For
the past 30 thirty years, brothers Leo and Frank Kuntz of North
Dakota have labored alone and at great personal cost and heartache
in their quest to save the rare Nokota Horses. These wild horses,
descendent from the Indian ponies of Chief Sitting Bull, evolved
into a distinct type when they roamed the Little Missouri Badlands
and were eventually enclosed in the Theodore Roosevelt National
Park of North Dakota.
As
often is the fate of wild horses, the Nokota Horse would be extinct
today without the intervention of the Kuntz brothers. Through
their efforts, the Nokota Horses have been preserved and their
history documented. Ever so slowly, an appreciation of this rare
and wonderful horse has developed and been fostered by Nokota
Horse owners throughout the country.
In
1999, the Nokota Horse Conservancy, Inc. was officially formed.
The bulk of the Nokota Horses remain on the Kuntz Ranch and the
majority of the cost to preserve them still falls upon the Kuntz
family, under the auspices of the Nokota Horse Conservancy. Conservancy
members around the country, familiar with this extraordinary breed
and the immense effort put forth by the Kuntz family, take every
opportunity to rally around them, to help in any way to further
the chances this breed will survive. Even today, the future of
the Nokota Horse is dependent upon the generosity of those who
appreciate the horse and their unique place in American history.
One
such effort occurred in April, 2003 when the Nokota Horse Conservancy,
Inc. participated in Ivercare’s “Because You Care”
Award contest; sponsored by Farnam, Inc. Finalists were chosen
by daily online votes. With over 100 entrants and 31,000 votes
cast, the small yet mightily dedicated Nokota Horse Conservancy
emerged as a Top Five Finalist.
Voting
for the Winner of the “Because You Care” Award begins
September 1, 2003. Every email address may register one vote,
every day, for the month of September. To participate in the Ivercare
Finals, log on to www.ivercare.com,
beginning September 1st, and cast your vote daily for the Nokota
Horse Conservancy.
For more information on the rare Nokota Horse, log on to www.nokotahorse.org
or email: greyponies@comcast.net.
.
