Instructors

List of 4 members.

• 

  Chrystal Wood 

  Director of Riding

  Bio

  Chrystal Coffelt-Wood came to Grier in Fall 2013 as Riding Director. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Kutztown University where she was the Captain of the nationally ranked Equestrian Team. As a member of the Kutztown Equestrian Team she won multiple IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) Regional, Zone, and National titles in Hunt Seat and Stock Seat Equitation.
  
  

  Chrystal has over 30 years of experience and began as a professional trainer in 1999, when she took over as the manager of Grey Goose Farm in Oxford, PA. She worked closely with trainer Bruce Lachiusa. She learned to breed, break, and train horses. She also grew as an instructor, developing successful competitive riders competing on the local and national level in hunter/jumpers, equitation and dressage. Her students have had much success with top ribbons at Pony Finals, USHJA Zone 2 Finals, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, Capital Challenge Horse Show, USDF National Finals, USEF Festival of Champions, USHJA Junior Jumper Championship and the Devon Horse Show. Grey Goose Farm grew to become one of the most successful sport horse farms on the east coast with multiple horses winning USEF (United States Equestrian Federation) and USDF (United States Dressage Federation) National Horse of the Year Championships. Chrystal’s success with Grey Goose Farm lead to her being named as a Biltmore Who’s Who among business leaders.

  In 2005, Chrystal went back to school to obtain a teaching certification. In addition to her MBA, Chrystal has earned an Elementary Education K-6 and Business-Computer Information and Technology K-12 Certification. In 2007, Chrystal took on the head coaching position of the Penn State Berks Equestrian Team. In 2009, the PSU Berks Equestrian Team finished the fall semester 25 points ahead of the rest of the schools in their region.

   

  Since 2018, Chrystal lead the Grier School IEA Dressage team to consecutive National Titles, making Grier the most successful high school dressage program in the country. In 2023, she led Grier School to IEA national championship titles in Hunt Seat and Dressage; while western coach Christopher McElyea led Grier School’s IEA Western Team to a national championship title. This marked the first time any team has ever won all three titles let alone winning all three disciplines in one year.

   

  In 2023, one of Chrystal’s students at the Grier School qualified for the FEI North American Dressage Championships (NAYC) and the USEF Festival of Champions in the FEI Junior Rider division, taking home the championship!  In 2024, another one of her Grier students qualified to compete in the USHJA 1.20 Junior Jumper Team Championships.
• 

  Frannie King 

  Instructor
• 

  Kerry Kocher 

  Instructor

  Bio

  Kerry Kocher has been in the horse business for over 43 years and is currently the head coach of the Penn State University Equestrian Team. Kerry currently holds USEF (R) judge's cards in hunters, hunter seat equitation, and jumpers. Additionally, he holds USEF (R) hunter course design and USEF jumper (r) cards. He has designed courses for the IHSA finals 3 times along with designing courses all over the country.
  
  

  As for judging, Kerry has judged shows all over the country and in Canada. He has judged the New Jersey PHA equitation finals all with many other local type finals. He also judged the Mass. Equitation finals in 2015. He has trained many students and horses to year end awards. The best student to his credit was his daughter finishing 14th in the country for pony medal, and at pony finals had a medium pony finish 14th out of 108.
• 

  Christopher McElyea 

  Instructor

  Bio

  Chris McElyea was born and raised in Boone, North Carolina, Chris has been riding and training horses for most of his life. After graduating from high school, Chris headed to Georgia as he was offered the valuable opportunity to ride under a top rated AQHA/APHA judge, Earl Burchett. BTC set the pace for an exciting and successful career in the thing Chris is still the most passionate about and that is the horse industry. Chris then moved to Central Pennsylvania to work as an Assistant Trainer for one of the best pleasure horse trainers on the east coast. In his position there, Chris was able to advance and refine his skills of preparing show horses from start to finish. Chris was also responsible for starting colts of all disciplines, preparing futurity horses and providing instruction to youth and amateurs. In 2006, Chris decided to start his own training business and established "Chris McElyea Horse Training". Since starting his own business, Chris has enjoyed continued success in the show pen as well as training and coaching several non-pros to many wins and Top 5 placings at the local, Regional, National and World level, including the 2012 AQHA Novice Championship Show. Chris' customers have accumulated many points, circuit championships and year-end awards in many different classes and divisions. Chris brings many years of successful showing, training and coaching experience to his position at Grier School and he is also currently the head coach for the Penn State University Western Team.