Jose Antonio Garcia Mena's Benzi Landro Retired from Sport

Dressage

Spain

Benzi Landro, Jose Antonio Garcia Mena's international Grand Prix ride from 2017 till 2020, has been retired from sport.

Benzi Landro is a 15-year old KWPN gelding by Olivi out of TTT Landra (by Inspekteur x Elcaro x Renville). He is bred by A. Knaap in The Netherlands.

Owned by Mercedes Freixas Fuste, the dark bay gelding made his international show debut in 2015 under Spanish Marçal Sabe Canellas at the CDI Barcelona. The duo further competed that year in Oliva, Madrid and Mallorca.

Freixas Fuste moved Benzi Landro to Spanish team rider Jose Antonio Garcia Mena, who made his CDI debut on the gelding at Grand Prix level at Medina Sidonnia in March 2017. Benzi was Mena's newest Grand Prix horse after losing the ride on Dragao (Coudelaria Das Figueiras) in 2015 and Sir Schiwago (Irina Zakhrabekova) in 2016. At that time his top team horse Norte Lovera was retired from sport.

Mena and Benzi Landro campaigned extensively for four years, with starts in Segovia, Madrid, Aachen, Granada, Cascais and Beloura. At the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix Championship the pair won silver. Their highlight year was 2018 when they came close to Spanish team selection for the World Equestrian Games, but did not make the cut after a 66.413% score in the Aachen Grand Prix, the last team selection trial.

Marçal Sabe Canellas and Benzi Landro in 2015

Mena and Benzi's final CDI was in August 2020 in Beloura, Portugal, where they were second in the Grand Prix (69.717%) and third in the Special (70.170). At the 2020 Spanish Dressage Championships in October that year they reclaimed a silver medal. Their last national show was in May 2021 after which the horse was retired from sport.

"How much I have learnt from you and with you," Mena wrote in a dedicated post. "Such a special and loving being. Thanks to you I have had many opportunities for unique experiences."

Retirement or Rest?

Benzi Landro has moved to Diana Ostariz' yard Mas de Vallalta for his retirement. Mena continued his career on new Grand Prix horses Divina Royal and Sorento, with who he is short listed for the Spanish Olympic team for Tokyo.

Benzi's owner Mercedes Freixas is leaving the door open for Benzi to return to sport, but confirms the horse is currently having a break now.

"He is in Diana’s place, simply having a rest," Mercedes added. "We don’t know today what we will do with the horse, sell it, give it to another rider. The horse is not retired of competition, he is retired of Mena stable."