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Kaitlyn Stoddard | Mountain Miles • Ranch Living • Fine Art 📷🎨

@kaitlynstoddard

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🎨 Abstract Artist + 🌾 Ranch Steward
Creating Soul-Led Art + Land-Rooted Rituals
Mountain Miles in the San Juans 🏔️
Living life @csranchpagosa 🐎

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It’s been a big week here at @the_cs_ranch — and we’ve got one more dream to share. 🌸

We’re building a small-scale flower farm, rooted in slow growth, regenerative practices, and a deep love for the land. We’ve already secured rare heirloom varieties (yes, the iconic @floretflower seeds!) and can’t wait to see what blooms — literally and metaphorically. 🌿

In 2026, The Flower Field at CS Ranch will open its gates for:
— Private sessions for photographers + stylists
— Seasonal U-Pick days for the public
— Bouquet and Stem Sales
— A space for barefoot joy + creative reconnection

We’re planting more than flowers. We’re planting a future — and we’d love for you to grow with us.

🌼 Sign up for The Bloom List to be first to know when the gates open: [LINK IN BIO]

#csranch #flowerfarm #slowflowers #floretflower #regenerativeagriculture #coloradoflowers #upickflowers #womeninagriculture #creativecommunity by @kaitlynstoddard

They say having an eating disorder is like having an addiction in the sense that they are always there in the back of our head. There are seasons that are easier and seasons where things become really tough again, but that potential to downward spiral is always there tempting us to choose the compulsive behavior.

This time of year, when food, social gatherings, and expectations are everywhere… the voice of comparison, guilt and shame can get loud again. And it's so easy to fall into that downward spiral.

But healing is an active process and not a one and done thing. It's a conscious choice - day in and day out - to choose to love yourself, to set boundaries, to make the healthier choice for you. And you know what I’ve noticed about body image lately?

The more time I spend outside, the less space it takes up in my head. I was riding along In the mountains eating all the snacks and I realized how little I had thought about my body in a judgemental and condescending way. The food I was consuming was just fuel for adventures in some of the most stunning places.

It feels like the wilder life becomes… the more I remember: our bodies are meant to be lived in, not scrutinized.

Not perfect. Not posed. Not small.

Just strong yet soft, still and quiet sometimes and loud and alive others — and deeply enough.

If the holidays feel hard, you’re not broken.

And you’re not alone 🖤

The one thing I can always count on to help ground me, come back to the present, and be fully alive and content in my body - some time outside and a little fresh air. ⛰️

#1stphormoutdoors #athomeintheworld #eatingdisorderecovery #bodypositive #bodyimage by @kaitlynstoddard

It's been 2 weeks of processing and going through photos of a race I have dreamed about doing for a large chunk of my life.

Bighorn 100, you started out as a goal for the horse girl in Me after seeing an advertisement for AHA Nationals in the Arabian Horse Association Magazine. When I started my running journey my freshman year of high school, you, along with several of the other OG endurance rides and runs got added to my bucket list.

After a burnout phase, I swore I would never run a 100 miler. But when I rediscovered my love of running, there you were in the back of my head again.

Bighorn, you were a dream I didn't let myself dream for a long time. In fact, part of that dream meant moving to the mountains. In order to feel adequately prepared, I had to achieve one to take a step towards the other.

You were the ultimate test of dedication, discipline and grit over the last year. Through surgery recovery, job uncertainty, ranch projects, weird injuries, being sick, and so much planning and prep you made me ask myself on multiple occasions, "how bad do you want this?"

And then I met you on the course, and you asked me again, "how bad do you want this?" My answer for you - "with everything in me." You were a battle with trench foot, 21,000 ft of climbing, 100 miles, time lost with medics, and chasing my last cut offs. You were also some of the strongest miles of my life, problem solving, wildflowers and scenic views like none I've ever seen, miles and memories with friends who are like family, months and months of showing up to do the work, months of dialing in on nutrition and hydration, and months of learning about myself.

I told myself ahead of time that when things inevitably got hard, I would be grateful for a body that is healthy to do these huge things and take me to some of the most unique and beautiful places - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Bighorn, you were a lesson about embracing the journey - a journey that my head and my heart set out to do a long long time ago. You were one of the best weekends and one of the toughest. And I wouldn't change a bit of it. #JourneyBeforeDestination. by @kaitlynstoddard

And just like that, our first season of the flower field at CS Ranch has come to an end. We got our first frost last night, and the flowers looked sun kissed and fairy dusted all at the same time. It's bittersweet to watch our first season of flower farming come to an end.

But don't worry! We have been storing the last harvest from earlier this week and we have fall harvest bouquets (some in pumpkins) and wild foraged wreaths available tomorrow at @barnandbottlerefillery by @kaitlynstoddard

The first day of fall/mabon/the fall equinox has come and gone, which means my summer photo dump is way way way late.

Summer started out beautiful with reunions and so much love and progressively got harder with more loss and more grief.

I'm thankful for the moments full of love and reunion and adventure, and simultaneously would give anything to have my little Per Bear back and avoid the grief that came with losing him too soon.

It's been a hard season overall. But it's also been a season of growth and learning, because of the hard. If I'm being honest, I don't really want to relive the hard, but we have learned a lot about being property owners, cow ownership (not our cows but the neighbors), and flower farming in a drought.

It's been a wild ride. These are some of the moments I wouldn't take back.

P.s. our sweet Per Bear sent us another Rez dog that needed a home after we lost him. My head tried to convince myself that it was too soon, but my heart told me this baby that was abandoned under a shed needed a home. So thanks to @parkersanimalrescue we found our little Ruhn and he has been helping my heart heal since losing my best little trail bud. Netta Bear is coming around too, and is even wrestling again a few months later 💔.

Photo 1: @annakatherinephotog by @kaitlynstoddard

A few sweet moments from our little pop-up outside @highergroundscoffeeco last weekend 🌸

One of my favorite parts was helping this little flower lover build her own bud vase — very serious decisions were made about each stem. 😂

It was so nice getting to meet more of you, talk flowers, and start putting faces to the community we’ve been growing this field for all season. This is exactly what we hoped the flower field would become — not just a place to grow flowers, but another reason for people to gather, create, and connect.

We’re already dreaming about U-Pick days out in the field next summer, and little moments like this make us even more excited to eventually welcome you all out to the ranch. 🌿

In the meantime, we get to do it again this weekend! We’ll be at @barnandbottlerefillery for their Grand Opening this Saturday, September 5, with fresh CS Ranch flowers in tow. 🌻

Come say hi, grab some flowers, and help us celebrate another local business putting down roots in our community. 🤎 by @kaitlynstoddard

I'm the proudest flower mom there ever was. Truly at one point I remember planting things in a bare field that had just been tilled (to reduce soil compaction) after a season of cover crop and wondering if LITERALLY anything would even grow.

But we did it! @seanmcarter62, @emily__barron and I
And so many of our other friends and family that have come to help make this little flower farm come to life, did it.

All of the sunflower varieties are KILLING IT. And my sweet little (big) dinnerplate dahlias that I've been planning since February are here at last. It's been a hard few weeks around here (more on that later), but all the hard work early this spring and summer on the flowers has finally paid off.

And I'm eternally grateful to our friends that show up over and over again to help us keep building @csranchpagosa when the projects get overwhelmingly big and the fence is broken and the greenhouse needed to be up a month ago, and the flower plantings are two weeks behind schedule. Our southwest Colorado community is a special little found family. 💖

Also peep my GARDEN GOATS apron from @duluthtradingcompany. I mean have you ever seen something so appropriately fitting?!?! by @kaitlynstoddard

Vision’s first 50(+) mile race ever 🐎 and my first 50+ miler in over a decade.

I've done some 25s and 30s here and there over the last 10 or so years, but it had been a long time since I’d ridden this distance.

Spanish Peaks gave us 55 miles of steep, technical trail, and Vision handled it like a pro. He still had energy and was moving beautifully at the end of the ride. All those miles in the high country with the pack horses has definitely paid off, and we are so thankful we found our farrier, Nicole Ray, who has been working on some small corrections and has had him in composite shoes for almost 6 months now.

This was also the day we unexpectedly lost our dog, Perrin, and the grief of that has understandably overshadowed the good parts of the weekend the last two weeks. But I don’t want to lose sight of the positive, and Vision deserves to be recognized.

55 miles down. ✅ Really freaking proud of this horse. 🤎 by @kaitlynstoddard

My sweet sweet Floppy Dog, Per Bear, Perrington, Perry, Perrin Goldeneyes, named after a character who was just as complex as you were. You have left a giant hole in my heart, my little buddy.

You were A little walking dichotomy. So chill in some ways yet so high energy. Hilarious and derpy and at the same time so seriously observant and intuitive.

You learned from the best and were my sidekick and constant companion since the day Grimm died. My trail buddy, my work/riding buddy, my cross country road trip buddy. The best little big brother to the hungry hungry fluffy hippo. A street dog free spirit (maybe your free spirit was why we understood each other so well) and a ninja with no concept of countertops or furniture or even rafters that you weren't supposed to be in at first. Simultaneously, you were the most loyal companion and somehow you learned and were just the most selfless little soul.

It's not fair that you were taken from this world with so much more life to live. And I thought we had so many more mountain adventures and thousands of miles to share together. I will forever cherish my memories with you and all our adventures in the San Juans together. I hope you and Grimm are reunited and having the ultimate Perrin Party.

Until our next long run little buddy ... You were so so so loved. ♥️🐾 by @kaitlynstoddard

A 15 mile ride to camp along the Pine River. No notifications. No schedules. No noise. Just horses, mountain air, dinner around camp, and waking up somewhere you can’t get to by car.

Pack trips and big mountain days with @lsmoutdoors have become one of my favorite parts of the summer. 🤍🏔️

Wearing @outbacktradingco's Red River straw hat, and the Ladies Matilda Duster. And of course my @fktgear
Sunglasses. 💁🏻‍♀️

#1stphormoutdoors #horsegirls #packtrip #weminuchewilderness #ranchwear by @kaitlynstoddard

POV: it’s officially the last day of our 8 week Legs & Lungs strength cycle! 🥳

Kaitlyn is all gas, no brakes entering deload/retest week. Sean?… his spirit has already been there for a while now, obviously. 😜

(He also squatted 365 for 3 this week. Don’t let the pose fool you.)

#pagosasprings #pagosaspringsgym #strengthtraining #gymvibes #pagosaspringscolorado by @kaitlynstoddard

We have been up to our elbows in dirt over here. 🌱

Over the last few months, I've started more than 1,500 seeds and then obsessed over them like they're newborn babies. I've tested our soil like any good geologist's daughter would, then proceeded to act like I've been reading soil reports my whole life. I've researched regenerative soil amendments, read about cover crops for fun, and spent entire weeks on webinars learning everything from mass composting and soil blocking to irrigation systems and greenhouse airflow.

At this point, I know more about the bacteria and fungi needed to build a healthy soil ecosystem than I do about anything happening in pop culture.

The crazy thing is that this whole flower business started because I used to make my best friend a giant whimsical arrangement every year from all the blooms exploding out of my garden for her birthday. One day, we were standing beside one of my raised beds and she looked around and said, "You obviously have something magical here. You need to share it."

Now, not even a year later, here we are—8,000 square feet of outdoor flower field space and 2,000 square feet of greenhouse space.

It has been the biggest learning curve. There have definitely been a few casualties along the way. 🙃 Sean is actively learning how not to kill plants, and what I thought would be two weekends assembling this greenhouse somehow turned into eight. But it also meant long days outside with friends showing up to help, sharing meals, stories, and power tools.

I will admit, im my head, I thought we'd be much farther along by now. I had the perfect timeline all figured out. But it turns out flowers don't care much about my timelines, and neither does building something worth growing.

Most days I come inside after dark with dirt under my nails, on my face, and tangled in my hair.

The perfectionist in me wants to wait to share photos until the field is overflowing with blooms, but if I've learned anything lately, it's that life is short—just like our Colorado growing season—and so much of life, progress, and growth happens in the in-between. by @kaitlynstoddard