Meadow Brook Farm

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Hampshire, IL
Meadow Brook Farm

Meadow Brook Farm MBF offers a wide variety of
services including stallion services, horse sales,
dressage and jumping lessons, training and showing,
and importation.

02/26/2025

‼️‼️MBF Ladies Fly South, Drag Helmut Off Beach, Kick Ass At Show‼️‼️

Our socials have been quiet lately….we keep trying to get updates from Florida, but every time we call Helmut he says he’s “busy”-but we can hear waves crashing in the background or the blender going (pina coladas every day?!)….

Fortunately Bailey Elizabeth Finnestad and Jaclyn Plock hopped on a southbound plane last weekend and, along with Jen Moskal Biebel, Mary Pettey and Miss Sophia Stone (Sara Liard Stone), dragged The Boss 😎 off the beach and to The Ridge at Wellington Groves for a weekend of showing!

First up was the schooling show on Saturday:

🥇Sophia Stone & Zentrix, 1st in a HUGE .60/.70m jumper class

🏆Jaclyn Plock’s Sullivan was champion with The Boss 😎 in the .60/.70m jumper division and 4th in the Itty Bitty Jumper Mini Prix

🏆Jen Moskal-Biebel and her own Lalique IF took the .80m jumpers division championship

🏅Mary Pettey and her homebred Chase Me pulled good ribbons in the 1.0m jumpers

🏅Bailey Finnestad’s homebred mare Open Aire got more mileage at only her second show with Helmut in the .60/.70m jumpers

With everyone warmed up and The Boss 😎 in full horse show mode, the whole crew headed back on Sunday for The Ridge Derby Day & Breast Cancer Research Foundation Show. The MBF/Invictus Farm crew had a banger of a show day! Highlights:

🏅Jaclyn and Sully had their FIRST show together, pulling good ribbons in the cross rail jumpers but more importantly, this was the payoff of a LOT of hard work for these two and we are so proud of them!

🏅Sully and The Boss 😎 took a couple of trips around the .65m jumpers and set a record (according to Helmut anyway) for most jumps jumped in the .65m Gambler’s Choice Pledge class

🏅Sophia and Zentrix had two more great trips in the .65m jumpers, capping off a great weekend for the youngest MBF rider

🏅Bailey and Open Aire also did their very first show as a team—such a huge moment to enter the ring for the first time on a horse you bred! Ariel was such a brave girl and these ladies had some really solid trips in the cross rail jumpers; we are really proud of this team too!

🏅Helmut and Open Aire (Ariel) had a handy 4th place finish in the cross rail jumper derby

🏅Mary and Chase took a spin around the 1.0m Gambler’s Choice Pledge class and the 1.0m Jumper Derby; these two have been putting in the work for a few years now and while it’s not always the easiest journey to bring along a young horse, the rewards are worth it and the victories are not always represented by ribbons ❤️ You rock Mary!

🏅Jen and Lalique IF (Leek) laid down solid, professional trips in the .80m Jumper Derby and .80m Gambler’s Choice Pledge class. This is another pair that does ALL the homework and we have loved seeing their progress over the last two years 😍

🥉Jen and her newer ride Adventureland finished up the weekend with a 3rd in the .90m Jumper Derby

That’s a lotta highlights! HUGE congratulations to the entire MBF/Invictus Farm team—not just for their riding but aIso for their fundraising efforts! These ladies raised $1,920 for breast cancer research!!! 💗💗💗 Thank you to Helmut & Margret Schrant/Meadow Brook Farm for their support of Sunday’s Derby Day & Breast Cancer Research Foundation Show 💗💗💗

Ya’ll know this, but it bears repeating: those 2 minutes in the ring are the culmination of sooo many hours of lessons and training rides, so many moments of frustration (and maybe an F bomb on occasion), so much patience….horses are a long game and we are so lucky to have an amazing trainer who guides us all along this journey and helps us learn SO much. Thank you to The Boss 😎 for all you do! (You can go back to lounging on the beach in your Speedo now 🫣)

Also, thanks to The Ridge for running this great show series; to Jen and Invictus Farm for so graciously hosting MBF every winter; and to Sara McKiness and Cesario Cardenas for keeping things humming along back at home.

Massive photo dump below—enjoy!

12/19/2024

🚨‼️🚨‼️🚨‼️🚨‼️🚨‼️🚨‼️🚨‼️🚨‼️

We wanted to take a minute to share some news: as some of you may have heard, a chapter has closed here at the farm as Helmut and Margret recently sold the MBF property. It was a bittersweet decision 🥹🥹 as the farm holds so many great memories for the Schrant family and brought them so much happiness, both personally and professionally.

That said, Helmut and Margret are excited to see the farm continue to thrive with new owner Sara McKiness-she has been so gracious and hospitable ❤️ through this transition, and they hope the farm brings her and her family as much joy and success as it did for them.

Not to worry though: Helmut hasn’t retired the Stubben or hung up those big-ass roweled spurs quite yet! He is still riding and training and telling weird stories, and will continue to operate the Meadow Brook business out of the same farm when he returns from Florida next spring. Izzy also remains employed as his assistant and will continue monitoring business operations as needed.

Helmut and Margret are so grateful for all of the friends and clients that have supported MBF through the last 20 years and look forward to continuing those relationships in 2025 as their next chapter begins! 🥂

Pictured: Helmut in his winter skirt, trying to keep those skinny chicken legs warm, getting ready to run away to Florida 😂

Margret Schrant
Christina Schrant
Schrant Wealth Management

10/24/2024

HUGE congratulations to Kate Wallace, the Boss 😎 and Oliver (Opportune K) on their smorgasbord of year-end awards! Proof positive that being patient and ensuring young horses understand their jobs creates confidence—and confident, happy horses make the best partners at home and in the show ring. ❤️🐴⭐️🥇🏆🙌🏻 Congrats again on a great season!

09/30/2024

YOU get a bay mare and YOU get a bay mare and YOU get a bay mare! (Okay, someone gets a bay filly) 😂

MBF has 2 lovely bay mares (both confirmed in foal!) and one stunning, sassy, fancy bay filly available!

C’est Si Bon MBF (CC): 2016 Oldenburg mare in foal to Wradar. CC is by Frohwind out of a Cor Noir mare. She is BIG and produces some really nice babies (see her 2024 foal below). Broodmare sound.
Asking 💲5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣

https://warmblood-sales.com/horse/cest-si-bon-mbf

Newtown’s Halle Berry: 2019 Oldenburg mare by Balanchine out of a Festrausch mare. In foal to Finest/Secret. Well built and a gorgeous mover. Being sold as a broodmare.
Asking 💲1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣

https://warmblood-sales.com/horse/newtowns-halle-berry

Ci-mone: 2024 Oldenburg filly by Wradar out of a Frohwind mare (dam is C’est Si Bon MBF). This baby is a hoot! Spunky, sassy, independent personality; plus she’s cute as heck and has beautiful natural movement. Sire competed in the 2003 Pan Am games (dressage).
Asking 💲1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣

https://warmblood-sales.com/horse/ci-mone

09/04/2024

🎉🎂🥳 BIRTHDAY ALERT🎉🎂🥳

Last year, for Helmut’s birthday, we learned how to count to 60 (because he was on a math rampage). This year we decided to change it up and focus on our creative songwriting skills by adding some additional verses to the Happy Birthday Song! Please enjoy the Happy Birthday Song-An Ode to Helmut😂😂😂:

Sometimes we forget the amount
Of tempis and strides to count
In the ring we get lost
And off the horses we get tossed

Some of the s**t you say
Makes our brains go astray
When you ask such hard questions
During our lessons

You eat so many sweets
We don’t know how you keep
Those skinny ass legs
What’s your secret, we beg!
(No seriously, like wtf how does this work)

But you never get mad
When we ride like crap
You just stay super chill
And tell us to take a pill

You work really hard
Every day at the farm
To help the horses and us
So for your birthday we’ll make a big fuss!

Here’s to year 61
We hope you have lots fun
And hope we got the message across
You’re our most favorite Boss!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOSS! Thanks for everything you do! Have a great day!

08/26/2024

Welp, as the Boss 😎 put it, “Oliver did it again!” Kate Wallace’s baby fancypants closed out the show season by winning every single one of his training level classes this weekend—all with scores in the 70s—topping it off with a 75.20% on Sunday 😱🤯🥳

As always, the rewards of bringing a young horse along and seeing them learn and understand their job are huge-these are the times that make it worth the journey of chaos that is most baby horses 🤣 Huge congratulations to Kate and Helmut on their success this summer! GOOD BOY Oliver!

And with that, the Boss 😎 is off on his inspection tour for the ISR/OLD! He’s impossible to keep track of when he’s home, let alone gallivanting across the continent, but we’ll let y’all know when he is home and open for business. 😂

📸: Kate Wallace

08/19/2024

Newtown’s Halle Berry: 5 YO, 16.2H registered Oldenburg mare. By Balanchine out of Hattie (Festrausch). Recently awarded Premium Mare with the ISR/OLD N.A. registry. Big, pretty mare and a gorgeous mover. Currently in foal to Finest/Secret. Asking 1️⃣5️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣. PM for video. Located 1 hour west of Chicago.

08/17/2024

Cayden: 11 YO, 16.1 h registered Oldenburg gelding.

Has been in and out of work for several years due to owner circumstances-green for his age but has very little wear and tear. Easy to put together, amateur-friendly gaits, jumps around 2’6, change will be easy to install. Could go in all 3 rings at the lower levels or do straight dressage. Showed at WEC and Equifest in the adult Xs as a 5 year old and did the .65m jumpers at Equifest in 2022.

Cayden has all the potential to make up into a nice lower level packer, but has been out of work for over a year and will need time in a professional program to truly shine. NOT for beginners at this time. Loads/ties/stands for farrier etc.

Available as a project/re-start. No test rides, no trials. 8️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ OBO. PM for video/more info. Located in Burlington/Sycamore area.

08/05/2024

MBFers enjoyed a successful (and steamy) week at Equifest II! Patricia Wheaton’s Chance brought her A game; she and the Boss 😎 blazed a trail around the .65m and .80m jumpers (as Helmut said, “I had to strap on my seat belt”) and ended up champions in both divisions! It was kinda hard to tell who was having more fun, the horse or the rider…..

Mary Pettey and her Chase Me tackled the 1.0m jumpers and once again showed how much their confidence has grown as a team. We are so proud of these guys! Patience is often the name of the game with young horses and this is 100% where it pays off—especially when they are ginormous and need time to figure out where all the pieces go. Congrats Mary and Chase on another great show season!

Not to be forgotten: our resident dynamic duo (Bailey and Katie) represented the D team (dressage for those who don’t speak Schrant) at the FVSA dressage show on Sunday. Paloma and Stuart were literally perfect, coming home with some really nice scores. The cherry on top: Stuart was champion of his division AND won the high point TIP award!

Sunday ended like all good horse show weekends do: with content horses, exhausted happy people, a missing trailer hubcap, a few adult beverages and 42 attempts to park the 🤬 trailer 🤣 (we won’t say who was trying to back up the struggle bus but it wasn’t Helmut…he can park a trailer with a cigarette in one hand and Diet Coke in the other while talking on the phone and not even looking where he’s going 🤪).

One more show on deck at the end of August and then the Boss 😎 is off on his inspection tour!

📸: Bailey, Katie, Pat, Mary

07/29/2024

Just a few shots from around the farm lately! It’s been quieter with a break from showing, so Helmut has been taking it easy, lounging by the pool, not doing much of anything 😅😜🤣😆

Show season fires up again this week with 2 horses headed to Equifest II; the Boss 😎 will be at Dressage at Lamplight August 22-25 as well.

AND, we have our ISR/Oldenburg inspection on August 11! The question on everyone’s mind: will Wayne Carlson grace us with his presence again this year?!

Looking forward to a busy, fun August at MBF!

07/01/2024

Another weekend in dressage land!

The Boss 😎 had 3 client horses at Lamplight this past weekend and all 3 were really good ponies. Highlights:

⭐️ Vanessa Carlson’s lovely homebred Rhoccoca WF (Coco) started her show season at 3-1 and 3-2, posting some solid scores and winning 2 classes!

⭐️ Kate Wallace’s Opportune K (Oliver) continued blazing his path of glory—he was Training Level champion with a high score of 77.6%! He also tested well in Materiale classes (78% in both). This baby powerhouse is really figuring things out!

⭐️ Jaclyn Plock’s Sullivan (a MBF homebred!) competed in his very first show and was a super good boy, taking everything in stride and finishing the weekend with a 71.03% at Training 2–pretty darn good for his first crack at showing!

Horse moms, horses and the trainer all went home happy Saturday night. Extra props to Helmut for powering through 12 tests in two days, especially Saturday in that gross humidity 🤮 Lucky for us, The Boss is impervious to weather and fatigue so he just blasts through the long horse show days while we straggle behind him.

Word on the street is the D saddle and white gloves were actually his sneaky camouflage; no one recognized him without the Stubben and the yellow gloves 😂😎😶‍🌫️

Congrats to all! Looking forward to the next one!

06/26/2024

STOPPPPPPPPPP ITTTTTTT!!!!!! How are we supposed to handle this cuteness?!??!?!
😍🥰🐴🥰😍

06/24/2024

Look who showed up this morning!
🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩

This big, gorgeous filly is by Wradar and out of C’est Si Bon MBF. She picked a beautiful Sunday to make her grand entrance into the world!

We will spam this page with baby pics all summer-how could we not-she’s SO CUTE!

06/21/2024

MBF is now also a cat sanctuary 🐈‍⬛🙀🐈😂

Can you pick out the new guy??

📸: The Boss 😎

Address

49W729 Plank Road
Hampshire, IL
60178

Website

https://www.meadowbrook.farm/

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Videos

🎉🎂🥳 BIRTHDAY ALERT🎉🎂🥳 Last year, for Helmut’s birthday, we learned how to count to 60 (because he was on a math rampage). This year we decided to change it up and focus on our creative songwriting skills by adding some additional verses to the Happy Birthday Song! Please enjoy the Happy Birthday Song-An Ode to Helmut😂😂😂: Sometimes we forget the amount Of tempis and strides to count In the ring we get lost And off the horses we get tossed Some of the sh*t you say Makes our brains go astray When you ask such hard questions During our lessons You eat so many sweets We don’t know how you keep Those skinny ass legs What’s your secret, we beg! (No seriously, like wtf how does this work) But you never get mad When we ride like crap You just stay super chill And tell us to take a pill You work really hard Every day at the farm To help the horses and us So for your birthday we’ll make a big fuss! Here’s to year 61 We hope you have lots fun And hope we got the message across You’re our most favorite Boss! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOSS! Thanks for everything you do! Have a great day! #mbf #meadowbrookfarm #mathstillsucks #bossman #olderandwiser #orolderandweirder

STOPPPPPPPPPP ITTTTTTT!!!!!! How are we supposed to handle this cuteness?!??!?! 😍🥰🐴🥰😍 #meadowbrookfarm #isroldenburgna #thoseearsthough #bebe

MBF De-Spooking Clinic!

The Boss 😎 is offering a new program at Meadow Brook Farm: de-spooking sessions! These are offered at no charge because they are totally unscheduled and you may end up participating whether you want to or not 😜 No need to sign up-just show up to the farm and see what happens. Not pictured: the chainsaw running at the other end of the ring 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 #meadowbrookfarm #mbf #funnyfarm #bossesbecray #goodpony