Castlewood Stables

Cold night followed by a colder day. Extremely grateful for Ian and his willingness to spend all day outside helping clean stalls while I fixed a few frozen automatic waterer heat pads and then figured out how to get an 800lb bale loaded and down the hill without the bobcat that was out clearing parking lots and the tractor that agreed it was too cold to ask a 50 year old tractor to start. But everyone is in, fed, has water and even the baby donkeys' don't seem to mind the cold.

I've got my toes in the sand... but I don't feel any warmer...

As a small business, when we see another small business rocking it, and know that others will love it, we have to give a shout out. We know both Courtney (a trainer who motivates the heck out of you) and Regan (who will have your kids begging you to go workout!). Put the two of them together so you can workout while your kids get a crazy, fun playdate is simply the best way to start a day! ... Calling all mommas! Want to get your workout on but have the kiddos at home? Looking for a supportive, empowering community of women who are all working towards being the best version of themselves? Join the CGSQUAD with Courtney Gerding! My classes are located at Skymax in Ellisville & are designed for ALL fitness levels & focused around strength training. We have early bird classes for those who want to workout early or there are class times later that have childcare. Our community is supportive, encouraging and empowering. A place where you can show up as you are & your only competition is yourself. Where we work on mindset as much as we do our bodies. An added bonus....while you get your me time in kicking booty in class, Regan, owner of Skymax Gymnastics, keeps the kiddos entertained with safe, high energy FUN of their own! It’s a win win! You’ll leave feeling energized and ready to take on whatever the day throws your way. Reach out & get your free week trial activated!

Conversation hearts for horses... what would they say??

Snow days... they're not just for kids...

Brachs needs to market conversation hearts for animals because these two are: 2 CUTE and 2 SWEET

It's not just the kids that make our barn what it is. To every boarder who calls us their home away from home. To every student who makes the time to do what they love by learning to ride. This barn was built with the comforts and needs of the horses in mind, but it's the passion of every horse lover who drives down our gravel road that sustains us. May every visit to Castlewood bring you joy, and may you continue to gather experiences that challenge and excite you. Happy New Year!

To every parent who has spent time freezing (or sweating) in our barns, and every parent who has patiently waited after a lesson for their child to say goodbye to each horse before you could leave. To every parent who has sacrificed to fulfill their child's dreams in the saddle... you make us what we are, and we are excited to begin another year creating experiences together.

Thank you to everyone who dropped off pumpkins. We have enough to keep these guys happy for a while!

Happy New Year!

Feeling festive at the stables!

Photo evidence that I've been giving pony rides and cart rides now for 43 years. Thanks to a long time family friend, here are pictures of me at 5 years old giving a pony ride and teaching a friend to ride and then at 9 years old giving cart rides with a donkey we trained. Thank you Carol Pott-Murphy for sharing.

Update on our mask policy. We are fortunate to remain open. We are still limited and not doing any of our group activities. But we are still holding private and semi private lessons and are open to boarders and still have free compost to anyone who would like to come get some. We've been great about masks when in the office area but we're extending that to outdoors as well. When in the barns and whenever you are around others even out doors we'll have a mask policy. I call ...it physically distancing because we aren't socially distancing. We can be extremely social from a distance. If you are close enough to talk to someone, even out doors, then you need to have a mask on. Thankfully this is a very simple policy and everyone has understood. Thanks for the ongoing support as we work through not being able to do the group events that had become a staple of what we offered. This policy will help reduce the exposure to everyone enjoying what we can offer and especially all of those who help teach and help care of all of our animals. See more

As a small business, we recognize that other local, small businesses need our support now more than ever. If you know of a small business that could use some love this holiday season and beyond, post it here! Let's show our love and support to the places that make St. Louis so special.

If you know anyone with left over pumpkins that are not carved. Don’t throw them out. Bring them to the barn or let us know. The animals love them.

Look how cute! You never know what's going to happen when on a whim, Kevin hooks up the trailer and goes for a drive at 5 pm on a Wednesday...

STL area Moms... no matter what stage of motherhood you are currently in, STLMom is there for you! As a resource, and as a reminder that so many STL area moms are on this journey together! And in normal times, it's a great social outlet for Mommas (with Mom's Night Out events) and kiddos (with seasonal events and park playdates!). Follow STLMom to find your village! @stlouis_mom https://www.facebook.com/saintlouismom/

We lost Polly today. She had been diagnosed with probable Equine Lymphoma last month. Once clinical symptoms show it can progress quickly. Even with pain management she had pretty much stopped eating grain this week and stopped eating all but very little bit by hand the last two days. She's was by far the favorite horse I've ever owned or ridden. Holds that #1 spot by a mile. We got her 18 years ago as a gift from a friend when she was retired from an unsuccessful racing... career. Being Amish, he wrote me a letter saying he found the fire breathing hot and pure speed fun horse I kept talking about wanting. She is the horse that helped me fall back in love with riding after a good number of years of not having ridden. I always loved horses, but riding her was different. She was that way through our last ride two weeks ago. Holding her back to prevent her from running and over exerting herself. Everyone who owns a horse should get the chance to have one that is their true spirit equivalent. Gentle as can be on the ground, loved by anone who's ever had the ability to ride her and pure spirit and energy in the saddle. See more

Everyone pitches in around here.