The Preserve, Chester Springs
About Us
A HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Our Story
Christine McGowan is a Philadelphia area native and grew up far from the herd of feral Nokota horses she has grown to love and support with her non-profit. Christine was raised in Bryn Mawr, graduate of The Baldwin School, and worked alongside her mother at her health and wellness store of 40 years, Arrowroot Natural Foods. Christine graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts from The University of Pennsylvania.
After a successful career in the NYC fashion district, Christine returned to PA to help her mom and raise a family. At 51, Christine found herself struggling personally. Looking back on her life, she remembered her happiest moments were those she spent around horses where time disappeared and hearts were full. Christine and her family soon moved to a 14-acre farm in Chester Springs, PA, where she thought she would find joy in taking trail rides and teaching lessons. All that changed one autumn day when Whitney Jaeger rode her horse, Leo, a Nokota®, to meet her new neighbor…
A BRIEF HISTORY
Meet the Nokota
When their paths finally crossed, the “Nokota”—as we know them today—already had a long history fraught with adversity that has been traced back to the late 1800s in the Little Missouri Badlands of North Dakota. When the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) was created in the 1950s, some of the feral herd were fenced into the park. For decades, park management tried to eradicate the feral horses from the park, sending many to auction. Frank and Leo Kuntz, brothers from North Dakota, used all of their resources to purchase as many of the original herd from auction. They dedicated their lives to caring and advocating for the Nokota horse. Leo coined the name “Nokota” for the feral herd, paying homage to their Lakota heritage and North Dakota roots. The brothers co-founded the Nokota Horse Conservancy with the help of Dr. Castle McLaughlin, PhD who spent three years studying the feral herds in the TRNP. The Conservancy created a breed program to ensure the Nokota breed endures, as well as a breed registry to preserve the historical records of the herd.
To learn more about the rich history of the Nokota breed, we invite you to visit the Nokota Horse Conservancy’s website.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
The Nokota Preserve
The Nokota Preserve started humbly with handmade signs and a large donation jar. Christine took advantage of every opportunity to introduce visitors to Moon, Kachina and the Nokota herd. Her kids enthusiastically joined their mother’s efforts by selling home-made cookies and brownies to raise money for their beloved Nokota. In 2015, The Nokota Preserve was recognized as a non-profit organization under the federal tax code. With Christine’s determination and the generous support from our friends and fellow horse-lovers, our efforts have grown to include:
- Hosting community fundraising events that have included concerts, silent auctions, and natural horsemanship demonstrations.
- Hosting annual colt starts with feral Nokota and facilitating the placement of the Nokota in new homes to help manage the size of the herd in North Dakota.
- Sourcing, purchasing and transporting winter hay supplies for Nokota herd in Linton, North Dakota.
- Partnering with Cornell University to create a 94-horse biobank genomic study of the Nokota breed.
- Collaborating with Dr. Darlyne Bailey, Dean Emeritus of Bryn Mawr College, on a book about the Nokota herd exemplifying successful leadership techniques that can be applied to our families, community and businesses.
