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Rare archival footage of the eventing competition at the 1956 Stockholm Olympic Games, compiled by Per Wilen. These games — known as the Equestrian Olympics — were uniquely held in Stockholm after Australian quarantine regulations prevented horses from travelling to Melbourne.
This rare footage offers a glimpse into one of the most extraordinary chapters in equestrian sport history. When Australia's strict six-month quarantine rules made it impossible to transport competition horses to Melbourne for the 1956 Olympic Games, the IOC awarded the equestrian events to Stockholm — the only time in Olympic history that a host city has staged just the equestrian disciplines of a Games held elsewhere.
The eventing cross-country course was laid out at Järvafältet, drawing crowds of around 40,000 spectators despite rain and difficult ground conditions. Of 55 starting combinations, 41 completed the course. Sweden's Petrus Kastenman rode Iluster to individual gold, part of a triumphant home Games hat also saw Henri Saint Cyr claim double gold in dressage — individual and team — defending his individual title from Helsinki 1952.
Watching this footage today is to witness a world of equestrian sport that feels both distant and familiar — the courage of horse and rider unchanged across seven decades.
Archival footage courtesy of Per Wilen.
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Two days. One shared goal: advancing horse welfare through science, education and practice. Join leading international experts at the Horse Welfare Summit 2026, where Dr Andrew McLean will deliver two keynote lectures and receive the Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation Scholarship.
A new review examines how smartphones are becoming genuine tools for monitoring a horse's soundness, heart rate and recovery, and even for meeting international competition requirements. Among the systems it highlights is Sleip, co-founded by Dr. Elin Hernlund, one of the Foundation's own scholarship recipients, whose work builds on decades of Swedish equine biomechanics research going back to Professor Ingvar Fredricson himself.
On November 2, visitors gathered in Hall B at the Jönköping Horse Show for the Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation’s 2025 scholarship ceremony, celebrating groundbreaking Swedish research in equine biomechanics. From the pioneering efforts of the 1970s—when high‑speed cameras and manual measurements were the researcher’s tools—to today’s AI‑powered motion analysis and robotic hoof simulators, the audience was taken on a journey through decades of innovation. Professors Lars Roepstorff and Marie Rhodin, together with Associate Professor Elin Hernlund, shared their latest breakthroughs, followed by live demonstrations showing how AI and high‑precision sensors are transforming the understanding of horse–rider interaction. Moderator Jens Fredricson guided the dialogue and inspired exchange between researchers, while post‑event discussions with attendees helped build valuable bridges between research and practice.
The FEI's guardian framework resonates with the work we champion at the Professor Fredricson Foundation. Advancing equestrian sport means placing the horse's welfare and wellbeing at the center — not as an afterthought, but as the foundation upon which all excellence is built.