The 1972 Olympic dressage events were held at a temporary facility set up on the grounds of the Nymphenburg Palace, a Baroque Palace in München. The Palace, built in the 17th century, had been the summer residence of the house of Wittelsbach. The decision by the Organizing Committee (OCOG) to move dressage to Nymphenburg was hotly disputed. The decision to hold dressage in Nymphenburg instead of Riem was influenced by a state visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1965. When she was in München, the 1964 German Olympic gold medal team gave a 10-minute dressage demonstration in front of the castle, which enchanted the Queen and influenced the München OCOG’s decision.
A team and individual competition were held over three days, with the first day determining the team placements, and the top 12 in that event advancing to the individual finals over the last two days.
Women were first allowed to compete in dressage at the 1952 Olympics and this event was becoming more and more dominated by women, with 21 of the 33 competitors in 1972, females also winning the gold and silver medals, the gold going to West German Liselott Linsenhoff with the silver taken by Soviet rider Yelena Petushkova. One female competitor was Britain’s Lorna Johnstone, born in 1902, and at 70 years, 3 days old on the day dressage started, the oldest ever female Olympian (through 2020).
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