Had a great time. Only tip would be to not have teenage girls as guides especially with phones in…read moretheir hands

Its a great atmosphere for children, the school horses are great for childre!n. I board my horse…read morethere and he's gained weight since we've been here. We also have an excellent show team, we go to a lot of show during the show season. I Love this barn

Beautiful facility. Barn recently updated. Great place to board horses, take hunter/jumper lessons,…read moreand get involved with A great community of people. The staff have extensive knowledge of horses and are quick to spot problems if they arise. Lessons are fun and riders learn the safe ways to interact with these beautiful animals. A wonderful family atmosphere. Not a high pressure barn but opportunities to lease, purchase and show are available. Lesson horses are well taken care of and enjoy their job.

Wonderful Riding Academy, grounds and arenas are beautiful. Staff are so friendly. Class sizes are…read moresmall.

Kraus Farms has been a wonderful location for boarding and riding. I began riding here last summer…read more I have never taken professional riding lessons before, but wanted to get more into English riding (verses the western riding I have done all my life). I have enjoyed my lessons thus far and have really improved, and continue to learn and improve at each lesson. I also began boarding a horse here this fall/winter. The staff has been great to work with for every need I have come to them with regarding my mare. She has been cared for just as I expected. The trails are convenient and the indoor and outdoor arenas make for a very nice area to ride. The lesson horses are all safe and they have varying levels of horse for the varying levels of riders. The horses are in good physical condition and are well taken care of.

Kraus farms takes advantage of the nearby conservation area and treats it as their personal…read moreproperty, ruining the experience for others. They're profiting off of public land payed for by tax payers and ruining the ecology of the area. They also contracted road repairs and stage all of their materials in the parking lot, it's been almost a full year of them blocking almost all of the parking.

I couldn't help but notice that any negative reviews were under the OLD management. Danyel and Matt…read moreNEW management have done wonders for this facility in so many ways. The knowledge, love and compassion that they have for each and every horse there is impressive. They bring new life to this facility that it was in desperate need of. They are the hardest working barn managers that I have ever met and I have boarded my horses for over 20 years. They have put their heart and soul into making sure that this barn is safe, pleasant and well maintained. They are professional, knowledgeable, compassionate, empathetic and go the extra mile in everything that they do. The care that they provide is amazing. I guarantee you that Danyel knows every horses name and special needs on that property. She takes a lot of pride in the services that they provide and it shows. The facility is very clean. They also offer lessons and training which I highly recommend. Danyel personally trained one of my rescue horses that came from horrific conditions of neglect and abuse. When we first brought him home you couldn't even get close to him without him striking out. He was terrified. After 90 of him being with Danyel she was riding him bareback around the property. He went on to become an amazing horse. She was gentle and kind with him and asked him all the right questions. He responded to that. I highly recommend her for training.

I had my horse at valley mount ranch from August 2024-February 2025. we moved closer to my house…read morefor a few months then came back to valley mount. we LOVE the atmosphere at valley mount ranch. There is very little-no drama and everyone I mean EVERYONE is so so kind and respectful. we have never had any issues here. Danyel and Matt are the best people. they are the only people(along with my boss) that I 100% trust with my horses. 100% reccomend valley mount.

My family had a great time today at the fall festival! They had baby goats, bunnies, kittens, and a…read moreunicorn! How neat. They put lots of detail into the games and crafts. The hay ride was awesome, it took you around quite a bit of the farm, and you seen a lot of horses at the end. I can't wait to see what other events are hosted here! Everyone was very nice, the man driving the tractor was extraordinary and very informative, he even let me know they offer horse lessons here! How awesome.

the main trainer is mean to horses she hits them just because a horse moved when tacking up i…read morewill never go back there!!!

I cannot praise Carol and her bountiful land/ stables enough! I found her searching for local…read morelivery stables in the illinois area and feel so fortunate that I did! I have worked as a trail guide for a few stables near me and over time realized how awful the horses were treated and boarded that I became adamant about finding a place that advocated natural horsemanship. When I stumbled upon the website and saw the amount of land and trails through an unpaved forest she had available I immediately stopped reading and called. Carol answered and we had an almost hour conversation because she was so personable and kind-spirited. When I finally narrowed down a day to come ride, I drove 5 hours and felt every bit of it was worth it. All of her 21 horses are let out to pasture and graze the land freely. I could walk through a field with a heard of horses and be completely at peace with them and they with me. It was breath taking. She had a few saddled and ready to go when I came and we went for a 2 hour ride that took us through wild, magical woods to a waterfall and huge moss and mushroom covered bluffs. I couldn't believe I was in Illinois. I did not feel like I was on a livery horse ride either- I felt like the horse and I were on a journey together. We cantered, trotted, and walked at times that felt natural to both the horse and I. It was just beautiful- so much so the spider webs stopped bothering me and felt more like a right of passage into this sacred land. As if this experience weren't enough already, after the ride carol invited me to stay at the main Inn and I was deeply impressed. The rooms were well renovated and I truly feel like I had the best of both the culture and natural world. This is definitely my go-to place for when I need to return to nature and I look forward to the upcoming retreats she has scheduled!!!!

Family of 5 with two 8 year olds on their own horse. Everyone had a wonderful time. The ride was…read moregreat with up and down hills, mud, grassy areas and ravines. Scenery was excellent. Guided by a friendly young lady, Alexi. Definitely recommended for the family.

I am definitely looking forward to coming back for guided trails and lessons. Everyone was very…read morepatient with us especially to our two boys (10 and 7). I was nervous at first but after being explained what to do and taking it slow and steady on the trail, I was at ease. It was very fun, laid back and very memorable. Thank you for accommodating our family. We still can't stop talking about what a great experience we had. I would definitely recommend Coyote creek.

We took our first guided tour at Coyote Creek this past Saturday and had an amazing experience…read more There were 7 of us including a 6 year old and a special needs 9 year old. April was so accommodating to our group, lining up extra help, having lot of patience with us, and going the extra mile to make this a memorable experience for all of us. Not only were April and her helpers experts with the horses, but also with children - a winning combination for such a business.

These guys were great. Called super last minute around noon, hoping to get a trail ride in with the…read moregirlfriend around 3 on the same day, Missie was super helpful, said she'd try and see if anyone was able to take a last minute shift. Lucky for us Jim was around and was willing to take us out. We ended up taking the 1 hour trail ride around the ranch which was really just two loops in the shape of an infinity sign, but who cares, you're there to ride a horse! The horses were really well behaved, we rode Jack and Sarge and overall it was a great time. Jim was super friendly if not borderline eccentric (in fun way). The price was a bit higher than other places we were looking at, it was about $50 per person for an hour trail ride, I was seeing others around $35, but this was the only place that was opened early in the week. You can also pay using credit card, but know that there is a 3% fee that goes along with it, but I'd rather do that than carry $100 in cash on me. Overall everyone there was super helpful and great, wouldn't hesitate to come back.

I was extremely disappointed in the way things were handled regarding my attempt to book this venue…read morefor my November 2026 reception. My mom had an initial conversation with Brian then, same day, my fiancé and I had a conversation with Brian (without his wife) to specify inclusions. I told him we can pay cash (at the time $6500 which included venue, food, dessert, alcohol & DJ) and could pay it that day and he said I don't make any booking decisions without my wife-- fair, I get it no issues. They called me back, affirmed the things we discussed, the inclusions, everything. But said they wouldn't get the contract to us until after Memorial Day. Then, all of us-- my mom, my fiance, myself and both owners had a conversation where the $6500 was increased to $7500 because they insisted alcohol wasn't included in the original quote (2 beers, 2 wines and 2 signature cocktails). So we conceded and agreed on the $7500. Then they insisted they never promised a DJ in the original conversation, so again we conceded and agreed we would find our own and repeatedly confirmed $7500 cash, no taxes and no mention of any other fees. When the owner texted me at 10 PM CST (I live in Colorado so the text reflects 9pm mountain time) to ask if I received the contract I told her yes, however the contract doesn't reflect the amount we confirmed in the phone earlier that day. (It was $650 MORE) She didn't take responsibility for the bait and switch and was unwilling to make it right. When I called her husband to let him know that due to the mistrust we would be booking elsewhere he was extremely apologetic and insisted that the $650 his wife claimed we had to pay in addition to the original quote was actually INCLUDED in the quote and that his wife was mistaken. The level of disorganization & miscommunications going on here left me with the feeling of what possible issues we might have in the coming months if the owners can't even get on the same page. When I texted the wife that we would be taking our money elsewhere she said "We hope you somehow find a way to gather and celebrate the joyous occasion together in a more cost effective way. Maybe a park, or relatives home, etc..." which was incredibly rude and insulting considering money was actually no object in this scenario but rather the lack of organization, trust, and transparency in addition to the bait and switching about the overall cost. Bottom line: The husband is the one with the empathy, the people skills and the ability to apologize and attempt to make things right without insulting the client. However the person that any future clients will have to deal with is his wife who unfortunately didn't show the same level of care, empathy, and apologetic demeanor as her husband. One final thing to note-- the contract that was sent was filled out by hand and was hardly legible with all the scratching out as I have attached below. And my issue wasn't that gratuity needed to be paid or a security deposit needed to be paid, I understand those are customary in these sorts of processes. The problem was NON-DISCLOSURE until the contracting. It was the disorganization. The inability to recognize when they're wrong and unwillingness to make it right. So what was supposed to be $6500 originally got a 25% increase in fees over the course of negotiations and contracting. Overall I'm sure this venue can really be remarkable and looks beautiful from the pictures. However, my experience is a testament that there seems to be a pattern with disorganization, miscommunication etc. If there were more streamlined processes, a method for sending a contract so it's not filled in by hand, and a sales person in there who can reach out to clients at reasonable hours (not 10 pm cst) and who clearly communicate the accurate pricing from the beginning and even if there is a mistake, they can own it and not insult the client in the process and suggest we "couldn't afford" them, then this could really be a phenomenal venue. But as it stands I would strongly urge you to look elsewhere.

I have been traveling cross country hauling horses twice yearly since 1995 and have always stopped…read moreat Richardson Stables. They are a wonderful stopover for overnight with horses. This is the cleanest stable I have ever seen. Wayne keeps the place immaculate and both he and Judy are warm, helpful and wonderful people. There are hotels on the other side of Mt Vernon, about 20 minutes from the stables and plenty of restaurants there as well. But if you have a living quarters in your rig you might prefer to just stay at the stables. Wayne has comfortable box stalls with shavings, clean buckets and plenty of water. His barn can double lock for safety, warm in the winter, cool in August. He also has turnout if you prefer. For your living quarters he has 110 and 220 hook up for only $10 and enough space to turn around. Our rig is 33 feet and we can get in and out easily. The stables is located off 57/64 going north and south and near 70 going east and west. It is south of Chicago and between St Louis and Louisville, very convenient for cross country travel. I recommend the place highly.