mercado | Mandinga |  ARG | -62.80 | -130.80 (22) | 78.00 (=3) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 5 | – | Klaus Wagner | Dachs | GER | -65.66 | -109.66 (5) | 54.00 (9) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 6 | – | Piero D'Inzeo | Pagoro |  ITA | -66.80 | -118.80 (9) | 52.00 (10) | 0.00 (=1) | |||
| 7 | – | Bertie Hill | Stella |  GBR | -67.33 | -126.33 (=18) | 69.00 (8) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 8 | – | Olof Stahre | Komet | SWE | -69.41 | -108.66 (3) | 81.00 (2) | -41.75 (34) | |||
| 9 | – | Champ Hough | Cassivellannus |  USA | -70.66 | -111.66 (7) | 51.00 (11) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 10 | – | Valerian Kuybyshev | Perekop |  URS | -84.00 | -139.00 (27) | 75.00 (=5) | -20.00 (=24) | |||
| 11 | – | Otto Rothe | Trux von Kamax | GER | -114.33 | -186.33 (58) | 72.00 (7) | 0.00 (=1) | |||
| 12 | – | Beltrán, Duque de Albuquerque | Huron |  ESP | -118.00 | -186.00 (57) | 78.00 (=3) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 13 | – | Reg Hindley | Speculation | GBR | -121.80 | -145.80 (31) | 34.00 (=14) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 14 | – | Mario Leuenberg | Micho |  CHI | -124.16 | -148.66 (33) | 37.00 (13) | -12.50 (23) | |||
| 15 | – | Folke Frölén | Fair | SWE | -124.20 | -118.20 (8) | 4.00 (17) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 16 | – | Jürg Ziegler | Vanna |  SUI | -147.00 | -161.00 (42) | 34.00 (=14) | -20.00 (=24) | |||
| 17 | – | Hans Schwarzenbach-Veillon | Vae Victis | SUI | -155.66 | -121.66 (=12) | -24.00 (19) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 18 | – | Walter Staley | Craigwood Park | USA | -168.50 | -173.50 (50) | 25.00 (16) | -20.00 (=24) | |||
| 19 | – | Fernando Cavaleiro | Caudel |  POR | -183.00 | -159.00 (40) | -14.00 (18) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 20 | – | André de la Simone | Baccus | FRA | -193.50 | -124.50 (15) | -69.00 (26) | 0.00 (=1) | |||
| 21 | – | Mario Becerril | Tamaulipas |  MEX | -196.33 | -156.33 (39) | -40.00 (=21) | 0.00 (=1) | |||
| 22 | – | Henry Stewart Treviranus | Rustum |  CAN | -199.00 | -172.00 (47) | -27.00 (20) | 0.00 (=1) | |||
| 23 | – | António de Almeida | Florentina | POR | -216.20 | -173.20 (49) | -43.00 (23) | 0.00 (=1) | |||
| 24 | – | Joaquim Silva | Faial | POR | -218.80 | -173.80 (51) | -45.00 (24) | 0.00 (=1) | |||
| 25 | – | Hans Christian Andersen | Tom |  DEN | -222.20 | -142.20 (29) | -40.00 (=21) | -40.00 (=32) | |||
| 26 | – | Otto Mønsted Acthon | Sirdar | DEN | -267.66 | -121.66 (=12) | -126.00 (28) | -20.00 (=24) | |||
| 27 | – | Harry Freeman-Jackson | Cuchulain |  IRL | -268.66 | -183.66 (56) | -55.00 (25) | -30.00 (31) | |||
| 28 | – | Ian Hume-Dudgeon | Hope | IRL | -269.20 | -162.20 (43) | -87.00 (27) | -20.00 (=24) | |||
| 29 | – | Larry McGuinness | Tara | CAN | -325.33 | -171.33 (45) | -154.00 (29) | 0.00 (=1) | |||
| 30 | – | Aage Rubæk-Nielsen | Sahara | DEN | -339.00 | -119.00 (10) | -200.00 (32) | -20.00 (=24) | |||
| 31 | – | John E. B. Wofford | Benny Grimes | USA | -348.00 | -146.00 (32) | -192.00 (31) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 32 | – | Ilmari Haimi | Keija |  FIN | -407.50 | -160.50 (41) | -207.00 (33) | -40.00 (=32) | |||
| 33 | – | Mark Darley | Emily Little | IRL | -415.66 | -152.66 (36) | -253.00 (34) | -10.00 (=10) | |||
| 34 | – | Fernando López | Amado Mio | ESP | -478.33 | -190.33 (59) | -268.00 (35) | -20.00 (=24) | |||
| – | Mihai Timu | Cornet |  ROU | – | -171.66 (46) | -189.00 (30) | – ( | ||||
| – | Rolando Mosqueira | Trelaros | CHI | – | -163.80 (44) | -305.00 (36) | – ( | ||||
| – | Mauno Roiha | Laaos | FIN | – | -84.00 (1) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Lucio Manzin | Golden Mount | ITA | – | -108.80 (4) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Salvatore Oppes | Champagne | ITA | – | -110.33 (6) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Carlos Villanueva | San Luis | ARG | – | -124.66 (16) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Veikko Vartiainen | Sabina | FIN | – | -126.00 (17) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Werner Kilcher | Voilette | SUI | – | -126.33 (=18) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Max van Loon | Nerantsoula |  NED | – | -127.33 (20) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Ernest van Loon | Ampère | NED | – | -128.80 (21) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Hernán Vigil | Naftol | CHI | – | -132.80 (23) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Charles-Philbert, Baron de Couët de Lorry | Moskito III | FRA | – | -133.50 (24) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Yury Andreyev | Logovoj | URS | – | -135.00 (25) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Laurence Rook | Starlight XV | GBR | – | -137.33 (26) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Boris Lilov | Zagib | URS | – | -139.50 (28) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Nicolae Mihalcea | Ghibelin | ROU | – | -145.20 (30) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Jorge Cánaves | Yatay | ARG | – | -150.66 (34) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Joaquín Nogueras | Blason | ESP | – | -151.33 (35) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Wiel Hendrickx | Patrick | NED | – | -153.33 (37) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Rashko Fratev | Stalingrade |  BUL | – | -156.20 (38) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Krastyo Gochev | Stratsine | BUL | – | -172.80 (48) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Péricles Cavalcanti | Destino |  BRA | – | -175.50 (52) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Stoyan Rogachev | Lérine | BUL | – | -178.50 (53) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Tom Gayford | Constellation | CAN | – | -180.50 (54) | – ( | – | ||||
| – | Petre Andreianu | Ciurlan | ROU | – | -182.00 (55) | – ( | – |