the best place ever my daughter rides there she ardors it, the barn assistants are so nice

Kraus farms takes advantage of the nearby conservation area and treats it as their personal property, 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. read more

Great went to manes and takes camp and was too scared to ride the first day. The owners believed in me and got me on the horse! I loved it. I rode Norman which is a great horse he do not need to be kicked to go or does not really need to be steered he knows his job very well. The staff is excellent too! read more

Kraus Farms Equestrian Ctr - Norman the horse - Horseback Riding Near Me - Valley Park, Missouri

Kraus Farms has been a wonderful location for boarding and riding. I began riding here last summer. 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. read more

Excellent family run business with great facilities and knowledgeable equine staff. Multiple riding arenas and direct trailhead access to include indoor arena and heating viewing room. Lots of boarding options. read more

I've scouted out five other trail ride locations near Saint Louis, and in my youth I worked for two summers at a dude ranch in Colorado; I can say this is my favorite trail ride location in Saint Louis by far! As a nature teacher, mother and the founder of a "family adventure school" called Green Spiral Tours, I like to connect kids with animals, and that certainly means connecting girls with horses. Kraus Farms had the nicest trail guides, a comfortable clean building and very professional staff. The trail ride lasts for about an hour and a half, it goes up and down hills and through a creekbed, all in the cool shade. I took two sets of nieces for their very first trail ride ever, and we saw a fawn! And later a doe. None of the girls in my group had ever ridden before, and the guides were just terrific. Call to make reservations, and download the liability form for print out. Wear cowboy boots or riding boots if you have them, and of course, long pants. Go upstairs in the main building to sign in, where guests have the option of choosing a riding helmet. I found the price to be entirely reasonable. It's also fun to check out the 200 horses that board at Kraus Farms, including minuature horses; it's also interesting to observe the classes in the arenas and other activities. Kraus Farms is well marked, easy to find via GPS and a convenient drive from Saint Louis, with a particularly pretty stretch of road after you get off the highway. I'd like to recommend that Kraus Farms offer more merchandise, like horse-hair bracelets, or leather necklaces, and maybe have more vending options for specialty food and drinks. All in all, I don't think you can go wrong here, and Kraus Farms gets a rare 5 star rating. read more

This city slicker got a whole lot of nature on a Saturday afternoon at Kraus Farms Equestrian Center. Allergies be damned! Spent an enjoyable one hour trail ride with Norman. Norman being my white horse who liked to snack alot during our ride but delightful just the same. If you think horseback riding is easy breezy, it is. But I sure did work muscles that might be have been dormant from prehistoric times. The trail was lush and mostly shaded because the trees were so MASSIVE! I went with 5 other riders and that was the right amount to keep up with everyone. And don't worry if you have never been riding before. I had not. But the guide was great and the other riders who were horse savvy were awesome and encouraging. The weather was in the 70s so the perfect climate. I would not recommend going in the heat of summer as it is best to wear jeans and boots or tennis shoes when riding. I also choose not to eat heavily prior since it is sort of a work out and if you have never been on a horse before, you may not be sure how food will hold up or stay down under the circumstances. I absolutely loved the experience and recommend trying it at least once. Nature+horses=Giddy Up! read more

Today my children had the best time on their first trail ride. Sam was the best. The ride was both fun and educational. She taught my children about horses in a fun way and included them in the conversation. She did not talk at them instead she actively engaged them. We will be definitely going back! read more

Kraus Farms is not the place to go. Trust me, please. If you care anything about your horse or the wellbeing of horses in general, I am begging you for the sake of these horses, do not board or do lessons here. I have been around horses my whole life and this place does nothing but upset me. I will not be using my real name and email for this review just due to the fact that I am still currently there at the moment. I have been at this barn with my kid for a damn long time because we had no where else to really go with where we live (Trust me, the place next door is just as bad). I can't afford property and a horse to teach her myself. I have seen terrible things here that you would not believe. With my kid doing lessons, and getting close with our barn assistant, I've gotten to see and hear first hand the treatment of their lesson horses. Not only can you see half of the horse's ribs, but they also do not get the nutrition they need. They only get hay in the pasture at night and none in their stalls unless they are on stall rest. They eat their own crap just to try and get the nutrition they need. These horses get ran half dead when they are acting "bad". Not only that, there are a few horses that are very old there that they won't retire. One of the horses here is 28 years old and honestly, I am convinced that he is going to die in that stall if they don't retire him soon. He should not be doing the amount of things he is doing at 28. Give him the last few years of his life being happy and getting fat on a grass pasture. When was the last time they have eaten grass? Couldn't tell ya. The barn assistants and instructors couldn't either. The turn out pasture is dirt and mud. The instructors are very kind and they make sure my kid is safe, but many of them don't know what they are doing. Some of them have that old cowboy mentality that if the horse is being bad, basically beat them. Put on a show! Show the parents, "look how cool and strong I am! I can beat a horse into submission!" Whenever I would take a walk of the property with my kid, we would go down to the mare pasture and just look at these horses in a mud pit. No grass, only weeds in the summer. Talking to a boarder, they said that the hay bails were almost always moldy and they wouldn't put more out until all of the hay was basically gone! They also have one automatic waterer that is always filled with gunk they they seem to never clean. The boarder said they cleaned it occasionally but not often. Going up to the gelding pasture, it seems just as bad. Adding on to that, they have SO MANY horses that they don't have the property for! Go see what I'm talking about during a weekday at around noon just so you can see it before turn in. All they do is sit in mud all day. On top of that, going back to my barn assistant contact, the lesson horses lose their shoes very often because the farm won't even pay for a good farrier to keep them on. She said that a lot of the horses go lame all the time because of it! With how much revenue they make off of lessons and boarding, they can afford a new farrier! And how about paying the barn assistants at least minimum wage while you're at it! (You read that right, the barn assistants get payed less than minimum wage in MO. They are exploiting 15-18 year olds for their own benefit. And they get away with it because they work in "agriculture") She also told me about how the horses get off of stall rest way too soon so they go lame when doing lessons. The environment is toxic and it's like everyone is having a huge pissing contest! It's like they all hate each other and don't think that anyone has anything in common. It's like they don't realize that they all have a passion for horses (Excluding some people). All I hear when I talk to boarders and the workers that aren't diluted, is how much they hate it there and how terrible they are to their horses. They don't see these horses as friends and partners, they see them as assets. So I'm begging you, for all of these horse's sake, do not give them more money. Do not go board your horse in a mudpit. Please. read more

They have the most knowledgeable staff. Great camps for kids, lessons for all ages, and access to 1,000 acres of trail riding.

Kraus Farms is a great place for lessons trails and boarding. I have done all three and recommend Kraus Farms. They have exceptional animal care and skilled employees. This place is not for everybody because it is so large. If you need a boarding center tailored specifically to your horse's special needs, this may not be the place for you. If you are somebody who has a low maintenance horse and enjoy arena work, trail rides, or training areas Kraus Farms is a great place to consider. read more

Take the advice of other reviewers - horses do not receive proper care. Plenty of other reputable places worth the drive.

Kraus Farms teaches English and Western Riding Lessons, daily trail rides for groups up to 8, day camps, and girl scout activities! Located right next to a park makes trail rides easily accesable to natural wooded areas. read more

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GREAT place, check it out. Horses are well cared for and every one is so nice. Forest 44 is convenient and trail riding is so much fun. The facilities at Kraus Farms is the best. read more

Kraus Farms has a good program for children to learn how to ride horses. The facility is well organized and clean. Instructors are good and reliable. Horses are safe, gentle and well cared for. My only complaint is that they refuse to credit my account after I paid for a lesson that my child could not attend, even though I called them and told them six days in advance. I pay for lessons one month at a time, in advance, but when I called the office to tell them that my child would miss a lesson six days from now and asked for a credit to my account I was told no, they won't do it. I asked why and did not get a reasonable answer. It is not as if my child was a no-show, I called almost a week in advance. So I am paying for a lesson that I won't get. Horse lessons are a luxury for my child because we don't have a lot of money. I am not happy at all about this and may go elsewhere. But other than that the place is fine. read more

I have had my horses at several other Barns, this one is the best. They take amazing care of my horses and the trail ride is awsome. I have been here for several years and still love it. Highly recommend read more

Kraus Farms is so bad in the lack of care given to their horses, that if you adopt a horse from the Humane Society at Long Meadow, they will NOT allow you to board it at Kraus Farms. Does that tell you anything or open your eyes to the real story of Kraus Farms? I have talked to vets that say conditions for horses are horrid. When I checked out this place, I found the things that another person already mentioned in her review, but the stalls were also "Dark", with no light. If there was a light bulb, it wasn't working. Go sometime to look at the large number of horses turned out in the "dust bowl" area, as you approach the main entrance. The sun beats down on them and I never see hay out for them to eat, or shade for cover. Water? Clean and fresh???? It's easy to hang a title of "riding instructor" to a person's name. Ask what qualifies the instructor to be a professional riding trainer. The one's I witnessed, would never have this title if they were tested by a true trainer. Also, any trainer or instructor that cared about their reputation, would not want their name affiliated with Kraus Farms. "Newbies" to Horses and riding will come to the facility because it is in a fairly convenient location. If they stay long enough to learn about what horses need in care and comfort, they will know the poor over-used horses are not receiving what their needs are at Kraus Farms. I have seen some sad looking horses at this place, both in stalls and across the street in the "pasture" boarding facility. It had barbed wire fence. I have seen horses fighting for food, kicking and biting at the base area where they gather to be fed. The alpha horses will get some food, but those less than that, will get none. There was never a "barn employee" seen to watch the horses, or check out their body, or health conditions. Wonder how and when the number of horses are even checked out. Research and ask Equine Vets for their opinion before giving your business or your horse to this "riding"/"boarding" stable. If there was a "minus" star rating, I would go even lower. Ann - St. Louis County, MO. read more

Kraus Farms is NOT the place to go if you are looking for quality riding lessons or a place to keep your horse. As an experienced rider and horseback riding instructor myself, I saw countless flaws in the facility and program. Lesson program: Riders are put on a horse during the evaluation lesson, often times for the first time ever, and then thrown into a group lesson with up to six other riders. This means that they do not know how to steer or stop, and have virtually no control over their horse! It is impossible for the instructors to pay attention to so many riders who know so little at once. Because the lessons are pushed through at such a high pace, very little is accomplished during the lesson time, and spending time in the barn outside of the 10 minutes before and after the lesson is forbidden. The instructors are forced to teach both English and western riding lessons regardless of their own riding and training history. This means that they have instructors teaching lessons on a discipline they know nothing about! The horses: The lesson horses at Kraus are not well cared for. They claim that the horses get several months off at a time to rest- this is not true. The horses are worked 7 days a week, sometimes up to 3 or 4 or more hours a day. Many of them are lame and still used for lessons and trail rides. The equipment is ill-fitting and not personalized to each individual horse. The poor horses are used so much that they are practically robots- the know their jobs so well that it is difficult for the riders to actually learn anything beyond very basic horseback riding. Horses are meant to be munching on some type of forage 20 hours of the day, yet they are locked in their stalls from 7 AM to 7, 8, 9 PM without anything to fill their bellies. They are sweet, kind horses, but are overworked and overtired. Boarding: Anyone who knows ANYTHING about how horses should be properly cared for will instantly recognize that this is NOT the place to keep your horse. They do not feed enough hay, which is low quality at best. They feed too much grain (which is cheap) to make up for not enough hay (which is expensive) which ultimately leads to sick or dead horses. The stalls are small and cramped, poorly cleaned 5 days a week, and have poor air flow. Their turn-out and turn-in process is literally a huge vet bill waiting to happen. They run the horses from their stalls to the pasture, dozens at a time, while the horses have free access to the entire facility. Coming in, the staff lure the horses into their stalls by placing their grain there ahead of time. This causes a frenzy with horses running into and out of the wrong stalls, horses chasing each other, metal horse shoes skidding on the concrete barn aisles. When I kept my horse there, there was frequently NO WATER in any of her buckets. They nickel and dime you for each thing you request to ensure your horse is well-taken care of, even $10/month for hanging a third bucket in my mare's stall! There are SO MANY more places in St. Louis that offer higher-quality riding lessons for comparable prices. Do not support this place. I would literally offer 0 stars if it was an option. read more

Kraus Farms is a fun, safe and family-oriented equestrian facility. Point of information: Long Meadows will not place one of their horses with anyone who has to keep it at ANY public boarding stable. You need to be able to give the horse a home at private farm to qualify for one of their horses. At Kraus, horses are well-fed and checked on several times per day. Daily turnout with the herd or private turnouts are available, along with other options. The stable seems strongly oriented to Western and trail riders and it's true that, past beginner level, the training program is limited. As a long-time boarder I can vouch for always receiving excellent, friendly and personalized service. The management and staff know details of what each of the nearly 200 horses on site need from day to day, whether it's special feed or care for a medical issue. Several vets and farriers make routine visits there, so it's easy to arrange for such services for your horse. The stable sits next to the 1,000-acre Forest 44 park which offers beautiful riding trails. Other facilities are excellent. Come visit. If you take on the responsibility of owning a horse, it's up to you to become a life-long learner about these amazing animals. As with most business and personal relationships, you will get out of a boarding and lesson riding experience what you put into it. Which stable you choose should depend on your riding goals. If you don't know what those are yet, think it through and visit a lot of stables before you make any decisions. read more

I also had to pay even when I gave early notice my child would be unable to attend a lesson in the future. Not a lot of flexibility. Horses do seem tired. read more

I considered Kraus Farms as a pasture boarding option for my horse after hearing good things about the lesson program from my friend, a novice rider. The lesson side of things, which you'll see in all the barn's promotional pictures---gorgeous. Very posh. As for the "pasture..." well, if you value trail access over your animal's health and welfare, Kraus is the barn for you! Their "pasture" is a rocky, grassless hill with a muddy swamp at the bottom. It is right off a highly trafficked road, with no lock on the gate and just a thin chain keeping the horses inside. Literally anyone could wander in and mess with these horses. In this "pasture," 22 geldings of varying ages, sizes, and fitness levels must compete for access to one automatic waterer each summer. The body condition scores of some of these animals made it plain that the $300+ they charge per month is a purely "self-care" rate, and half of the people who board there are "internet cowboys" who have no idea how to care for horses. I chatted with a boarder who told me she's left Kraus three times because she couldn't stand to watch her fellow boarders neglect their animals. Strikes me that for the price, the barn management should be intervening, or at least paying enough attention to see that there are horses with their ribs sticking out under their "care." read more