LipiData is proud to be following the journey of German rider Martina Benzinger as she attempts to qualify for the European Championships in Riesenbeck 2023, and eventually the 2024 Paris Paralympics with her Lipizzaner mare, Nautika-74. Martina and Nautika compete together in Para Dressage Grade I, having been a team since 2021. A highlight of the the pair's career occurred in September 2022 when Martina and Nautika were number 3 in the world rankings for Para Dressage Grade I. An exceptionally special mare, Martina says that Nautika fights for them both.

Martina will be providing the LipiData community with a behind the scenes look at what it takes to compete at the top level. We hope you enjoy following Martina and Nautika's road to the 2024 Paralympics.

Martina and Nautika had a very successful competition at the CPEDI3* Randbøl in Denmark, where the pair achieved the top result for the German Para-Dressage team with a total of 146.806 points, and helped the German team take first place in the team event.
Martina and Nautika placed 1st in the Para Grand Prix Test B Grade I with 74.653%, and 2nd in the Para Grand Prix Test A Grade I with 72.153%, and were privileged to be presented their award by Her Royal Highness Princess Benedikte of Denmark (photo below).

photos courtesy of Martina Benzinger