BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS / DAY 12 : It’s as Simple as 1, 2 and 3 for Germany : Equestrian: Only those who are knowledgeable about dressage can appreciate the subtleties of the sport.

Far from the madding crowd, at the upscale end of the Olympics where spectators whisper and only horses sweat, sport unfolded with great precision and efficiency Wednesday: A German juggernaut swept the individual equestrian dressage finals.

There are questions about the future of equestrian events in the Olympics, but there were no questions about Germany’s Nicole Uphoff.

Riding Rembrandt, Uphoff, 25, won her second consecutive Olympic gold medal with a performance of control and grace that impressed the five dressage judges. They awarded Uphoff, who has ridden in the dressage ring since she was 10, a record 1,626 points for the nine-minute routine.

The only American rider in the field of 16, Carol Lovell, 49, of Fairfax, Vt., riding Gifted, finished sixth with 1,408 points.

On a morning in which there were no surprises at the Barcelona Polo Club, dressage proved to be the most subtle of Olympic equestrian events.

“Dressage would bore sheep, but it is the basis of all riding. Without it, you cannot do any of the rest, “ said Rafael Winth, a reporter and horseman covering the finals for a Barcelona newspaper.

Devised in 16th-Century Europe as a test for war horses, dressage involves a rigorous series of maneuvers inside a rectangular ring where space and time are sharply etched.

Dressage exercises: passage , walk, trot, canter, piaffer , and changes of direction and of leg are an acquired taste.

“Boring? Only to those who don’t understand the discipline,” said Italian rider Laura Conz Dall Ora. “You have to love horses, and to see the relationship of the man and horse.”

The American presence at the individual finals was what Anne Ransehousen, the U.S. team leader, called “icing on the cake.”

That is because the four-member team won a bronze medal in dressage Monday.

It was the first American dressage medal since 1976, and rider Mike Poulin of Fairfield, Me., said it represents a dramatic breakthrough in an event long dominated by Germany and its Northern European neighbors.

“When we won 16 years ago, three of our horses were German and three of our riders were German-trained. This year, we are an all-American team,” said Poulin, 45, who says he sometimes drives a trailer truck hauling logs to support his dressage habit.

Besides dressage, Olympic equestrian events include a three-day endurance competition, won by Australia this year, and show jumping. Both, like dressage, offer team and individual medals for a total of six equestrian golds in the Games.

Equestrian Medalists

INDIVIDUAL DRESSAGE

GOLD: Nicole Uphoff on Rembrandt (Germany)

SILVER: Isabelle Regina Werth on Gigolo (Germany)

BRONZE: Klaus Balkenhol on Goldstern (Germany)