Scott Burkhart
Head Trainer and Stable Manager
Scott has been in the horse business for 40 years and is well known for his expertise in the hunter jumper arena. As a trainer, instructor, coach, and former competitor, Scott has a long standing reputation in the equestrian world. He is also an "R" JUDGE in Hunters, Jumpers, Hunt Seat Equitation, and Hunter Breeding. He has owned and operated his own show, sales and boarding horse farm for 30 years prior to joining the Flintrock Stables team. A graduate of Muhlenberg College, Scott has sold many horses and ponies that are competing at national, zone, and local levels. Burkhart's students have won year end high score champions in zone, PHSA, and CPJHSA. His students have qualified for indoors, Devon, and Zone finals. Jumpers have qualified for NAL and MS finals. Scott currently serves on the Zone 2 Hunter committee. Please contact Scott if you have interest in sales, showing, instruction, or boarding at Flintrock Stables.
Courtney Stacherski
Assistant Trainer and Rider
Courtney is an instructor and professional rider at Flintrock Stables who excels not only at preparing the rider for the show ring but also in training horses for the hunter/jumper ring. She has been perfecting her equestrian skills for over 20 years and coaches the intermediate and advanced riders. She also is responsible for riding horses in training including those that are green to those that just need some fine tuning. Courtney has shown her own horses on the AA circuit as well as professionally ridden for other owners. She has personally secured many championships over the years for PHSA, EPPHA, and CPJHSA and has led her students to year end awards on the hunter/jumper show circuit. After high school she went on to compete at the intercollegiate level at Kutztown University and finished 2nd in the region. She has had the privilege to train under some of the best hunter/jumper trainers on the east coast including head trainer, Scott Burkhart. She has also enjoyed her recent stints as a judge at local schooling shows.
Erika Bender
Assistant Stable Manager and Instructor
You will often find Erika around the farm at Flintrock Stables either giving lessons or helping with the daily management of horse care. She has been involved with horses since she was 9 years old starting out with the local 4-H Horse Club and working at various farms to have use of a horse to ride and take to shows. At the age of 15, she was encouraged to write an Essay on why she wanted a horse of her own. She won first place and an Arabian yearling named C. H. Hasaanah ("Timi") which she personally broke and trained and still competes with at many Arabian shows. She is an active member of the Pennsylvania Arabian Horse Association, where she works on the executive committee for the Eastern Arabian Horse show and East Coast Championships.
After graduating from High School, she attended the University of Findlay (Ohio) graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in English Equestrian Studies and Equine Business Management. While in college, she represented the University of Findlay at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) placing 3rd at the National level in 2002 and 8th in 2003.
Erika is a Certified Instructor from the Certified Horsemanship Association and has taught beginner lessons at Camp Conrad Weiser in Wernersville and as Director of Riding at the Girl Scout Camp in Furnace Hills. As part of the management team at Flintrock Stables, Erika gives lessons and helps oversee daily operations.