Kraus Farms Equestrian Ctr

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

Staff is very friendly, as long as don’t ever question them about anything, then look out! The hay quality is PURE CRAP! Thorn branches strewn throughout that have done serious damage to horses mouths, poor quality grass used in the hay, baling twine all throughout the bales as well as garbage mixed in the hay. It’s really just awful. When the owner was made aware of the hay issue, he said that’s what we’re getting. If we don’t like it, leave! Then there is the owners son who works there and thinks the ranch is his personal singles bar. Hits on all the women and girls, makes VERY inappropriate comments, and his dad refuses to acknowledge it. What’s really sad is the son is in his mid 20’s, at least, and an ex-​marine!
Parents, keep your daughters away from this place! It looks great but once you get to know the real story… RUN!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.