Sterling Silver Chief Arnold Rojas Style Cavalry S Shank Copper Roller Show Bit

Description

Sterling Silver Chief Arnold Rojas Style Cavalry S Shank Copper Roller Show Bit
This is a Sterling Silver pre-owned stainless steel bit with a low port curb featuring copper ring rollers mouthpiece and "Cavalry" S style shanks in the style popularized by Arnold "Chief" Rojas.  The bit is in clean lightly used condition, but the right side tie bar button is missing, and the sharp tie bar end is exposed.  The bit is very slightly out of square, but a reputable silversmith can straighten it back up, and add a new button, or you can bend it over if you do not wish to repair it and are concerned about the sharp point.   I do not know if this particular bit was sold by Chief Rojas, or if it is a replica as I have never seen a stainless steel Rojas bit, but the style, shape, dimensions, mouthpiece, and weight are the same as my other Rojas bits.   The bit features beautifully engraved sterling silver "S" shanks and a large 2 inch diameter concho on each side.  The rein rings are brass.
Chief Rojas was a icon among California Vaqueros
and sold similar iron bits to trainers and their clients througout California in the 1950's through the 1980's.
Arnold R. Rojas (1896 - 1988) or "Chief Rojas" as he was known, has the distinction of being the most celebrated chronicler of the life and lore of California's Vaqueros. He did this in a series of books that he started publishing when was in his mid-50s, his first being, "The California Vaqueros" in 1953.  Ultimately he would publish seven books over the years, including "Bits, Bitting, and Spanish Horses; The Chief Rojas Fact Book about Successful Horse Training and the Proper Use of Equipment" (1970) and "Vaqueros and Buckaroos" which was his last, in 1979.  He wrote about what he knew and loved, the life and ways of the old California vaqueros:  men he rode and worked with for over fifty years. "These are stories as seen through the eyes of old vaqueros, they are something of the splendor of those days, for there will never be another cattle ranching era in California that produced such men."
Chief Rojas imported his bits from Spain, and even in the 1970's, the Sterling Rojas bits were more expensive to acquire than the Vogts and Flemings that were more common at the time. Th
e Rojas bits although heavy were popular because almost any horse accepted them and most really liked the larger diameter mouthpiece with copper roller rings
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The shanks measure 8 inches long with a 2-1/2 inch purchase for a 3.2 to 1 leverage ratio.  The tapered mouthpiece measures 5 inches wide by 3/4 diameter at the outside edges tapered down to 5/16 inches in diameter at the port.  The port is 1-1/2 inches tall by 1-3/4 inches wide with 6 copper rings.  This heavy bit weighs in at 1 pound 6 ounces and demonstrates great balance.
This piece of California Vaquero history will make a great addition to your Vintage bit collection and you might even find that your horse likes it too!
Payment is due immediately following end of listing.
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