My name is Jane my husband is Joseph; the story I am about to share with you is true. It is as unique as the breed of horses we raise, the Appaloosa with the rare Indian Shuffle.  Our story is about a gaited appaloosa named Roloffs KrakrJack who reunited a family after 40 years of separation. .

  How could we of ever known that this Sunday morning which started off as any other would change our lives forever. Through our bedroom window you could see the bright sun climbing up the branches of the great oak tree in our back yard. The birds danced on each branch in a musical symphony  tapping the words in harmony as if telling us, 'time to get up" "time to get up". Our typical Sunday mornings consisted of stealing a few moments of peace and a hot cup of coffee before heading out to the many chores that lay ahead of us. Watching the young foals at play from our dinning room window rearing and kicking their heels up at each other in a rare innocence is utterly breath taking. We have a modest 30-acre farm in Princeton, IL with about 25 to 30 appaloosas including young foals with all colors, sizes and coat patterns, from loud leopards to blankets with every unique pattern of appaloosa anyone could hope for. Our mission has always been to breed a gentle, gaited, foundation-blanketed appaloosa with large halo spots on the blanket somewhere between the photos we had seen of some great old time appaloosas such as Chief of Fourmile, Patchy and Quinta Joe. Many a foal came and passed as we waited as many breeders do for that one special look, each foal stunning in gait and beauty but that perfect vision we had not yet seen.  

Early in the spring of 2002 we visited an appaloosa farm close to our hometown of Princeton IL. The couple Mike and Rose had visited us earlier in the year regarding an Ad we had placed in a local paper for one of our black and white leopard colts and had asked us to stop by.  Upon entering their beautiful farm we gazed upon many appaloosas grazing in the pastures.   Not paying attention to Joe, but glancing from one side to the other looking at all the pretty horses.  Joe grabs my arm and lets out a shout, “Jane! Look at that horse!” I looked from side to side and could not see where he was pointing, turning my head as fast as it could turn, There were so many horses my eyes could not focus,  “LOOK at that Horse” he said again!! This time my eyes followed his finger from tip to end as if I was an airplane taking off on the runway. Then I saw her; I could hardly believe my eyes.  Her head arched, beautiful long black mane flowing she was running across the field.  Joe and I both looked at each other as to know what each other’s thoughts were.  There she was right before our very eyes, the Appaloosa we had both in our many dreams envisioned of our perfect horse!  She was breathtakingly beautiful. We made our way up the long drive way to the barn.  We asked our new friends if she was for sale, they said she was in foal and due to arrive soon.  They had no intentions of letting her go, as we could not blame them. Although we were very disappointed for our selves we were also happy for them, happy that we were able to see a live example of what we hoped to accomplish in our own breeding program. They were truly fortunate to have such a magnificent animal. We always commented on all the beautiful horses they had, Joe and I never felt we were competition or threatening to each other even though we both raise beautifully colored horses, our belief was that God had sufficient blessings for all of us, as all good gifts come from him.  

We had asked that day if they ever did reconsider to please let us know, we would love to have her in our program, Joe and I both were drawn to her as no other horse we had ever seen before. A few months had passed when we received a call asking if we were still interested in her. Mini had delivered twins and both had died, we felt  the loss as if it had been our own. Shortly after on Oct 18^th 2003, on Joe’s birthday Roloffs Mini Ha Ha was registered to her new home.  

Two years have came and gone since we brought Mini home to our farm. Even today Joe and I could spend hours gazing at her in the pasture, her long mane and tail flowing with such majesty, imagining she would have been a King’s mount or Princess who was fleeing from the castle to meet her prince. We felt very blessed to have her in our lives.  They always teased us and said he should have never sold her, that she was the best horse they had ever had, we smiled in side as we felt very blessed to have her. They continuously mentioned they were going to find her sire, to see if there were any more like her yet alive. Her sire was “Roloffs Krakrjack” Mini was truly one of a kind, charcoal black, big blanket with large halo spots forming patterns of every imaginable shape. She was what the appaloosa association depicted as a perfect specimen in a drawing we had seen at one time.  

Late in August of 2004 on Sunday morning a call came for Joe. I could hear through the telephone excitement in his voice  “ I FOUND HIM,”  Joe replied eagerly found who? I could hear the conversation of the two from across the room, “ I found KRAKRJACK and he is still alive, two sisters own him he said and we went to see him. They stopped over later that afternoon with photos of him they had taken.

” Roloffs Mini Ha Ha was born in 1992, chances of her sire still being a live were questionable as with horses anything could of happened.  He told Joe he was going back to see him on Monday would we like to go. They were contemplating bringing him home for a stallion prospect for them selves, yet his lingering concern was his age. KrakrJack was now coming 26 years old and he worried if he could still settle a mare as his last foal was well over 6 years ago. We continued to ask him, was he going to bring him home and try him out as a stallion prospect. He was always thinking about it but he finally said No, after careful consideration he decided to pass on the single foot stallion we now know as Roloffs Krakrjack.  

 Joe and I had usually no extra time between the foals and chores to do anything spur of the moment but I could see the look in Joes face. He wanted to see this Krakrjack,  after all; he did throw the most beautiful mare we had ever seen.  

The Roloffs lived about 3 hours away from us. What a twist of fate as to how we ended up with this magnificent mare. Mike and Rose had purchased Roloffs mini Ha Ha from a local auction in Wyoming IL, about 50 miles from where we lived yet in the opposite direction of where we were going. Years earlier Mini Haha had been sold by the Roloffs to one of the oldest appaloosa breeders still alive, Harland Parker, who recently past on in December of 05 of Cancer.   Harland bought many horses from the Roloffs and used the stallion quite often. They remembered when he was years younger taking KRAKRJACK to Harland's farm and breeding his mares. Occasionally we would see Harland's son who said Krakrjack threw extremely loud foals many of which he thought were gaited. One of which is in Germany a full sister to Mini Haha.

The closer we were to seeing the sire of Mini the more excited I became; My heart pounded with a UN natural excitement, why all of a sudden was I so excited about this? I really didn't want to go, I could find hundreds of reasons to stay home today, foals, mares, chores and every reason I could think of yet I was overly excited.  

We pulled into an old farm lane that went on for miles and miles. Finally at the end of the lane a big farm appeared out of the over grown bushes and trees. As we pulled in the drive an older  woman with silver hair stood outside the gait waving to welcome us in. A friendly smile we had never before seen, she seemed very happy to see us. The men walked  toward her and she began introducing herself, we stayed back and walked behind looking to see if any more horses with loud spots were around.  She said her name was Chris and her sister was Barbara. They lived together on the farm raising horses for years after her father passed away. As she talked about herself this feeling of anxiety fell upon me, this woman who I had never met before seemed so familiar to me, I tried not but I could not help but stare at her. She had a resemblance of someone, but my mind could not place names or faces of anyone. The guys left us and walked down a small path towards the other horses. We stayed behind; and began asking questions about the horses they raised. While they were talking, I glanced around the farm yard, over each building, wondering, had I been here before?  My mind was searching for something, searching a million miles an hour. Finally it hit me,  Turning to face Chris it finally came to me “Did you and your sister ride when you were younger?” I asked, “yes” she said.  My thoughts went racing back in time. My father had a sister who had two daughters and those two daughters loved horses. Could this be them?  thinking to myself.  She looks familiar but it had been so long ago. “What is your last name? “I asked, “Roloffs” she replied, Well that was dumb I said to myself, you know she would of married and her name would be different. The last time I had seen them was when I was about 8 or 9 we stopped for a visit the girls were out side getting on their horses to take a ride. I ran outside, just to get a glimpse of the horses before they rode away. The two girls were just ready to take off on a big ride they said.  That was the last time I had ever seen them. That was over 40 years ago.  

A voice in side of me repeating the same questions over and over, just ask her what her mothers name was.  Giving in to this constant nagging of my mind,  I turned to Chris and asked. “ Is your mom named Marge? Turning her body to face me with wide eyes and a pretty smile “Yes” she answered. 

My heart pounded with excitement. “My fathers name is Alvin, I think you’re my Aunt “, I meant to say cousin but could not even talk. She got the biggest grin on her face as we began to talk and discover that we were first cousins. No one with us could believe what had happened, if they had not been there to witness it for themselves. Everyone was speechless, after 40 years we find that my cousin’s last name is Roloff, our favorite horse is named Roloffs Mini Ha Ha and was bred by my family years ago. What were the chances that we would own a horse they bred, who ever could of imagined the two families would reunite by the love of a breed and a horse named Roloffs Mini Ha ha.  

Barb and Chris Roloffs began breeding Gaited Appaloosas some 37 years ago. They moved to the farm they have now with their father. Although the farm is not the same as when I had visited the familiarity was overwhelming.  

I had always loved horses ever since I was a young girl but had no opportunity to have one of my own and never a particular breed, I loved them all.  In 2002 that all changed when I met and married my husband Joseph. He had a love for the Appaloosa; it flowed in his blood like a raging river since he was a young boy.  It was not until his early 30s he finally owned his first Appaloosa; he loved the spots, the spirit, the intelligence and the heredity of the appaloosa horse. He liked the appaloosa so well he started to breed these magnificent animals. The first question ever asked of me when I met him was if I liked the Appaloosa horses, my answer was, I love all animals and all horses.  However, if you were to ask me that question today, hands down my answer would still be all horses, but the one that I prefer the most? The beautiful Appaloosa known for intelligence, endurance and wondrous beauty. My husband always said, Krakrjack is a fitting name for appaloosas, as you never know what you’re going to get inside. 

We ended up bringing Roloffs Krakrjack home with us this year to carry on the name of the Roloffs, we could of never imagined that there would ever be a legacy to continue in the name of Roloffs Krakrjack. His grandson now born on our property a week ago is a spitting image of his grandfather. Krakrjack 2 the grandson will also carry on the legacy of his grandfather. Roloffs Krakrjack is 26 years old and still breeding, his first registered foal in 8 years will arrive in 2006. We can’t wait to see what this old time gaited foundation appaloosa with the big spots throws this time. Perhaps another Mini Ha Ha is in his wondrous future. 

Was it just a coincidence that day? Perhaps just a shot in the dark meeting? Absolutely not!! Only one could of coordinated such a magnificent event where every piece had to be in a perfect alignment with the other for it to come full circle as it has. Barb and Chris have since visited us here at Masters Creek and the reunion of Roloffs mini HaHa continues. We all feel we are very truly blessed to have been reunited. Who would of believed that two separate families raised the same breed of rare gaited appaloosa horses and knew nothing of each other or the horses they raised. Yet through one horse, Roloffs Mini HaHa, the lives of both met and changed forever. 

Through the love of a gaited Appaloosa.  The breed and the family will carry on. 

Copy write 2-2005

updated - Roloffs KrakrJack has since gone to greener pastures. Although they were with us for a short time they will be with us forever in our memory and in his new son.

Born 9-18-2007  Roloffs Krakrjack has a son. Kaptain Jack Black