Regarding the origins of what everyone nicknamed “The Miracle Bit”.
Gary Ray, a renown cutting horse trainer, lived just down the road from my Grandfather, RA Glenn in Throckmorton, TX. Gary had been showing at a cutting horse competition in Kansas and borrowed a bit from another horse trainer. He really liked the feel, balance, and response he got from his horses with the bit. Gary was able to bring it home to show my Grandfather. The original bit Gary brought my Grandfather was a loose cheek, ported mouthpiece bit with the staple type mouthpiece connection. It was made by Jim Collins, from around Abilene, KS. The shanks were made from round stock and more curved in a "C" shape, like a Buster Welch grazer. The mouthpiece on the Jim Collins bit had a wider, more gradual sloping port and the port was hammered or ground flat. My Grandfather respected Gary's horsemanship skills but was skeptical of the claimed performance from this bit. Nevertheless, He was intrigued by the design. Less than excited to copy the bit, he suggested a few changes to suit his tooling and craftsmanship. One of the first changes they made was switching the mouthpiece to the current size and shape of the port. My Grandfather didn’t want to recreate the Collins type mouthpiece with the flattened port. Gary wasn’t convinced it added to the performance. They both preferred the size and shape of my Grandfathers standard port mouthpiece. Plus, my Grandfather already had a jig made for bending this mouthpiece. They later switched from round stock to square stock for the cheekpieces and changing the shape from the Buster Welch type “C” shape to the “angled L” shape. They adjusted the angle several times and adjusted the overall length and staple mounting position along the shanks. The goal was to give it a better balance and better leverage ratio for the horses Gary was training. They went through multiple variations (10-12) before they settled on the final version.
Make no mistake, this bit is not a “Miracle” bit, but it truly does work exceptionally well for a lot of horses, and a lot of riders. My grandfather stamped all his work with patterns numbers. The final version of this pattern was #442. The nickname “The Miracle Bit”, is a little unclear in its origins. I’ve heard several versions of where the nickname started. All are plausible, but I think Gary Ray coined the name. Then it just naturally developed, like any good nickname.
Writing this short history has brought back some cherished memories. Memories of working alongside my Grandfather during the summers. And of Gary Ray, when he would come into the shop and request several of the final variations. I vividly remember standing there with them, around the welding table, drawing up the bit design with soapstone.
Gary Ray, a renown cutting horse trainer, lived just down the road from my Grandfather, RA Glenn in Throckmorton, TX. Gary had been showing at a cutting horse competition in Kansas and borrowed a bit from another horse trainer. He really liked the feel, balance, and response he got from his horses with the bit. Gary was able to bring it home to show my Grandfather. The original bit Gary brought my Grandfather was a loose cheek, ported mouthpiece bit with the staple type mouthpiece connection. It was made by Jim Collins, from around Abilene, KS. The shanks were made from round stock and more curved in a "C" shape, like a Buster Welch grazer. The mouthpiece on the Jim Collins bit had a wider, more gradual sloping port and the port was hammered or ground flat. My Grandfather respected Gary's horsemanship skills but was skeptical of the claimed performance from this bit. Nevertheless, He was intrigued by the design. Less than excited to copy the bit, he suggested a few changes to suit his tooling and craftsmanship. One of the first changes they made was switching the mouthpiece to the current size and shape of the port. My Grandfather didn’t want to recreate the Collins type mouthpiece with the flattened port. Gary wasn’t convinced it added to the performance. They both preferred the size and shape of my Grandfathers standard port mouthpiece. Plus, my Grandfather already had a jig made for bending this mouthpiece. They later switched from round stock to square stock for the cheekpieces and changing the shape from the Buster Welch type “C” shape to the “angled L” shape. They adjusted the angle several times and adjusted the overall length and staple mounting position along the shanks. The goal was to give it a better balance and better leverage ratio for the horses Gary was training. They went through multiple variations (10-12) before they settled on the final version.
Make no mistake, this bit is not a “Miracle” bit, but it truly does work exceptionally well for a lot of horses, and a lot of riders. My grandfather stamped all his work with patterns numbers. The final version of this pattern was #442. The nickname “The Miracle Bit”, is a little unclear in its origins. I’ve heard several versions of where the nickname started. All are plausible, but I think Gary Ray coined the name. Then it just naturally developed, like any good nickname.
Writing this short history has brought back some cherished memories. Memories of working alongside my Grandfather during the summers. And of Gary Ray, when he would come into the shop and request several of the final variations. I vividly remember standing there with them, around the welding table, drawing up the bit design with soapstone.