Look Who's Back: Divina Royal

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F.O.C.U.S

After an almost 3-year absence from the competition ring, Jose Antonio Garcia Mena's Spanish Tokyo Olympic team horse Divina Royal has made her return to the arena under a new rider.

Divina Royal is a 16-year old Hanoverian mare by Desperados x Royal Highness x Consul. She is bred by Janina Harling in Germany.

Jose Antonio Garcia Mena

Divina Royal arrived in Spain in 2014 and was first trained by Carlos Nieto. He premiered her in the international young horse classes in 2015 at the CDI in Madrid. A year later he rode her in the 6-year old tests at the CDI in Jerez de la Frontera, while in 2017 he piloted her in the 7-year old tests at the CDI Medina Sidonia.

Owned by Jose Ignacio Diaz Bravo, the mare got a new rider in Jose Antonio Garcia Mena, who produced her to Grand Prix level.

They made their show debut in 2018 and their international premier at medium tour level in 2019 at the CDI Granada, followed by Segovia, winning three out of four classes.

Their international Grand Prix debut was in 2021, their most successful year in their career, After shows in Abrantes, Camarma de Esteruelas and Grote Brogel, the short listed riders were sent to Aachen for the pre-quarantine and training camp and only when Claudio Castilla dropped out last minute was the final Spanish Olympic team decided. Mena ended up being selected with both his horses, Sorento and Divina Royal as reserve. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics he rode Sorento in the Grand Prix and used the substitution rule to ride Divina in the Special for the team competition. They scored 73.754%. Six weeks later at the 2021 European Championships in Hagen they made it to the freestyle finals, finishing 11th in the Kur with 79,361%

In 2022 the pair showed in Doha, Hagen and Aachen. They won gold at the Spanish championships and placed 16th in the Special at the 2022 World Championships in Herning

The pair's last season was the spring of 2023. They started in Doha and then went to Alter do Chao. Their last show was the 2023 Spanish Championships where they were fourth. The mare had been for sale for a while, but got injured and disappeared from the show scene after the spring of 2023.

Alfonso Gormaz

For years Mena publicly stated that he was going to make a show come back on the impressive chestnut mare, but it never happened.

Owner Jose Ignacio Diaz Bravo recently re-allocated the ride to a new rider, Alfonso Gormaz, in October 2025. Lily Forado broke the news of the move last month and at the time Gormaz stated he would not be showing her. A change of heart took place though and last weekend at the regional show at the María de Huerva Equestrian Center in Zaragoza, the new duo made its Grand Prix level debut, scoring 65.036% in an experience building ride.