Leo, a Nokota owned by Susan Pizzini of Chester County, PA, counted eventing among his disciplines. In the irons: Jennifer Facciolo, competing at a Fair Hill, MD, horse trial.
Nokota® horses, a tough breed that has survived many challenges, have lost one of their biggest supporters, but they are still moving forward.
Leo Kuntz, the breed’s biggest supporter, who coined the term Nokota for the feral and semi-feral North Dakota horses, passed away suddenly, August 12, at age 69 in an ATV accident while checking on his herd. He left behind a herd of more than 200 Nokota horses.
For a time the breed’s future was in question as supporters struggled with how to sustain and feed so many, until his brother, Frank Kuntz, purchased the Nokota foundation breeding stock. He will continue the work they have both been so involved with.
Frank Kuntz was recently an exhibitor at Equine Affaire, November 8-11, in Massachusetts, where he was on hand to introduce the breed to new followers.
“I’ve been up here about 21 years now to showcase Nokotas,” he said. “Where I come from, a lot of people didn’t pay any attention to these horses. If they’re not a Quarter Horse or a Thoroughbred they didn’t pay any attention to them. Out here on the east coast people are a little more open minded and receptive.”
Trace to Sitting Bull
Some people are drawn to Nokotas by their true American history, reputedly tracing to the horses of Sitting Bull. “They’ve got a wonderful, interesting, and colorful history,” Kuntz said.
The breed developed in the 19th century from ranch-bred Native American horses mixed with Spanish horses, thoroughbreds, harness horses and related breeds. The breed was almost wiped out during the early 20th century by ranchers in cooperation with state and federal agencies, who worked together to reduce competition for livestock grazing. When Theodore Roosevelt National Park was created in the 1940s, a few bands were inadvertently trapped inside, and thus were preserved.
Leo and Frank Kuntz, of Linton ND, began purchasing the wild horses in the 1980s when they were being removed from the southwestern North Dakota park. The park service brought in new blood to ‘improve’ the wild stock that remained, while men like the Kuntzs were more interested in preserving the horses as they had been when they were mounts for Native American tribes.
As they continued to take on as many of the old-style horses as possible, they were helped by Blaire and Charlie Fleischmann of Chester County, PA, who helped start the Nokota Horse Conservancy® and breed registry.
The mission of the Conservancy is to preserve these wild horses of the northern plains that have lived in the Little Missouri Badlands for more than a century.
Many Disciplines
Spreading the word about the Nokota has been a big part of helping the breed to grow. Today there are Nokotas doing all kinds of equestrian sports in America and even in Europe.
“The plan going forward is what we’ve been doing for the last 38 years, being out here promoting these horses, and educating people about them. There’s less than 1,000 left in the world today. They’re unique,” Kuntz said. “People who have them love them. There’s two comments I get from people after they’ve owned a Nokota for a while - the first is ‘you must have sold us one of the smartest ones you had’, and the second is ‘the farrier says if all horses had feet like that, we’d be out of business’.”
Nokotas have a lot going for them. Kuntz describes them as very versatile, very sure footed, and very sound, “They’re unique. They’re smart and they’re compassionate,” he said.
Brought East in 1999
Susan Pizzini of Chester County, PA, has a love for the breed that started back in 1999 when she purchased a gelding that was a part of the first group that came east that year.
“Chester County, Pennsylvania probably has the second largest concentration of these horses in the United States other than North Dakota,:” Kuntz said.
Pizzini’s first Nokota is named Leo, after Leo Kuntz. A 16.3 h. grey gelding, he is a big horse with lots of bone and lots of personality.
“I was looking for a horse, and I’m a big girl so I need something substantial. I saw him and he’s got legs like stove pipes, so I knew he could carry me,” Pizzini said.
She recalled how she first met Leo as she and friends were looking at a band of Nokotas in a field. “I saw a bunch of horses under a shade tree. Leo broke away from the band and walked toward me right past the other people. He walked straight to me and stopped right in front of me. He stayed with me like we were glue,” she said. As she was leaving, Leo headed back to the other horses, but Pizzini hesitated, thinking that if she called him back and he responded, then this was certainly the horse for her. “He stopped, turned around, and came to me. If that wasn’t magical I don’t know what is.”
Leo went on to a diverse career, spending time as a trail ride guide horse at Fair Hill Stables and taking on eventing as well. At 22, Leo is semi-retired to enjoy life in his pasture with Pizzini’s other Nokota, Orion, and half Nokota, Teddy Bear.
“He’s got such a sense of humor. He’s just a funny horse,” Pizzini said. “Leo’s inspired a lot of people.”
The Nokota Conservancy
The existence of the Nokota Horse Conservancy, a non-profit organization, helps ensure the future of the breed even after the original founders are gone. “That’s one of the reasons Leo and I helped put the conservancy together,” Frank Kuntz said. “You want to make sure these horses have a future. Losing Leo does leave things up in the air, but the horses are here. They’re survivors.”
Nokotas have a very strong foothold in Chester County, PA, including the Preserve at Chester Springs, founded by Christine McGowan. This non-profit adjunct to the Nokota Horse Conservancy is specifically designed to raise money for hay and pasture for the horses in North Dakota.
This fall, McGowan hosted the second annual clinic where a number of Nokotas were brought in for new owners. “It has been a really great opportunity for people on the east coast to come see the horses even if they can’t own one,” McGowan said. “These are not the average horse.”
There are many aspects of the Nokota that McGowan finds appealing. “They’re extremely versatile. They can go into many different sports, they are very willing horses, they are very smart horses,” she said. “They’re not for everybody. You need to really work as hard as they do and hone your horsemanship.”
Some of their abilities come from their feral heritage. “They are incredibly athletic. They are born into an environment where athleticism would make them huge survivors,” McGowan said, adding that their conformation with sloping croup also makes them very comfortable to ride.
McGowan reported that genetic testing suggests that these horses’ ancestry predates the introduction of Spanish horses to the continent. “The most important thing now is to recognize that these horses are truly the original horses of the Americas,” she said.
For more information on the Nokota, visit www.nokotahorse.org.