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The training of the famed California horse follows traditions from Europe and the Middle East brought to an even higher level of finesse on our great ranchos. A badge of honor, the alamar knot was tied in a mane hair mecate when the California stock horse had graduated to become a bridle horse. Two coils of the mecate were draped over the horse's neck with the knot proudly worn on the horse's chest. This set him apart as a finished bridle horse. Later, the alamar was preserved by a remnant. The martingale or choker was created as an "excuse" to add silver to an outfit. Today, we are seeing a welcome resurgence of the alamar as an emblem of the renaissance of the horse culture of the Pacific Slope. |
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