The individual show jumping at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place between 15 and 21 August, at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.

[1] Like all other equestrian events, the jumping competition was mixed gender, with both male and female athletes competing in the same division.

[2] Four of the top 11 riders (including ties for 10th place) from the 2004 Games returned: gold medalist Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil, bronze medalist Marco Kutscher of Germany, fourth-place finisher Rolf-Göran Bengtsson of Sweden, and tenth-place finisher Nick Skelton of Great Britain.

[2] Azerbaijan, Bermuda, the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates each made their debut in the event.

Four horses were banned from competing for doping, Bernardo Alves of Brazil, Christian Ahlmann of Germany, Denis Lynch of Ireland and Tony Andre Hansen of Norway.