Cowboy Chrome

by Bill Reynolds of Santa Ynez, CA

The resurgence of interest in the making of great, using bridle horses has re-ignited the crafting of fine bridle bits and their ornamentation. Here’s a little history of the old and an appreciation of the new.

There was a time in the early part of the nineteenth century where all the planets aligned and the opportunity for making great bridle horses seemed to flourish. From the 1820’s through the mid-point of the century, the rancho system in California was in full swing. This was helped as Mexico was encouraging the settlement of lands to the north through the Colonization Act of 1824. The huge ranchos in California basked in the days of the dons and vaqueros worked amongst the “grand isolation” of the massive land grants. This condition, along with superb weather and climate, provided these fine horsemen with the endless time needed to work and refine the training of their mounts. A constant process that created a natural competitive mood amongst the daily work that was done horseback.

There was much pride and quite a bit of showing off – seeing whose horse could operate the quickest, the quietest and with the most grace. Through this came the evolution, refinement – and adornment – of the loose-jaw spade bit, something that came to be considered to be the ultimate example of light-handed control. Is felt during that era, that the loose jaw spade – in gentle, masterful hands – could create a horse instantly responsive, due to the sensitive nature of a horse’s mouth. These bits became a primary task of many of the ranchos blacksmith shops. Additionally, the vaquero competitions carried with them no shortage of ego, as pride in the ability of one’s horses was testimony to one’s personal capability. Given that, the adornment and design of these Californio’s bits – and the bridles that carried them – were subject to some incredible and individual ornamentation, designed to reflect the uniqueness and “star power” of the rider. This way of craftsmanship – one of reflecting stature through personal adornment – was a part of the “ranchoway” until the mid part of the century. California’s statehood, the discovery of gold and the drought of the early 1860s marked the end of the quiet, isolation of the exquisite life of the ranchos and in turn, marked the decline of the vaquero’s idealic life.

Those 25 or so years of the early 1800s marked a change in the thinking of horsemen of the specific era that is finding its way into a broader audience today – some one hundred-sixty plus years later. Through the late 1800s and the early 1900s to today, there have been a small, yet dedicated group of silver, bit, and spur craftsmen who found an appreciative audience who admired and used their work. And like any value hand-based craft, time and years continue to help it evolve – even during the early 1900s when America drove headlong into, what was felt at the time to be a proper and heartfelt desire for mechanization and “being modern.” As Montana writer, William Kittredge wrote of the changes he saw happening to the family outfit of his childhood, Oregon’s mighty MC ranch, “The nineteenth century lasted in our part of the universe until the spring of 1946, when my grandfather traded off some two hundred matched teams for a fleet of John Deere tractors. Everybody thought it was a bold step into the future.” For some, it was, yet for others, their heart held a flame for the old ways, the ways of the vaquero and the loose jaw spade, for those horses of their dreams that could slide and stop and put themselves inside the head of a cow. Those horses seemed to know the move before it was asked for. They were part of the dance, where horse and rider become one. Horses that carried bits by makers with names like Morales, Estrada, Tapia and Figueroa – not to mention those craftsmen who never signed or marked their work. It could have all disappeared. But it didn’t. Today, in the West, a continuing and evolving group of makers are carrying on the work of makers from long ago – Fields, Marsh, Irwin, Dahl, Cates – among many others. These makers, along with an appreciative presence of horsemen who respect and treasure the traditions of the vaquero, have helped create an entire, new era of the bridle horseman.

In the book, “One Man’s Opinion About Spade Bits and How They Work,” horseman Dick Deller and co-writer Merrilee Morrell explain the unique qualities contemporary craftsmen – and women – have brought to the bridle horse world. “These craftsmen have greatly perfected their art. They have changed a unique feat of physics to a working tool with the artistry that rivals the great masters. They take great pride in their blacksmithing talent, working and tempering the iron, creating a balanced bit that exhibits all the laws of physics, and decorating their piece with the beauty of a jewelry silversmith. No other type of artist combines so many talents into one finished piece. No other artist puts his heart into his work just so that that piece will be placed into a horse’s mouth.”

Sidebar: The Alamar Knot

One of the most interesting knots to have become synonymous with the California vaquero culture is the alamar knot. A purely decorative knot, the alamar has evolved into a symbol that a horse can be ridden straight up in the bridle. Usually seen on special occasions, a vaquero would take his 20 – 22 foot horsehair rope or mecate and wrap it around his horse’s neck several times, tying it into the alamar. The origin of the alamar is said to have been found on packages arriving by ship from the west. Similar in pattern to a nautical carrick bend knot or a Japanese “package knot.”

The art and craft of the silversmith and the bit maker – no matter what era, when their work involves the horse – has but a single mission, to create a vehicle that enables the rider and horse to work as one with ease and little stress. In accompanying historic examples we see the elegance of form blending with function.