The Santa Barbara Bit (continued)
Charley Russell and other famous Western characters were customers and friends. Edwin Field Jr. recently finished a Medrena type bit with a port mouthpiece for the author. Young Ed's father, also an Edwin, and an old friend of the author's, gave advice, and there were even conversations with the grandfather, John Field, then 92. He passed away shortly after on September 8, 1954. There have been four generations of Fields making bits and spurs in Santa Barbara. In the past they were often helped by John Field's daughters.
The Medrena design spread like wild fire and was copied by bit makers all over the West. Good examples of these early bits are now collector's items while others are crude and cruel. The Navaho Indians made some beautiful Medrenas with their own distinctive silver and turquoise work as an added attraction.
The Santa Barbara bit was and is generally a spade, but plain bar and other mouthpieces were and are sometimes made. It is most interesting to note that the early examples of Medrena's own cheek pieces and those of John Field had the exact measurements advocated by General Carter and Major Dwyer whom the author has quoted so freely in his chapter on bits. Was this an instinct for balance and proportion, or independent study of horses mouths? Later bits by other makers sometimes lost these measurements.
The spade mouthpiece was first produced at the same time as the Santa Barbara shank and is also unique. It is occasionally found with other bit shanks. The spade is less severe than the half-breed and seems to have been an addition to this latter mouthpiece by some horseman who wanted to prevent a pony's tongue from coming over the mouthpiece sideways, and to prevent the top of the half-breed from digging into the roof of the mouth, especially when misplaced side- ways by an uneven pull. ,The side braces running from the spade to the bit cheeks also serve to keep the bit correctly low in the animal's mouth. Almost all bits are hung too high.
Louis Machado, one of the First Families of California, whose father married a Sepulveda, and, more important for this book, one of the great arriendadores, is still riding and schooling at the age of 88 and still using a Garcia made spade of Santa Barbara cheek pattern, although he prefers an old ring bit. M. P. Valdez, born in Mexico, came to California via Texas and Nevada. Today at 79 (?) he still wins reining championships consistently. Valdez uses a Santa Barbara spade with heavily weighted reins. The Yanez family of Ventura also use Santa Barbara spades. There are three Yanez brothers, all champion arriendadores. Ever since their grandfather's day, this family has been setting an example of the finest type of California horsemanship.
From: The American Cow Pony By: Deering Davis
c 1963