OUR STORY
A horse-loving family business
The founder of Anna Acres, Carol Phillips Barratt, has loved sharing her love for horses all her life. When she was just 8 years old, Carol was already leading children on horses. As a teenager she competed in horse shows and enjoyed working with many boarded horses on her family farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
In 1984, Carol and her husband Mark moved their young family to Texas and opened Camp GiddyUp: a place for horse-boarding, riding lessons, and trail-riding near Lake Lavon in Lucas, Texas. In 2007, Mark and Carol created Little Harts Preschool (The Pony Preschool), where Carol could continue to share her love of horses with children. Riding ponies was part of the daily curriculum and soon after the preschool was expanded to include summer camps and last but not least, pony parties!
In 2009, Mark and Carol created Anna Acres in Anna, Texas where they initially hosted weddings and summer camps. In 2013 they moved to Anna Acres full-time and transitioned the Anna Acres activities to hosting pony parties and pony rides.
Anna Acres continues today as a place to make memories with wonderful farm experiences for kids and adults alike.
