Nokota Horse Stories

Hi everyone!
It is about 5 degees and the wind hasn’t stopped blowing since October but its a beautiful day in SD. The weather has set back my ambitions to do alot of riding this winter, (that and a thesis that isn’t writing itself!) but all is faring well. Brumby is still full of attitude and gives me those puppy dog eyes everytime I go to the barn– She wants to GO RIDING! I have included a SD winter picture, she is a woolly bully in that one! Both of my indian ponies are settlin in for a long winter- judging by the massive amounts of hair they have grown this winter!
I wanted to share pics of Brumby and Sundance from this summer, from beautiful Northern MN where my family has a lake cabin. Sundace is my 2 year old (quarter horse cross with Indian Horse of unknown descent from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation) and is also coming along beautifully- just a tad more lazy! She doesn’t possess the Nokota-tude that Brumby has! Hopefully these pics will warm you all up and get everybody thinking about spring! Winter will be over before we know it!
Cheers and take care all! Heather

As you can see, Brumby is very enthusiastic about riding today. She is just trying to trick you…she really has absurd amounts of energy.

As you can see, Brumby is quite the hooligan of the group. Never a dull moment!

This horse absolutely loves water. The first time I went to the Kuntz ranch to pick out a horse I snapped a picture of a gray horse standing in the creek because it was a pretty picture…After I bought my horse I looked at those pictures and realized it was Brumby! I just can’t tear her away, she loves to play in it! She would dig all the way to China if I let her!

Hey all!
My name is Heather Richter, and I currently reside in Brookings, SD. I am working on a Master’s degree in Range and Animal Science at South Dakota State University (been here 7 years and ready to be done!)
I stumbled upon the Nokota Horse Conservancy 4 years while I was “shopping” for my first horse. The rest is history, as you all know the power of the Nokota horse to capture anyone’s heart!

Brumby is 5 this year. Her sire is the late Blue Moon, her dam is Painted Lady.
She is an amazing little horse, and we have seen thousands of miles together!
She is always there for me with spunk, attitude and heart– If horses could talk, she would say
“I don’t know where we’re goin’ but there’s no sense bein’ late!”

We do not get the opportunity to do fancy showing like dressage, jumping, or western pleasure like many Nokota Horse owners but we like to work cattle, branding, team sorting, team roping, ranch rodeos, ranch horse competitions and games just for fun!

I want to include a few pictures, I have her whole life documented in photos so it will be hard for me to share just a few! I hope someday I will get to meet you all and your horses! Enjoy and I will try and post from time to time!
Heather

And the winner was Kathy Jone’s lil’ Miss Ouri By Wanblee out of Frank’s 2 Swirl Black…bred by Frank Kuntz

Second = Dorrie Bettle and Mickey Blue Eyes

Third = Marie Burch and Cool Cruise Cloud

Fourth = Jill Murray and Howahkan

Fifth = Shelby Turiansky and Blue

Photo Credits all to Pam Pew

You would have been proud of the Nokota Horse.  They behaved impeccably, were beautifully turned out and handled by their owners and I am receiving many compliments from the show organizers and my fellow dressage comrades on what a nice class we had.  Kathy Jones who won with her wonderful Filly bred by Frank was in tears standing in front of the grandstand getting her photograph taken with ribbon and trophy.  Kathy stayed all day so that she could participate in the Parade of Breeds that night under the big lights and we all were proud of how she held her own with all the other sport horse breeds walking around the ring.

 The scene outside our stables before the class with 5 owners polishing hooves, combing out tails and going over coats with a towel one more time was fun to watch  and  seeing these owners enjoy themselves with the opportunity to show in the Dixon oval at a major show was very satisfying..

An interesting side note on the winner of the class from Castle:

I knew this filly’s grandparents very well while they were wild; Midnight was my special favorite as was his sweetheart a blue and white mare. Because of that I bought Wanblee ( their offspring) from the park and named him and gave him to the conservancy. So I feel very emotional at this amazing fruition.

  We really did had a great time and looking forward to next year now that we know what we are doing!  Hope to see more of you come out and join us!  How about it Polly!!  The Nokotas got a lot of press out of this locally and nationally.

What an experience!  Cody decided to have severe seperation anxiety everytime he and Keen were separated.  Cody was not my best boy in the ring.  Couldn’t keep his feet still and was just a mess.  He deserved his 5th place and to be put to bed without his supper.  But of course I forgave him.  Breed show competitor he is not.  I will be giving serious thought to whether he should go to Devon.  If I am not able to find someone to groom  for me, I won’t be able to take both of them anyway. So we will see.

Keen had his moments in the ring as a young horse.  It was quite a stimulating environment… though since Kathy’s 2 yr old didn’t blink an eye, not sure what his excuse was!

But I get a kick out of showing Keen’s before and after photos 18 months apart. Goes to show breeding tells and you really can see the potential in the horse when they are in North Dakota winter attire as a 3 yr old.

Keen’s troublesome health condition that has kept him on the sidelines since May is behind him and I am working towards 3 shows for him this fall.  One schooling and 2 recognized doing  Training 1 and 2.  He is a quick study and can do bits of all the different lateral trot work.  Very enthusiastic canter departs I must say!

Cody had his last schooling show second level, (61% 2nd 2 and 58% 2nd 3), and we are ready to move up to recognized USDF.  That will be Labor Day weekend at New Jersey Horse Park.  The upper level classes are always down in the main rings so we won’t be able to hide anymore up in the boondocks with the lower levels anymore. But it is time to move up and start working on the finesse needed at the recognized shows. 

Cheers ! 

-Jill

And the results are…….

Kathy Jones and Kiya

7th in the open 2 yr old filly class…..10 in the class…all warmblood breeds and a special Nokota filly! ( Wanblee/Frank’s 2 swirl Black)

4th in the Amateur Handler class

Nokota Breed Class:

Dorrie Bettle and Mickey got the first place Blue!

Kathy and Kiya second place

Jill and Keen third place

Shelby and Blue 4th place

Jill and Cody taking up the rear as the anchor horse in fifth.

We all had a wonderful time!

• Sara Renzulli ( Carmalitas new owner)came and took lots of photos and gave us all fresh baked banana bread..hm-m-m-m-m
• Jaimie was the photog with my camera and also Dorrie’s groom and Mickey’s chauffer 
• Marie Burch who will be showing her Blue Moon gelding Cool Cruise Cloud at Devon came out and helped me with my 2 horses and did a superb job!
• Sue Pizzini came out to cheer us on and brought yummy horse treats
• Jill Roeher, Geoff Roehr, Sam and Darcey Brown came to watch and support us

Thanks everyone!!!  Devon here we come…

August already!  And Fairhill Breed Show almost here on August 16.  With 5 Nokotas entered, the Show Secretary is very impressed.  For this show as a class sponsor we can display the Conservancy banner on the show ring fence for the entire show and they gave us free ad space for the Conservancy as well.

Very slow year for Cody and I showing because of the new economy affecting us all. I have been focusing on training with our moving up to Second Level this year. We did go to a recognized show last weekend at First Level to get Cody’s final 2 scores to complete his USDF First Level Performance Award (10 scores 60% or higher).  Labor day weekend we move up to Second Level at the New Jersey Horse Park doing Second 2 and 3, Wahoo…Now that’s dressage! 

Keen has been having a troublesome year. The vet and I discovered he had a serious liver infection. Outwardly he looks fine but this spring he was coming up extremely fatigued after only 20 - 30 minutes of work which was very puzzling.  After doing a lot of tests a liver scan came up with an enzyme count of 366 and high normal is 45.  No way of knowing where this came from or how long he had it.  The equine liver takes a very long time to recover from an “insult”  (this is what the vets call an unknown event that impacts the liver function).  He will be on many months of antibiotic, but will come out of this just fine with no adverse impact.  He looks the picture of health and is very active in his turnout so we are not overly concerned.  An ultrasound showed nothing abnormal.  I can ride him, with low key work and he is cleared to do the breed shows as well.  He just can not have any high impact training work.  So 2009 will have to be his year. 

I do have a third horse, Legacy, who is my retired event horse and 31 years old!  He only started to look his age.  I am seeing him really slow down and have hind end weakness this year and his expression has changed. He is under regular vet care with regular check ups and we are keeping him comfortable. I know he is telling me that though this has been a great life, 32 may just be too much for him to manage. My vet has been giving me gentle hints that it may be best not to wait for a crisis.  He and I have been buddies since he was 3 years old and he was in work to some degree or another all his life up until last year when his cataracts gave him too much sight trouble.  He has spent since then turned out in his own field with the donkeys at his leisure.  One of those great honest horses that owes nothing to anybody.  Sigh.

Well, that wasn’t my usual cheerful update but it all goes with the territory of having horses, so the good with the bad.

Next update will be the Fairhill Breed show results!

Cheers…

-Jill Murray

Providence Farm Nokotas 

jmurraynokota@verizon.net