North Cedar’s Sahr eyes elite level

LOWDEN - North Cedar senior Gavin Sahr is a skilled rider who is trying to go to the next level showing his horses.

Sahr trains with JR Reicher, a multiple world champion horse trainer from Marengo, where he focuses on Western Pleasure, which, according to Wikipedia, is 'western style competition ... that evaluates horses on manners and suitability of the horse for a relaxed but collected gait cadence and relatively slow speed of gait. Horses also are judged on their 'calm and responsive disposition. The horse is to appear to be a ‘pleasure' to ride and very comfortable while being very smooth.”

Horses that have 'soft gaits and strong muscling required to sustain slow, controlled movement are the most competitive.”

Reichert is Sahr's mentor, teaching him to train and show better. Another influence in Sahr's career was an uncle who sparked Sahr's obsession with horses.

Sahr first started working with horses when he would go with his uncle on trail rides. Sahr's uncle realized how natural he was and gifted him a horse. Over the years, Sahr has sold his horses to purchase new and better horses so he can compete at any level.

Sahr said his goals are 'to keep improving as a trainer and start showing at breed shows” until he becomes a world champion.