Santa’s reindeer don’t have to travel very far for all the good girls and boys of the Wood River Valley. Located in Carey is Sawtooth Reindeer, Shaylin and Eric Heywood’s ranch where they raise reindeer year-round and provide unique reindeer-related experiences for people of all ages.
While many associate reindeer with Santa Claus and Christmas time, reindeer, which are the same as caribou, are native to parts of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America, where there are large wild populations but also domesticated herds as well. For certain populations in these areas, reindeer play an important role in providing food, clothing, and shelter through use of their meat, antlers, hides, and milk. Some nomadic peoples also ride reindeer for transportation, but primarily they are used for pulling goods and individuals on sleds.
The depiction of reindeer with Santa Claus is typically attributed to the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” which mentions Santa’s sleigh being pulled by eight flying reindeer; the addition of Rudolph as one of Santa’s team came in 1939 in a Christmas coloring book created for a department store.
Since then, reindeer have inspired a sense of awe and wonder for many of us come the holiday season, including for the Heywoods, who moved to Carey from the Wood River Valley in 2020 and started Sawtooth Reindeer in 2021 with the intent of sharing the magic of these creatures with others. Both Shaylin and Eric had ranching in their backgrounds: she comes from a ranching family, and he worked for local ranchers growing up. They both aspired to get back to these ranching roots, and for Shaylin, the freedom of being an entrepreneur was appealing as well.
“I started seeing pictures of people with reindeer, and I’ve thought caribou were the most gorgeous animals,” said Shaylin. “It kind of stemmed from there. We just dove in and fell in love with them.”
Though Shaylin grew up on dairy farms, prior to moving to Carey she worked a variety of jobs, including as a real estate agent and paramedic. Eric still works full time as head equipment manager for The Valley Club.
The Heywoods have nine reindeer—five cows and two bulls—that guests are allowed to visit on the ranch for reindeer experiences, either in groups or in private. These visits include a guided tour of the ranch and entering the reindeer pens to feed, pet, interact, and take pictures with the deer. The ranch also provides educational experiences, including field trips, and photography sessions, such as for Christmas cards or senior photos. And of course, there are the popular reindeer appearances at which the Heywoods bring reindeer to all manner of location—a popular experience come holiday time.
“We go all over Idaho—everything from parades to big stores to city events, weddings, private events,” explained Shaylin. “We have the absolute best job in the world, because not only do we get to spend time with these guys all the time, but everybody is so happy when they see the reindeer. They bring out the joy in people.”
Catch the Heywoods and their herd at the annual tree lighting ceremonies both in Carey and at Ketchum Town Square this holiday season.
Reindeer Facts
Reindeer antlers are the fastest-growing bone in the animal kingdom, growing one to three inches a day during spring and summer.
Reindeer are a unique species of deer in that both the males and females grow antlers.
Reindeer hair is hollow, helping keep them warm in freezing temperatures but also making them naturally buoyant, which is why they are excellent swimmers.
Reindeer make a clicking sound when they walk (“up on the housetop, click, click, click”) because of a tendon in their feet, which helps members of the herd stay together in foggy or snowy conditions that make it hard to see.