A horse breed that its owners say is genetically linked to ponies from Sitting Bull's herd is now available in plastic.

The Nokota breed - saved from extinction by brothers Frank and Leo Kuntz, of Linton - was replicated in a 9.5-inch scale by Breyer, a company that makes and sells model horses.

The Nokota is part of its 2007 series and went on sale New Year's Day.

The company will give a percentage of its earnings to the Nokota Horse Conservancy to help buy feed and land to care for a genetically select 40 of the 600 or so horses in the rejuvenated Nokota herd.

Breyer company spokeswoman Amanda Jensen said the Nokota will join three to four new releases for the year. The model horses are for children for imaginary horseplay and by adults as collectibles, she said.

The Breyer Web site lists Tractor Supply Co. and RCC Western Stores as regional retail outlets for the miniature plastic horses.

Frank Kuntz said the Breyer horse will give the Nokota breed national and international publicity, further aiding their efforts to save the prairie horse. The Kuntzes purchased most of their initial stock from the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where the animals had been enclosed in the park boundary fence since the 1940s.

Kuntz said the horse is modeled after a real blue roan herd stallion, the way it actually looks out in the pasture with its band of brood mares.

Kuntz said the work of saving the breed has been "fun, frustrating and challenging."

He said the horses are sold all over the country and the novelty of them attracts many guests to the Kuntz ranch.

Real Nokota horses will be the featured breed at this year's Breyer Fest at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, where it will be shown in different equine levels to demonstrate its versatility.

Kuntz said the Nokota also is featured in this month's Horse Illustrated magazine.

He said all the exposure is important for the horses. While there is some local dispute as to the origin of the horses, the Kuntzes say the breed descends from ranch horses from Montana and Texas and war ponies from Sitting Bull's herd.

Kuntz said most of the valuable stock has been acquired from the park.