LINTON - Four Nokota horses, which have traveled from Linton via Calgary, Alberta, will arrive in France on Feb. 16 where they will form the core of the first Nokota breeding program in Europe.

The three mares and stud colt were bred and raised on the Kuntz Ranch in Linton by brothers Leo and Frank Kuntz, and were purchased by the family of Francois Marchal.

Marchal first visited North Dakota in 2005 out of curiosity about the breed sparked by an article in a French equestrian magazine. The family visited again last summer to identify the horses they wanted for their breeding program.

The Kuntz family and the Nokota Horse Conservancy, founded a decade ago, have been working to preserve the Nokotas. The conservancy believes the horses are descended from the last surviving population of wild horses in the state.