| Date | 26 July – 3 August 1996 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Georgia International Horse Park, Conyers, Georgia | |
| Participants | 49 from 18 countries | |
| Format | Total score in three rounds determines final placements. | |
The event was changed with three rounds, termed the Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Special, and the Grand Prix Freestyle. The Grand Prix was effectively the qualifying round that doubled as the team competition, with the top 25 riders advancing to the Grand Prix Special. The top 14 riders after two rounds then advanced to the Grand Prix Freestyle, which was dressage set to music, termed kür. The final placements for the top 14 riders were determined by total score for all three rounds. Scoring was also different. Previously the points for each judge were added together for the total score. Now, each round was scored that way, but a percentage score of the maximum was also given, and used for the totals, so the highest total score was theoretically 300, for 100% in each round. The new format and scoring was revolutionary and changed dressage from a very boring competition into just a sorta boring one.
The event was now dominated by women as they took the top five places. The two-time defending champion was Germany Nicole Uphoff but she was at the top of the German team, and although she competed, she was only eighth after the Grand Prix Special and chose not to contest the Grand Prix Freestyle. Her teammate Isabell Werth succeeded her as Olympic Champion, after winning a silver medal in 1992. In the Grand Prix Freestyle she and her horse, Gigolo, performed to “Just a Gigolo,” aptly, and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” from Monty Python. Werth would also win silvers in the event in 2000 and 2008. The Netherlands’ [Anky van Grunsven] won silver in Atlanta, but she would become the top rider in the discipline, winning gold medals in 2000-08.
| Pos | Competitor | Horse | NOC | Percentage Points | Grand Prix | Grand Prix Special | Grand Prix Kür Freestyle | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isabell Werth | Gigolo |  GER | 235.09 | 76.60 (1) | 75.49 (2) | 83.00 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | Anky van Grunsven | Bonfire |  NED | 233.02 | 75.72 (2) | 77.72 (1) | 79.58 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | Sven Rothenberger | Weyden | NED | 224.94 | 74.16 (4) | 74.00 (4) | 76.78 (4) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | Monica Theodorescu | Grunox | GER | 224.56 | 73.80 (5) | 73.91 (5) | 76.85 (3) | |||
| 5 | Michelle Gibson | Peron |  USA | 222.83 | 75.20 (3) | 74.28 (3) | 73.35 (8) | |||
| 6 | Klaus Balkenhol | Goldstern | GER | 221.81 | 71.72 (6) | 73.81 (6) | 76.28 (5) | |||
| 7 | Margit Otto-Crépin | Lucky Lord |  FRA | 219.80 | 71.32 (7) | 72.93 (9) | 75.55 (6) | |||
| 8 | Guenter Seidel | Graf George | USA | 215.02 | 69.36 (11) | 71.81 (10) | 73.85 (7) | |||
| 9 | Martin Schaudt | Durgo | GER | 212.75 | 71.24 (8) | 70.98 (11) | 70.53 (12) | |||
| 10 | Louise Nathhorst | Walk on Top |  SWE | 212.54 | 66.28 (21) | 73.53 (7) | 72.73 (9) | |||
| 11 | Ignacio Rambla | Evento |  ESP | 212.13 | 69.76 (10) | 70.19 (12) | 72.18 (10) | |||
| 12 | Lars Petersen | Uffe Korshøjgaard |  DEN | 207.82 | 68.20 (12) | 68.74 (13) | 70.88 (11) | |||
| 13 | Tineke Bartels-de Vries | Olympic Barbria | NED | 205.54 | 67.60 (14) | 68.28 (15) | 69.66 (13) | |||
| 14 | Nicole Uphoff-Becker | Rembrandt | GER | 143.06 | 70.04 (9) | 73.02 (8) | – ( | |||
| 15 | Steffen Peters | Udon | USA | 135.43 | 67.80 (13) | 67.63 (18) | – | |||
| 16 | Gonnelien Rothenberger-Gordijn | Dondolo | NED | 135.34 | 66.92 (=15) | 68.42 (14) | – | |||
| 17 | Christine Stückelberger | Aquamarin |  SUI | 134.57 | 66.48 (19) | 68.09 (17) | – | |||
| 18 | Arlette Holsters | Faible |  BEL | 134.46 | 66.32 (20) | 68.14 (16) | – | |||
| 19 | Annette Solmell | Strauss | SWE | 133.39 | 66.92 (=15) | 66.47 (20) | – | |||
| 20 | Ulla Håkansson | Bobby | SWE | 133.15 | 66.64 (18) | 66.51 (19) | – | |||
| 21 | Richard Davison | Askari |  GBR | 131.70 | 66.72 (17) | 64.98 (22) | – | |||
| 22 | Finn Hansen | Bergerac | DEN | 131.07 | 65.44 (25) | 65.63 (21) | – | |||
| 23 | Dominique Brieussel | Akazie | FRA | 130.14 | 66.00 (22) | 64.14 (24) | – | |||
| 24 | Mary Hanna | Mosaic II |  AUS | 130.09 | 65.76 (24) | 64.33 (23) | – | |||
| 25 | Robert Dover | Metallic | USA | 124.75 | 65.96 (23) | 58.79 (25) | – | |||
| 26 | Heike Holstein | Ballaseyr Devereaux |  IRL | 65.24 | 65.24 (26) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 27 | Hans Staub | Dukaat | SUI | 65.12 | 65.12 (27) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 28 | Kyra Kyrklund | Amiral |  FIN | 64.80 | 64.80 (28) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 29 | Leonie Bramall | Gilbona |  CAN | 64.52 | 64.52 (29) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 30 | Dominique d'Esmé | Thor | FRA | 64.48 | 64.48 (30) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 31 | Caroline Hatlapa | Merlin |  AUT | 64.36 | 64.36 (31) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 32 | Beatriz Ferrer-Salat Serra | Brillant | ESP | 64.16 | 64.16 (32) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 33 | Eva Senn | Renzo | SUI | 64.12 | 64.12 (33) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 34 | Pia Laus | Liebenberg |  ITA | 64.00 | 64.00 (34) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 35 | Paolo Giani Margi | Destino di Acciarella | ITA | 63.80 | 63.80 (35) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 36 | Joanna Jackson | Mester Mouse | GBR | 63.08 | 63.08 (36) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 37 | Tinne Wilhelmsson | Caprice | SWE | 61.68 | 61.68 (37) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 38 | Rafael Soto | Invasor | ESP | 61.08 | 61.08 (38) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 39 | Joaquín Orth | Bellini |  MEX | 60.72 | 60.72 (39) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| =40 | Marie-Hélène Syre | Marlon | FRA | 60.64 | 60.64 (=40) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| =40 | Vicky Thompson | Enfant | GBR | 60.64 | 60.64 (=40) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 42 | Suzanne Dunkley | Elliot |  BER | 60.08 | 60.08 (42) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 43 | Daria Fantoni | Sonny Boy | ITA | 59.84 | 59.84 (43) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 44 | Jane Bredin | Cupido | GBR | 58.72 | 58.72 (44) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 45 | Evi Strasser | Lavinia | CAN | 58.48 | 58.48 (45) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 46 | Gina Smith | Faust | CAN | 57.36 | 57.36 (46) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 47 | Fausto Puccini | Fiffikus | ITA | 56.72 | 56.72 (47) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 48 | Juan Matute | Hermes | ESP | 56.64 | 56.64 (48) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| 49 | Barbara von Grebel-Schiendorfer | Ramar | SUI | 52.96 | 52.96 (49) | – | – | DNQ | ||
| Tom Dvorak | CAN | – | – | – | – | |||||
| Gyula Dallos | Carnaval |  HUN | – | – | – | – | ||||
| Gyula Dallos | Carnaval | HUN | – | – | – | – |
| Date | 26 – 27 July 1996 — 9:00 | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Round one scores from team event. Top 25 riders advanced to round two. Maximum three riders from nation to advance. | |
| Judge E | Linda Zang | USA |
| Judge H | Uwe Mechlem | GER |
| Judge C | Eric Lette | SWE |
| Judge M | Jan Peeters | NED |
| Judge B | Bernard Maurel | FRA |
| Date | 31 July 1996 — 8:30 | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Top 13 riders advanced to Grand Prix Kür Freestyle. | |
| Judge E | Jan Peeters | NED |
| Judge H | Bernard Maurel | FRA |
| Judge C | Eric Lette | SWE |
| Judge M | Linda Zang | USA |
| Judge B | Uwe Mechlem | GER |
| Date | 3 August 1996 — 9:00 | |
|---|---|---|
| Judge E | Bernard Maurel | FRA |
| Judge H | Jan Peeters | NED |
| Judge C | Eric Lette | SWE |
| Judge M | Uwe Mechlem | GER |
| Judge B | Linda Zang | USA |
| Pos | Competitor | Horse | NOC | Percentage Points | TP | Artistic Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isabell Werth | Gigolo | GER | 83.00 | 39.95 | 43.05 | ||
| 2 | Anky van Grunsven | Bonfire | NED | 79.58 | 37.50 | 42.08 | ||
| 3 | Monica Theodorescu | Grunox | GER | 76.85 | 37.15 | 39.70 | ||
| 4 | Sven Rothenberger | Weyden | NED | 76.78 | 36.90 | 39.88 | ||
| 5 | Klaus Balkenhol | Goldstern | GER | 76.28 | 35.95 | 40.33 | ||
| 6 | Margit Otto-Crépin | Lucky Lord | FRA | 75.55 | 36.35 | 39.20 | ||
| 7 | Guenter Seidel | Graf George | USA | 73.85 | 35.95 | 37.90 | ||
| 8 | Michelle Gibson | Peron | USA | 73.35 | 35.45 | 37.90 | ||
| 9 | Louise Nathhorst | Walk on Top | SWE | 72.73 | 35.85 | 36.88 | ||
| 10 | Ignacio Rambla | Evento | ESP | 72.18 | 35.45 | 36.73 | ||
| 11 | Lars Petersen | Uffe Korshøjgaard | DEN | 70.88 | 34.35 | 36.53 | ||
| 12 | Martin Schaudt | Durgo | GER | 70.53 | 34.10 | 36.43 | ||
| 13 | Tineke Bartels-de Vries | Olympic Barbria | NED | 69.66 | 33.65 | 36.00 | ||
| Nicole Uphoff-Becker | Rembrandt | GER | – | – | – |
