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THE ORTEGA FAMILY OF CALIFORNIA
Hobbles with doubled sixteen-strand black rawhide body; covered stainless steel ring and buttons with red interweaves. High Noon Collection, Los Angeles. Click image to zoom-in.
To fully appreciate Luis Ortega’s passion for traditional California horsemanship and braiding tradition, students, admirers and collectors should examine the significant contribution the Ortega family made to the history of California. Luis Bierbant Ortega was a direct descendant of José Francisco de Ortega (1734-1798), one of the most influential citizens of early California. Sergeant José Francisco de Ortega served as chief scout for Don Gaspar de Portolá’s Spanish expedition to present-day California in 1769. He was the first European to discover the San Francisco Bay by land. Sergeant Ortega also established the San Diego, San Juan Capistrano and Santa Barbara presidios and was later commandante of the Loretto and Monterey settlements. In 1794, José Francisco de Ortega established the famed Rancho Nuestra Senora del Refugio near Santa Barbara.
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The Ortega Family
