BROWNSTONE RANCH - Vilonia, Arkansas

Tami Dern

If I could, I would give Brownstone Ranch zero stars. We brought our two senior geldings to the ranch to be cared for while we completed our move from Montana to Arkansas. We trusted that our horses would be cared for during the month that we couldn’t be there to care for them ourselves. In the 30 days my horses were under their care, one of my horses had lost between 250-275 pounds and the other gelding lost approximately 50-75 pounds. During their stay I was never made aware that my horses were not thriving until the day before I was to arrive in Arkansas and going to see them for the first time after leaving them in the Browns care.
After a nightmare week of emergency veterinary visits and trying to stabilize my geldings, I had no choice but to hospitalize them. They both were suffering from ulcers and impaction colics. I was faced with the heartbreaking decision of either hospitalizing them and hoping they would recover or euthanizing them. Thankfully after great veterinary care and months of recovery my boys are now back to being the fat and happy geldings that I originally left in the care of Brownstone Ranch.

The facility is beautiful and well maintained but based on my experience, the owners and the barn manager do NOT have the knowledge or experience to care for others horses. Do your research and ask the appropriate questions before you trust the Browns with your horses. They seem completely inexperienced and were incapable of recognizing a serious, life threatening issue with my geldings!

I did make the owners aware of the issue and respectfully requested compensation for the veterinary bills I incurred due to their negligence, but as of today, 9 months later I have yet to even receive as much as an acknowledgment or apology for what they put my horses and myself through.

I have included pictures as part of this review and you can decide for yourself if you would be willing to risk the health and well being of your animals. The first pics are just prior to leaving Montana. A pic of one of the geldings during hospitalization, 2 pics of them recovering at home and finally pics of them after a very long recovery. It took only one month of my horses being at Brownstone Ranch to go from healthy, well conditioned horses to the emaciated animals in some of the pics below.

Jeff Brown

Great place for boarding horses. Has it all indoor and outdoor arena , round pen and acreage in the back for trail rides. Looking forward to the upcoming Horse events.

Laura Wardlow

*in response to the lady from Montana. First off, hope your babies are ok. Secondly, i also hail from Montana and came here in 2013. In JULY with my Montana bred hardy horses. There is NOTHING like the heat here. I had to move them in summer and tbh the acclimation was terrible. There were a few times even a couple years later that i almsot lost my gelding to the heat. As a life long horse owner, im going to tell you, its been the hardest place i have ever kept a horse! I didnt know when i moved here what to expect, and i am sure you didnt either. I hope your babies have revovered. And that you have gotten used to the damp and hot area and how to manage it. Its a shock to the system for horse and owner!! I am sorry for your exprience at the brownstone, but having been around the block over here, i can tell you that this is the best facility i have been at in the little rock area, and money was no object! Hopefully you have a place now where your babies are happy! I know I was in utter shock and dismay moving here (arkansas) as well. I was angry and sad mostly for my animals. I think your feelings are normal coming from Montana is what I am trying to say. But my guys also lost a bunch of weight first several years. You just get used to it and fatten them up over winter. No doubt it is a tough adjustment. I think their weight loss and issues woukd have been the same anywhere unless they had been in an A/c barn. Its just hard because there is no way of knowing what its like here in the summer unless you have been here. I know the browns to be utterly caring and hyper aware of my horses.
I have been boarding here for around 7 months. Let me say I have been a horse owner for almost 50 years, and have run my own operations. My expectations are extremely high. I have previously left facilities when I go out and spot check waters and they are low and dirty in summer, or I find out my supplements are openly being used etc....I expect clean stalls, water and good feed fed on a good schedule and the staff to be knowledgeable enough to see when something is off with my horses. In other words, I expect from a facility. what I would do for my own animals. After several hits and misses in the local area around all of Little Rock, some of which, were very high end facilities, we have found our barn home at the Brownstone! beautiful facility, staff is caring and I have no concerns with them in charge when I can't be there, and the Brown family are some of the most caring barn owners I have ever encountered. Example being, I have a lot of anxiety over my seniors and "fret" a lot of they are ok. out of nowhere, they installed a ring camera so I can look in and talk to my horses 24/7. They look after the horses AND owners. 100% wonderful barn to be at. drama free and a great group people with caring owners who host barn community events. it's not over crowded and very much a nurturing and safe environment. you won't find better!

Julie Rains

Beautiful facility and they have lots to offer like an indoor arena! The owners were super sweet you can just tell they have a passion for horses. Definitely will return!

David Vrudny

Wow what an amazing place!!! Horses are beautiful!!!

Jimmie “Crypto” Jacobs

Jimmie Jacobs

Gina