Elizabeth DeSarle Bio

Elizabeth was always crazy about horses, and growing up in Columbia Station, Ohio, she remembers being mesmerized by her neighbor’s pony, and would spend hours waiting and watching for him to drive up and down the street. She absolutely remembers the day she finally asked if she could ride “Popper,” and the moment that happened she was hooked.

The passion for all things horse-related took a huge turn when she was only nine years old, and met her first Arabian horse. The mare, she remembers, absolutely took her breath away, and knew she had to have one. With a great deal of persuasion, Elizabeth’s dreams came true when her uncle purchased Rogeyma (Mansfraf x Muffet Miro), a Polish-bred mare she went on to show in Country English Pleasure – she started at the 4-H level, working her way through the ranks, and after two years moved up to the class A shows.

While working her way through the ranks, Elizabeth’s talents did not go unrecognized. Her family ran a feed store, and it was through those customers that she was afforded opportunities to ride and show other horses. The Saddlebreds, Morgans and Quarter Horses she showed all gave her a taste of different breeds and styles, and further fed her desire to work towards training perhaps at a professional level. After she finished high school, Elizabeth studied Horticulture for a short time, thinking she would become part of the family feed business, but quickly realized hand-on horse training was more to her liking. She opened DeSarle Stables, focusing primarily on Arabian horses, and truly enjoyed teaching children and the horses. But when an opportunity came up to work at Dean Wikel’s Pegasus Arabians in Berlin Heights, Ohio, Elizabeth jumped aboard.

Working as a trainer for Pegasus, Elizabeth enjoyed the opportunity to work with horses of all ages, shapes and sizes, and fondly remembers showing two particularly favorite Hunter Pleasure horses, All My Wishes (Armani FC x Wildest Wishes) and LL Zen (Enzo x GKH Audaciouslady). After four years at Pegasus, a new prospect presented itself, in moving to Utah to work for Gary Kehl at GRK Farms.

Elizabeth states, “I believe in Gary’s program and I love the quality of horses he is breeding. Not only are these horses trainable but they are form to function.” She spent a number of years working as an assistant trainer for Gary, always playing a valuable role. Now, as Head Trainer, she is humble about all her many accomplishments, and works hard every single day to bring out the very best in the horses and the GRK program. She is never shy about learning new things, and is always willing to give anything a try. GRK is looking forward to many more years with Elizabeth leading the charge, and the many successes to come.