Devenda Dijkstra’s Grand Prix horse Hero, a two-time Dutch team horse, has been sold to Japan. The 13-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding, bred by J. van de Moosdijk, was owned by Dutch horse investor Jan Pieter Dalsem and Devenda’s life partner Laurens van Lieren. Devenda and Hero began competing together at the B-level in Holland six and a half years ago, eventually moving up to the Grand Prix level.
The pair achieved success at various international competitions, including representing The Netherlands at the 2021 European Under 25 Championships and the 2023 European Championships. In 2023, they were second reserve for the Dutch team at the European Championships and ultimately got the opportunity to compete for The Netherlands. In 2024, they competed in 10 international competitions, finishing 9th in the Dutch Grand Prix Championships.
Hero has now been sold to Japanese Grand Prix rider Akiko Yonemoto, who has been competing in Europe for the past twenty years and trains with Heiner Schiergen. Dijkstra expressed sadness at the sale of Hero but hopes that he will be happy with his new owner. Yonemoto has previously competed at the international Grand Prix level and owns other horses shown by top riders like Isabell Werth.
