Our guide was so informative and made sure the three of us had proper fittings. Horses were very…read morewell taken care of and friendly.

Amazing ride! The horses were beautiful and well cared for, and the property was absolutely…read morestunning. Tanya was so knowledgeable and welcoming!

Brushy Creek Lodge has been our favorite Horse Camp for nearly 20years . Dianne and Johnny are…read morealways Excellent Hosts. Nice Gameroom for bad weather entertainment and Restaurant is always good food . Horse accommodations are better than the average camp and too many fun trails. Cabins are decorated really cute , showerhouse and bathrooms are kept clean. Miss the Hot tub though ! Felt so good after an 8hr ride !

Very nice place to stay. The cabins are super cute but note that the only way to cook is either by…read moremicrowave or the bbq outside. I believe there is normally a kitchen going but due to the pandemic it is currently down. Either way the grounds are wonderful to look at and enjoy. The managers are really sweet and willing to help you out when necessary. There are lots of things to do in the area. Kayaking, tubing, horseback riding and hiking are the way to go if you come down in this direction. Fishing is a little more difficult but if you look around you'll find a spot just right for you. Council Bluff worked great for us . Also check out the Elephant Rocks and visit the highest point in Missouri. Check out this neat little place; totally worth the drive .

QLD owner and trainer Marketa Matthews always has the best interests of the horse in mind. Daily…read moreturnout on beautiful green pastures make for very happy horses. She moved her business to this new location in August 2014. She lives in an apartment connected to the main barn, and personally checks on the horses multiple times every day. Marketa specializes in the type of riding known as dressage. The United States Dressage Federation says, "Dressage is a French term meaning "training" and its purpose is to develop the horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to work making him calm, supple and attentive to his rider." Marketa helps riders to have fun and be safe while learning to get the best performance from their horses, regardless of the horse's and rider's fitness and athleticism at the time they start working together. Her calm and patient teaching style builds confidence in both horse and rider. She has helped me to be a better partner with my horse, and has inspired me to get more fit myself as she brought my horse along in fitness and training. Most exciting is that she has taken me from being terrified of horse showing to looking forward to the next show.

I have known Charlie and Marketa Matthews for many years, and can't say enough good about them and…read moretheir dressage facility. I've had my horse there since the first week they opened. QLD is the ideal mix of professional quality and attention to details (such as spotless stalls, high quality hay and feed, impeccably maintained huge pastures, and top of the line footing for the indoor and outdoor arenas) and a relaxed, supportive atmosphere. The barns are very well maintained, always very clean and inviting. Lounge area is well-maintained with many amenities. Tack rooms are brand new and even during hot, humid St. Louis summers, there is no humidity inside them. I appreciate that my expensive tack stays in perfect condition. Marketa is an exceptional trainer, positive and knowledgeable for both horse and rider. My horse and I have thrived at QLD. The atmosphere is happy and positive and focuses on learning and supporting each other. We host clinics monthly, including those taught by Olympic trainer Michael Barisone and the amazing teacher/rider Jennifer Kaiser. Charlie works like a horse (!) keeping on top of all the various projects around the farm, as well as maintaining the polo barns/horses. We also have fun together, enjoy training in the arenas or hacking in the open fields, and know our horses are always well cared for. Charlie and Marketa live on the property, so there is 24/7 supervision of the horses. No more driving hours to fill my horse's water buckets in summer, or check on him in winter. No skimping on hay or shavings either. I know that my horse has the highest quality care, and this gives me 100% peace of mind.

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.

Very attentive and caring staff. Great facilities that are continually updated and improved.read more

The best barn in the area! Horses are very well taken care of, everything is neat and tidy,…read morebeautiful land, improvements are being made, and the people care for your horse. I have never felt more happy about where my horse is staying. I am glad to have Painted Ridge Farms!

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.

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

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.

This riding experience was made special by two things: the people and the scenery. The horses are…read moregreat too. Jeff is a super friendly guy who is very knowledgeable and loves his horses. They made my surprise engagement spectacular. Highly suggest for anyone looking for a great horseback riding experience. I will definitely be back!!!

From the owner: We are a full service outfitter specializing in guided trails & more. We are now in West Plains Mo…read moreat North Fork River Ranch. We provide the horses, tack and opportunities to make memories that will last a lifetime, leaving you with a worry-free retreat from your day to day grind. It is our priority to create family centered atmosphere where families, friends and couples can get together for horseback riding and enjoy the simple things in life. Family owned and operated since 2008!

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.