Independent Little Me Resurfaces with Celebrity Dutch Rider Onboard

Dressage

The Netherlands

Independent Little Me, a 13-year old Dutch warmblood stallion which Dinja van Liere competed at international small tour level five years ago, has resurfaced with a Dutch celebrity rider onboard.

Independent Little Me is a 2013 born KWPN stallion by UNO Don Diego out of Wendela (by San Remo x ). He is bred by M. Rothengatter.

Dinja van Liere

Owned by Mark Van Eeuwen couple, the chestnut made his international show debut as a 6-year old in 2019 at the World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo, where he finished 7th in the 6-year old Finals with 87.200 points.

Two years later in 2021 he returned to the CDI ring in Munich at small tour level and won the Intermediaire I with 72.971%. It was in Dinja van Liere's break through year when she became Dutch Olympic team reserve with Haute Couture and began making her way to the top with Hermes. Four months later Dinja and Independent Little Me competed at the CDIO Aachen, where they were fourth in the Prix St Georges and 9th in the Intermediaire I.

The horse disappeared from the show scene with an injury but recovered. He last competed nationally at national small tour level during Jumping Amsterdam in January 2023.

"I kept him at home to train him to Grand Prix level," Dinja told Eurodressage in February 2025. "He can do everything but finds the piaffe-passage hard. That's why we decided to sell him as a junior or young riders horse. He's more comfortable at that (level) and I think he would make an amazing horse for that."

Britt Dekker

On 19 August 2026 Dutch TV-celebrity and talkshow host Britt Dekker announced that she obtained the ride on the horse. She call him "her first ever training horse."

Dekkers added, "What makes it extra special is that I get to take over the reins of none other than Dinja. A horse that was trained by her and from whom I can now ride, train and learn so much. I think that's really cool. For me this job is a whole new step and I'm especially looking forward to this adventure."

Dekker is very well known nationally in The Netherlands, riding the PRE bred Genciano, at various shows and exhibitions. She has never competed at any FEI affiliated CDI shows.