Spade bit (horse)
{{short description|Historic vaquero design for a type of curb bit}}
The spade bit is a historic vaquero design for a type of curb bit with straight, highly decorated shanks and a mouthpiece that includes a straight bar, a narrow port with a cricket, and a "spoon," a flat, partly rounded plate affixed above the port, supported by braces on either side. Considered a highly technical piece of equipment to be used only on a finished horse, the spade bit is a refined tool that experts compare to driving a sports car in its ability to convey precise commands to the horse. Not all horses have the conformation or temperament to become a finished spade bit horse, a process that takes a number of years and is seldom complete until a horse has at least five years of training under saddle.
Use
The spade bit is an elaborate, complex bit that can only be properly used on a highly trained horse handled by a skilled rider. In the vaquero tradition, its use represents the highest level of trust and communication between horse and rider.
{{cite web
| url = http://www.horsechannel.com/western-horse-training/vaquero-way-17722.aspx
| title = The Vaquero Way
| last = Stewart
| first = Kara L.
| date = December 2004
| publisher = Horse Illustrated
| work = HorseChannel.com
| access-date = 2010-07-13
}}
Experts compare the ride and handling of a horse trained in this manner to that of a Jaguar.{{sfn|Varian|2004|loc=0:45:00}} The process of training the spade bit horse takes five to seven years to complete.{{sfn|Varian|2004|loc=0:45:20}} Its emphasis has always been on producing a finely tuned working horse and partner, emphasizing quality rather than on how quickly the goal is reached. {{sfn|Clayton|Hoy|Underwood|2001|pp=180, 186, 208}} The conformation of the horse is also a factor; to become a spade bit horse, the animal must be bred to have a higher neck set and well-carried head.
{{cite web
|url = http://www.VarianArabians.com/breeding/business_sense.asp
|title = Business Sense (Belongs in the Barn Too)
|last = Varian
|first = Sheila
|publisher = Varian Arabians
|work = VarianArabians.com
|access-date = 2010-07-21
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100126055401/http://www.varianarabians.com/breeding/business_sense.asp
|archive-date = 2010-01-26
}}
Traditionally, the vaquero method starts a young horse using a hackamore,{{sfn|Clayton|Hoy|Underwood|2001|p=31}} which is headgear with no bit that uses a heavy rawhide noseband, called a bosal, to control the horse. Then the horse moves to lighter bosals, and next into a combination of headgear that represents a transitional period in its training; a bridle with a type of curb bit called a "half breed" which is worn in conjunction with a light bosal. The rider carries two sets of reins, one set on the bosal and one on the curb, giving this gear its name, the "two-rein.{{sfn|Varian|2004|loc=0:30:45}} After several years in a two-rein, the horse graduates into the spade bit. A light bosal called a bosalito remains on the horse by tradition, usually without reins attached.
References
{{reflist}}
Sources
- {{cite book
| last1 = Clayton
| first1 = Lawrence
|last2=Hoy |first2=James F |last3=Underwood |first3=Jerald
| title = Vaqueros, cowboys, and buckaroos: The Genesis and Life of the Mounted North American Herders
| edition =
| publisher = University of Texas Press
| location = Austin, TX
| year = 2001
| isbn = 978-0-292-71240-9
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=acCCGGOxCMIC&q=vaquero&pg=PA2
}}
- {{cite web
| url = http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ncrhtml/crview03.html
| title = Buckaroos: Views of a Western Way of Life
| work = Buckaroos in Paradise: Ranching Culture in Northern Nevada, 1945–1982
| publisher = Library of Congress
| year = 1980
| access-date = 2010-08-06
}}
- {{cite video
| people = Varian, Sheila
| title = The Vaquero Tradition: Hackamore, 2 Rein and Spade Bit
| medium = DVD
| publisher = Santa Ynez Historical Society
| location = California
| date = November 2004
| ref = CITEREFVarian2004
}}
- Bennett, Deb (1998) Conquerors: The Roots of New World Horsemanship. Amigo Publications Inc; 1st edition. {{ISBN|0-9658533-0-6}}
- Connell, Ed (1952) Hackamore Reinsman. The Longhorn Press, Cisco, Texas. Fifth Printing, August, 1958.
- [http://www.horse-sense.org/archives/200104201910.php Jaheil, Jessica. "Bosal, snaffle, spade - why?" Horse Sense,] web page accessed July 11, 2011
{{Horse equipment}}