Rare Rock's About the Farm

As a child at a very young age I lived the dream of beautiful horses. I played horse all the time. Going so far as running around with a rope in my mouth for reins and galloping on my feet as if I was a horse. Every birthday and Christmas was a Breyer horse or other type of horse to add to my collection. My Mom still to this day gives me a horse calendar for Christmas and my birthday. I often got comments from my family saying I would "grow out of it". I never did......I swore that I would have horses one day. We didn't have any growing up and lived in town.

I was born in Williston, North Dakota in 1964 (which is 29 miles North of Alexander across the Missouri River). My parents and most of the family moved to Missoula, MT. in 1967, I was only 2 1/2 years old. Growing up I would ride relative’s horses when we came back to stay with my Grandma and Grandpa Bottke, Mom's parents house, where she did most of her growing up. I found and pursued every horse I could to ride whether it was relatives or friends horses. In Missoula my Grandma and Grandpa LaRoque lived by the KOA campground. The owners of KOA had a Shetland pony named Jackie and a Palomino horse named Playmate. My friends and I would ride those two horses a lot and had the best of times playing Cowboy and Indian. They are still a very close friend of mine to this day. I guess you could consider me a tomboy and I still am in a lot of ways. Hard work and dirt are part of my nature.

My first horses were when I got married right out of High School and lived in the beautiful Potomac valley 30 miles East of Missoula along the Blackfoot River. Two Arabian X Quarter Horse yearlings, Shadaba, a bay and Ginger, a lovely sorrel with flaxen mane and tail and lots of "chrome". Then later added Tempest a Registered AQHA Bay Roan mare that was triple bred Three Bars and Go Man Go. Another was added, an AQHA gelding, Rambo. I trained all these horses to ride as throughout the years I read every horse book and magazine I could get my hands on growing up. I used the training method that is close to what is now called "Horse Whispering" and was very successful with calm good working horses and companions.

I started training other peoples horses after the marriage ended 6 years later when I got my own place. I worked on some farms caring for and training horses as well as at the racetrack for Fraley Thoroughbreds in Frenchtown, MT. . I think they miss me being in Missoula to help at the track and farm now that I live here in Alexander (at least I hope they do J. I miss them greatly too as they are very dear friends of mine.

During my childhood when I was about 8 years old I went to a Lipizzaner Stallion show at the stadium in Missoula. I never forgot the Andalusian stallion that came out into the ring with the light shining on him and dancing with no restraints, just following his handler’s commands. His long mane flowing around him as he proudly showed himself off with such flare. From that day on I wanted an Andalusian of my own, bad. I never forgot……

It wasn't until many years later that an unfortunate situation happened to me that ended up being good after a 2 year disheartening battle. From that it just so happened that I acquired the money needed to purchase my dream. In 1997 I purchased Faraon De La Montana from Pat Schwarz of Royal Farms. He was only 3 1/2 months old. I will never forget the day he arrived at my home. A fancy semi-truck type vehicle pulling a semi-truck sized trailer with camera's and padded stalls pulled up and unloaded him at about 4:30 in the morning. It was still dark out but the street light by my driveway and yard light shown on him. I lived in a small 1-bedroom house with a small piece of land (I do mean small, only a paddock size area). Before Faraon arrived I fenced a stallion pen and built a shelter. There was an old shack by my garage that I turned into a cozy stall and bedded it with wood shavings. I built some sturdy stall doors too, one for future access to a breeding shoot in the back yard (really thinking ahead). The first week he really cried a lot as he was missing his Mom. But, soon he learned to look to me for companionship and guidance, as I was out with him every chance I had.

During the wait for Faraon's arrival I thought of my farm name. Rare is for the rare Andalusian breed. Rock is for my last name, which is pronounced LaRock. So Rare Rock Andalusians became the name of my future horse business raising my dream horses, the Andalusians and ½ Andalusians.

I started to lead Faraon places with my Palomino gelding, Rush to the State Lands and Equestrian Park not far from my house (1/2 a country block down the road). Sometimes down to Kelly Island by the river or Blue Mountain. At the Park I would turn him lose into the large arena to romp, play and really run full out. Soon he settled into his new home and life with me.

After his saddle training and some good easy rides on mountain logging roads and along the rivers, I thought about starting his breeding career. I hired Wendy Malone from Spotted Fawn Paint Farm as my Stallion Consultant. She is highly skilled in training stallions to be handled for breeding. I wanted to do it right and safe. My mother had purchase Precious Rhythm the year before and I hoped she would come in season 1st before the mares I had booked to Faraon as Rhythm had had many foals and more experience at the breeding shed. It didn't work that way. Faraon's 1st mare was an outside mare that had never been bred before plus not being very well mannered. Add Faraon being new, and I was so glad Wendy was at my side and showing me how it is done. It was an experience as the mare was frightened about the whole ordeal. But, despite that, Faraon was wonderful. He listened to Wendy very well and was pretty patient considering the circumstances. The mare was covered. From that day he has been a wonderful, well-mannered stallion that looks to me for guidance and direction. I am so thankful that I hired Wendy in training him. She has a gentle way of teaching and training the stallions for hand breeding and I highly recommend her to anyone.

My Mother decided to get a mare to breed to Faraon and raise a few foals of her own, so she purchased Precious Rhythm and AQHA, who had two beautiful colts for her, Moon and Diamond. After Precious Rhythm had an accident and broke her leg and we had to put her down, Mom purchased another mare to take her place, Blue Bandit McCue, a well bred APHA mare.

A few years later in 1999, I decided I needed more land and the idea came to me to move to Alexander, ND. Back to my birthplace and Grandma's old farmhouse where my Mother grew up. There is a nice old barn here too. Nothing fancy and needed work. After much updating to the house with new carpet, linoleum and paint it is a nice place to call home. Shortly after I moved to Alexander I met Scott and we ended up with a surprise we didn't expect.....our beautiful son, Payden. Now I am a MOM! So neat and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. We lived here, as a family, up until 2004, however, never married. Now it is just Payden and I here at my farm. The horses that I moved with me settled in and now I have acquired more mares. Still working on new fencing and planning pens. When I moved here the fences were run down with much rusty barbed wire and I needed to design a fencing plan. Mostly I needed to get my stud pen put up as Faraon was in the old barn shed at first. This was done first. Before I fenced here and there all was open and green. Once I added paddock areas of coarse the grass started to disappear and the yard shrunk considerably, yet with beauty still there. I left the back pasture large for turning the mares and foals out but still need to re-fence that area with new. It is not fancy like most horse farms are, but I am working on it with what I have. It is home and works well for me. I like Grandma's place as my own and as my farm site.

Someday I hope to own Purebred Andalusian mares. Boy, I never thought it would take so long to get THIS far. J The Purebred mares will have to wait for awhile. My goal for now and continued in the future is to raise quality, competitive, athletic paint color American Azteca horses (there will be some solid color as well as grey too, I am sure). Once I get the crop of foals on the ground in 2003 from the new mares, I hope things will start to happen as planned. I have an outstanding stallion with an impressive pedigree along with some new mares with impressive pedigrees I have bred to Faraon De La Montana. I expect some outstanding, athletic Azteca foals that will be available for purchase to very satisfied future buyers...you. I am sure it will all come together and grow as planned with well thought out planning, patience, hard work, determination and the help of God. One day I plan on building that nice indoor arena and new barn facility. J It will happen with the will of a lifelong dream.

UPDATE: Well.....it happened! In November of 2002 I purchased a Purebred Andalusian mare!! Yeah! Bonita III is an OUTSTANDING mare and I am so happy to add her to my breeding program. Also Moon at age 3 sold to New York!! Diamond sold also. Sold the 2003 foals in-utero too!!! See the new foals on Sale and Foals pages as each year brings new babies.

Happy trails. I look forward to meeting you as a future buyer at Rare Rock Andalusians, or when you book your mare to breed to Faraon De La Montana.

I've learned.... That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

Yes that is me at age 3! Now I am a Mom.

And......I finally got a new horse trailer in 2002 !! It is a Cherokee Invasion 3 horse slant load. I can deliver horses or foals from the farm within 700 miles.


First 2 years with Faraon in Missoula home



Payden and Duncan		Feeding in Winter.	Deep snow!

Farm in Alexander before new fences/corrals

After lots of work building fences.


Weaning babies and Payden on Duncan
	Above the old porch: below after my new steps and porch......what a job!	Before addition when I moved here. (Below) removing North basement wall and making basement bigger. (Above) the addition in Oct. 2006. New roofing also.	Under construction in 2006! After addition to house.

My Mom	Tempest (AQHA Bay Roan triple bred Three Bars and Go Man Go)		My Sister, Linda and I on Rush
	My Brother, Kurt	My Sister, Cindy visits from Washington

	Butte's around my farm. (Above) is Larsen's butte and below Ragged Butte	Ragged Butte.	Up the road where we ride West of our house.

Pictures of Missoula, Montana and surrounding area, where I lived most my life before moving to North Dakota.

Missoula, MT taken from Blue Mountain. That is the Bitterroot River as it enters Missoula.

Taken below St. Mary's Lake near St. Ignatious, MT. Note the waterfall, it is in the next picture

only closer taken from the lake shore up there in that bowl !! Photo Credit Sandra LaRoque

St. Mary's Lake nestled at the base of the Mission Mountains. Photo credit Sandra LaRoque

A meadow near Holland Lake area with the Bob Marshall Wilderness in the background. Herd of horses and mules that are a band belonging to a hunting guide service. Photo Credit Sandra LaRoque

I know what you are thinking........"you left this for the land of North Dakota!" ND is beautiful in its own way too..... Yes, I did, but I miss the majestic mountains, clear lakes, creeks and rivers of Montana VERY much. Maybe one day I will move back there or get a cabin and go for longer stays. I visit as much as I can and cry each time I leave. But, my life with my son and him being near his Father and the horse farm are very important to me here in North Dakota.