Rockwall Horse Ranch plays role in conservation effort of wild Nokota horses

At Rockwall's One Oak Ranch, Texas soil is serving as the middle ground.

For the next 10 days, it will be a place for French horse trainers to become acquainted with wild mares. It’s the first step of a rescue mission that started just a few months ago with the formation of the Nokota Challenge Association.

“Right now, we're getting horses that are untouched,” said Anouchka Moscatelli.

Moscatelli founded the group and helped recruit the seven trainers who would prepare the horses from North Dakota for a flight to France, a Hail Mary to save them from extinction.

“They are trying to create a connection to be able to go close to the horse,” she said.

The effort first began back on the Kuntz Nokota Ranch, where Frank Kuntz has worked alongside his brother and other family members to preserve the breed for 45 years.

When asked about the history of the Nokotas, Kuntz speaks at length.

“What we do know about the Nokotas is that they're descended from Sitting Bull's buffalo horses,” said Kuntz.

But for years, the wild horses were eliminated and then forced from their home in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

“Unfortunately, there's not a lot left. There's probably less than 700 of them in the world today,” he said.

Kuntz said while he and his brother were originally drawn to the Nokotas’s strength, they fell in love with their intelligence and the way they interact with each other and humans.

It's a unique trait that's brought together people from three parts of the world, doing what they can to make sure these living pieces of American history don't fade away.

“It’s sad to see these horses starting to lose out in this world. You know, they served the northern plains people so well, and they need a future,” said Kuntz.