Baron Hans Von Blixen Finecke
The Baron, a native Swede, began his formal riding instruction as a cadet in the Swedish cavalry and later became the commandant of the Swedish Army Equitation School. He was the amateur steeplechase champion of Sweden twice, the Swedish 3-day champion eight times, and the Scandinavian 3-Day champion two times as well. He also won the Olympic gold medal in eventing at the 1952 Helsinki Games, in addition to having trained the horse that won the gold medal in dressage at those same games.
In 1963, he moved to England, transitioning from military centered riding to being a coach and clinician, and was widely know as the coach of the very successful team of Christopher Bartle, dressage silver medalist at the 1986 World Championships, and his sister, Jane Bartle-Wilson. The Baron frequently traveled the world to lecture and teach.
"Han's Von Blixen never lost his missionary zeal to make life easier for horses with intelligent, logical training. He was never satisfied to continue with traditional training methods or instructions without questioning them first and making sure that they were based on clear understanding of what enables a horse to perform both from the mental as well as the physical aspect. He would constantly remind his students of what was said in large letters on the wall of the indoor school in Stromsholm, 'When art goes out, abuse takes over'. He will long be remembered." — Euro Dressage, British Dressage News
He died in 2005, at age 89.