Team, Open

There were 12 teams of four riders each, with the top three scorers from the individual event counting towards the team score. The Soviet Union led after the dressage phase, followed by East Germany (GDR) and West Germany (FRG). As always, the endurance is critical in the three-day to determine the overall winners, and Great Britain led this phase, with the United States second and Australia third. That put Great Britain ahead going into the jumping, trailed by the USA, the Soviet Union, and Australia. Great Britain finished second in jumping, behind France, to comfortably win the gold medal, with silver going to the United States and bronze to Australia. The Soviets had lost one rider in the endurance phase and when only two of their riders finished the jumping they were eliminated. Eight of the 12 teams finished the event. Jane Bullen on the British team was the first event female eventing gold medalist. Her teammate, Derek Allhusen, won his gold medal 20 years after he had first competed at the Olympics, in the demonstration sport of Winter Pentathlon at the 1948 St. Moritz Winter Pentathlon.