Nokota Horse History

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<div> <B>The Nokota Horse has a rich, colorful and often tragic history that begins with being one of the earliest horses to occupy the Northern Great Plains. This includes the areas of the Little Missouri Badlands of southwestern North Dakota now known as Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This area is around the town of Medora. The </B></div> <div> <B>original horses of this area were primarily of Spanish descent. These were the horses developed by the Lakota or Sioux Nations and others into the great war ponies and buffalo horses so much has been written about over the years. The Native American’s life depended upon on their horses. They took great pride in the development of breeding practices which included the castration of stallions thought not able to pass on the hardiness, speed and endurance this horse had become known for.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The horses that roamed the Northern Great Plains definitely had a role in the history of the area. After the Battle of the Little Big Horn or Custer’s Last Stand in 1876, Sitting Bull, a Sioux Medicine Man, and some of his chiefs fled into Canada. A short 5 years later in 1881, he and his followers returned and surrendered to the US Army at Fort Buford, North Dakota. Not only were all of Sitting Bull’s weapons confiscated but also were all, approximately 350 head, of his horses so he would not be able to escape. These horses were sold to local Post Traders who in turn sold 250 head, including all of the mares, to the French Nobleman, the Marquis <IMG SRC="0e2fabc0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="188" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">DeMores. Most of the remaining horses were sold to the public and soon disappeared as they were not perceived as rare or valuable.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Marquis DeMores, founder of the town of Medora, was an avid horseman. He intended to breed horses on a large scale and had planned to use the Sioux mares as foundation stock. On February 14</B><B>th</B><B>, 1884 an article printed in the Badlands Cowboy, a Medora newspaper, presumed to have been possibly authored by DeMores said:</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>The possibilities of the Sioux horse have never been dreamed of. You know the Old Plains saying, “Let a white man ride an Indian horse until he can’t make him move a step further, and dismounting, give place to a Sioux --- the latter will ride the horse thirty miles further that day”. I tell you they’re wonderful animals on their native health. Why, I can call to mind hundreds of feats performed, to remember makes me tired in several ways when I read the rot about Arab steeds and desert barbs that the school books are full of. I’d like to see some attention paid to raising good Sioux ponies.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>In the summer of 1884, A.C. Huidekoper purchased 60 of the DeMores Sioux mares. The wealthy Pennsylvania family had received 500,000 acres of land from the U. S. Government as repayment for their monetary backing during the Revolutionary War. Huidekoper was the earliest large-scale rancher in North Dakota and had the largest horse breeding operation ever run in the state as well as being one of the largest in the country. His ranch was simply known as the “HT”. Following the notoriously brutal and severe blizzard of 1886-87 that wiped out most cattle ranches in the area, Huidekoper switched entirely to raising horses giving testament to the hardiness of the horses preceding our modern day Nokota Horse. Huidekoper was aware these horses formerly belonged to Sitting Bull and that many of them had been in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He is known to have written of these horses; </B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>“ they carried scars from the rifles of Custer’s troops”.</B></I><I><B> </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Marquis DeMores, along with many of ranchers of the time and area, including Theodore Roosevelt, abandoned their cattle enterprises after the severe winter of 1886-1887. The Marquis left Medora in 1889 and returned to France. He was later killed in Africa in 1896. Upon his death, his foremen rounded up what horses they could and sold them off. Many horses could not be caught due to the rugged terrain of the area. These horses were left and joined with other wild bands that inhabited the area. This area and these horses, in later years, would become Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the subjects of more controversy and colorful history. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>At the turn of the Century to a period of time up through the 1930’s, roughly after the drought years and the Great Depression, these horses pretty much ran at will throughout the rugged terrain of the Little Missouri Badlands. Local ranchers would often chase and periodically round up what they could catch for profit or sport. Coming out of the Depression, as more and more ranching and other agricultural activities again began to flourish, the wild horse not only had a value onto themselves for the slaughter market, but also was seen as unwanted competition to the cattle industry. As a result, various state and federal agencies along with many locals aligned and began what became a very ugly period for this proud horse. Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s a cooperative effort to intentionally exterminate all of these animals was undertaken. This effort included frequent round ups for slaughter, shooting them from aircraft and ultimately open season for sport and wanton waste. In parallel with this, in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s was the formation and fencing of areas creating Theodore Roosevelt National Park. By 1960 the only surviving wild horses in North Dakota, including the remnants of Sitting Bull’s bands, are those inadvertently closed within this perimeter fence. This will begin a new era of controversy and hope for this horses future. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>From the early formation of the Park to well into the ‘70’s, Theodore Roosevelt National Park administrators maintained a management philosophy to eliminate and or exterminate all the wild horses within the Park boundaries. It is thought that at some point the entire wild horse population may have dropped to as few as 20 individuals or less. It is so ironic that this philosophy may well have served to strengthen and improve this future breed by ensuring that only the most intelligent, hardiest and most wild survived and continued to propagate the group. Through this same period, there was a growing recognition of the possible historical past of these great horses along with a rising public resentment of the management practices and cruel treatment of these herds. The adoption of the “Wild and Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act” passed in 1971 was in part a result of this growing resentment. The National Park Service resisted its inclusion under this act and to this day the management of the remaining horses within the Park boundaries have no rights or protection under this “Act”, as would have been hoped for. However, finally in the late 70’s, in recognition and response to the public sentiment for these horses, Theodore Roosevelt National Park managers decided to maintain a small herd for “historical demonstration” purposes. This event now sets the stage for the recognition of our modern day Nokota Horse.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The early 80’s can be characterized as a period of change. In 1979 Leo Kuntz, a local rancher and avid horseman purchased his first “Nokota Horses” from local ranchers in the Medora area. The Kuntz family ran a horse and pony breeding operation for a number of uses including their involvement with a cross country race called “The Great American Horse Race”. They had intended to cross these “Park” horses with their race and performance horses for an improved bone structure, to gain endurance, have improved athletic ability and more heart, all of which these native “Park” horses had become known for. It wasn’t long and the Kuntz family recognized the value, uniqueness, and after some research, the history this horse had to tell. At this same time in the early 1980’s, Theodore Roosevelt National Park managers were beginning to implement change to its herds. It was decided that due to concerns of inbreeding (an assessment of herds by the Bureau of Land Management would not substantiate), and the desire to change the appearance of the herd, outside bloodlines were introduced to the wild herds. These domestic bloodlines, in no way, could compete with the wild horses so in parallel over the coming years, dominant stallions were again removed or killed. A series of routine roundups were held to remove as many of the “original” Park type horses as possible. These roundups were often executed with the use of outriders and helicopters, many times ending in cruel horrific sites. It is at this point that the Kuntz Brothers, Leo and Frank, began buying as many of the original Park horses as they could to save them from slaughter. These roundups and sales continued from their onset in the 1980’s to the most recent being held in 2003 in which some of the last important horses were removed. </B></div> <div> <B>Along this long and treacherous journey it has taken the efforts of many to bring this great story out. From the first horse purchased by Leo Kuntz, the life long dedication of Leo and Frank on the family farm, and the support of many others, the Nokota Horse has been established and is coming to achieve what it is due. Other important events of interest along this journey include:</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>In 1987, Theodore Roosevelt National Park officials commissioned author Castle McLaughlin to research the history, origins and status of the Park herd. Leo Kuntz, Tom Tescher a Medora rancher and several wild and Spanish horse experts served as research advisors. This report titled, “The History and Status of the Wild Horses of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park”, was submitted late in 1989. Anthropologist Dr. Castle McLaughlin PhD., of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University continues to be a noted authority and staunch supporter of the Nokota Horse. Much of the information in this summary has been taken from her report. Not enough can be said of the detail and content it contains. A must read for a true appreciation of the documented history. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">In 1993 the State of North Dakota declared the Nokota Horse the states “Honorary Equine” </B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">In 1996, ABC World News with Peter Jennings chronicled the efforts and struggles of Leo and Frank Kuntz to save the Nokota Horse. In the time since, numerous other media sources have printed and aired similar stories. Please refer to the November 2005 issue of Cowboys and Indians magazine or most recently, the January 2007 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine for more interesting reading. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">In 1999 the Nokota Horse Conservancy and Breed Registry is formed and holds its first of annual meeting. One year later the organization is granted non-profit status by the Internal Revenue Service.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Much has been written in great detail and much has been documented of this great horses history. This summary is but a small sampling of information gathered by many dedicated Nokota Horse owners, supporters, educators, advisors and equine experts. The development of the Nokota Horse to what it is today continues to be primarily due to natural events as opposed to human intervention, which has created most other breeds. This rugged little horse will certainly hold his place in history and its future, in spite of its past. </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <A HREF="http://www.copyscape.com/"><IMG SRC="http://banners.copyscape.com/images/cs-ye-3d-88x31.gif" ALT="Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape" TITLE="Do not copy content from the page. Plagiarism will be detected by Copyscape." WIDTH="88" HEIGHT="31" BORDER="0"></A>  </div> <div> All images & text on this web site are © Full Moon Rising Nokota Horses & nokotahorses.com. </div> <div> This web site is owned by Full Moon Rising Nokota Horses and developed by</div> <div> <A HREF="http://jfwebcreations.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://jfwebcreations.com">JF Web Creations</A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>