Frantz Family Farm LLC

02/21/2025

Check out our newly updated website for policies, 2025 sign ups, programs, and more!

Welcome to Frantz Family Farm LLC, where good foundations lead to big dreams! Come ride with us!

02/16/2025

Winter is hitting hard these past few weeks!

I guess Punxsutawney Phil was right this time
🌨️💨❄️☃️

Informational packets will be sent out tonight to our students who may want to return for the 2025 season.

We will have really limited availability this spring, while we continue searching for a few necessary additions to the lesson horse crew.

Jack and Freya have retired/been rehomed to two loving families that are the perfect fit for them. We sadly had to put Stella to rest in the late fall. Josie is still looking for a forever family. And we have one more horse that may not be staying with us for this coming season.

Lots of juggling changes and trying to fill the holes that some of these horses held in our team will have us spread thin at the start of the season.

Feel free to reach out if you’d like to get on our waiting list and possibly be contacted with any potential openings as they come available!

02/14/2025

💘 We hope you hugged your pony today 💘

💗 Happy Valentine’s Day! 💗

02/02/2025

Congrats to our student, Rilynn, on her many achievements from the Just A Small Town Ranch 2024 Show Series!

Her and Ruby are a great team 🩷🐴

02/02/2025

✨ Now accepting a few more off-farm or haul-in clients! ✨

Our regular lesson season starts in a few weeks and we are beginning to plan schedules and availability.

We do offer a haul-in discount to students who bring their horses here for lessons!

Fully insured, resume and references available, experienced and versatile training for all your goals.

Reach out for more information and to speak to Ari directly about your needs. 🫶🏻🐴

02/02/2025

This week started with un-rideable frozen arenas, the stomach bug in our household, a windstorm that took down a pine tree onto our barnyard fence, and thick sheets of ice on the ground everywhere-amidst the “normal” amount of work that it takes to keep this place running.

So, I’m extra grateful for how it ended. 🫶🏻

Some of our lease riders and one of their moms helped me unload the monthly truckload of sawdust just to be helpful, we cleaned up the tree as a family project today, and Nick fixed the broken fence so we can use the barnyard again.

Spring projects to update the farm start Feb 8th! For those who know me well, you know updates and farm projects are my favoriteeee 👏🥳

01/16/2025

One day (hopefully soon?) we will have an indoor. For now, we make do with our outdoor arenas.

This is a good winter conversation topic while we have some leasers riding throughout the winter on an “as possible” basis.

The winter time (mostly Dec, Jan, and Feb) is not the time to progress your riding ability or “move up”. It is the time to take TIME to do things thoroughly, bond with your lesson horse, learn how to do things on the ground that you may have gotten rusty at during the nice riding months, and actually feel what REAL horse-man ship can be like when things (like weather) aren’t ideal.

There is SO much to be learned on the ground. So much to be mastered just by walking under saddle, when the footing or temps aren’t safe for anything else. So much to be learned about CARE.

Don’t hold yourself to an unreasonable expectation on your riding goals during the winter when we are battling single digit temps, frozen p**p, slippery ice spots, and fresh horses.

Instead, try to remember to take the time to breath and ponder what you can do with your horses during this time. It’s ok to have a “quiet time” in your riding year.

How cold is too cold to ride?

Let’s start with your horse’s respiratory tract. The horse’s respiratory tract is designed to warm and humidify air by the time air reaches the lungs. Intense exercise (anything more than a walk) speeds up and deepens breaths so that air is not as warm or humid when it reaches the lungs which can cause damage to the lower respiratory tracts. It has been discovered in multiple studies that respiratory tracts in horses can become damaged by breathing cold air starting around 23 degrees Fahrenheit, damage to lower respiratory tracts was found 48 hours after exercise, including elevated white blood cell counts and inflammatory proteins as well as narrowing of the tracts.

Moving on to your horse’s cardiovascular system (heart). The cardiovascular system react to cold by increasing the blood pressure and heart rate. It also reduces the amount of blood that flows closest to the skin in order to preserve core body temperature. The reduced blood flow to the skin can lead to frostbite. This lack of blood leads to the eventual freezing and death of skin tissue in the affected areas. Again, it is probably wise to reduce the intensity of your ride so that your horse’s heart does not have to work so hard.

And last but not least your horse’s muscles and joints. Muscles take longer to warm up in the cold weather and arthritic joints may ache and need more time to loosen up. During exercise in the cold, your horse’s muscles require more energy at a faster rate in order for them to function as they would under less extreme conditions. The cold temperature effects the temperature of your horse’s muscles greatly affecting the muscles’ ability to contract. This can leave muscles more vulnerable to fatigue and strains, as cold muscles are less elastic and don’t absorb shock or impact as well as warm muscles. Cold muscles are also less responsive to signals from the nervous system so movements are less coordinated.

So in conclusion it is best to avoid exercise (trotting, cantering and jumping) when temperatures are under 20 degrees F, stick with walking and make sure to properly cool your horse down.

01/14/2025

While it’s quiet on our page, or you aren’t here every week for lessons; while the weather isn’t ideal for riding, and it may be called our “off season..” try to remember this ✨👇🏻

We aren’t “sitting idle”- we are building what’s next…and even in stillness, there is progress. 🤍

01/03/2025

This year will be the year I finally share out loud some of my stronger thoughts and possibly controversial perspectives in the lesson and equine industry that may upset some people.
That’s okay.
I’m not for everyone, and neither is my farm. 🙂

"A well-trained horse is like a fine-tuned instrument, but you still have to learn to be a musician."

This quote emphasizes the crucial role of rider skill in horse training. A well-trained horse is only as good as the rider's ability to communicate effectively and bring out its best qualities.

As riders, we must continually develop our skills, balance, and timing to get the most out of our horses. This requires a combination of technical knowledge, physical ability, and mental focus.

The art of horse training is a complex process that involves both horse and rider. By recognizing the importance of rider skill and continually working to improve our abilities, we can achieve better results and build stronger partnerships with our horses.

~ 24K
゚

01/02/2025

✨ Happy New Year ✨

We’ve had an awesome, challenging, beautiful, hard, exciting, and busy year…and I’m hopeful for whatever 2025 holds for us all 🤍

12/23/2024

Merry Christmas week guys!
This is what your lesson horses are getting in their stockings, haha! 🎄🎅🎁

12/20/2024

✨❄️ Rue says it’s a SNOW DAY! ❄️✨

12/17/2024

Monday Motivation- on a foggy winter Tuesday😉

12/14/2024

I absolutely loved getting to teach these girls on their own horses again this season!
They are well on their way to being excellent horsewomen 🤍

12/14/2024

Norah & Brielle both had to jump ride Maisie on the day of the End of Year Show due to Stella declining rapidly, not being sound nor comfortable that day.

They both did a great job with very minimal preparation. I love to see them rise in a difficult situation and do their best.

Maisie loved being a back up just for that day, since she’s been busy growing her baby and munching hay most of her days.

12/14/2024

A big thank you goes to Over the Moon Photography- Olivia Trexler and her mom, Abbie.
Liv is a student of ours as well, and has many other talents, including photography.
They spent the very long day with us at our End of Year Show again this season. They ensured they had photos of each rider and horse and got some great shots for sweet memories! 🐴🍂📸

12/14/2024

Part 3: Photos from our End of Year Show
🐴 Lessons with Ari 🐴
So proud of the perseverance & growth in my students this season! I’m blessed to be a part of your equine journey!