How to Make a

ROPE HALTER

Easy steps to create your own knotted rope halter for your horse.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal library

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Tie
One
On Knotted rope halters are
simple to make and prac-
tical to use on any horse.

LARRI JO STARKEY

R
By Tonya Ratliff-Garrison

ROPE HALTERS ARE A TIME-HONORED TRADITION FOR MANY HORSEMEN. PRACTICAL AND INEX-
pensive, rope halters are perfect for throwing in the truck for emergencies or keeping under
a bridle while on a trail ride. Best of all, though, is that the halters are easy to make.
Robyn Doloughan and Alex Devilbiss of Columbia Basin Knot Co. offered these tips on
how to make your own knotted rope halter.
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 7. Working still with the left piece of
1 To Start 7 rope, take the end and put it under
1. When tying halters for the first the right loop and the second right
time, use 22 to 25 feet of rope. Once loop (three strands) and then pull it
you become proficient, you can make over the fourth strand of the loop.
a halter with about 20 feet of rope.
Take your piece of rope and fold it in
half. At the center point, tie a simple
overhand knot. Snug the knot up.
Then to the left of the knot, tie
another simple overhand knot. Now 8. Working with the same piece of rope,
you have two simple overhand knots. 8 loop it around, take the end and go over,
The knots should be 11 inches from under and under the two sections that
the middle of one knot to the middle cross and then split the bottom two —
of the other knot. Adjust the knots over the first one and under the second
until they are 11 inches apart, and one — and finally under the last piece.
tighten them up. Then take the rope Hold the knot to anchor it while you pull
and fold it with the two overhand the rope through.
knots together.

9. Then take the end of the same strand

Fiador Knot 9 and go through the center under the
2 2. Now tie the fiador knot. A large
two pieces of rope at the top of the
loop. Pull it to tighten it, but not too
overhand knot can be substituted for tight just yet.
this knot. See the box on page 86 to
learn how to substitute the fiador
knot. For the fiador knot, take the
right side of the rope and loop over
both strands.

10. & 11. Then take the top strands of

3. Take the same strand and cross it 10 rope and put them together. Take the
3 up and over, creating a second loop outside bottom loops and fold them
opposite of the first. together. Pull up on the top strands and
down on the bottom loops. Gently adjust
it. At this point, the loops on the bottom
will probably not be even. That is OK.
Continue to pull up on the strands to
tighten them. The two overhand knots
also might be uneven to the fiador knot.
What you will do is measure from the
4. Anchor the rope with a finger, take 11 center of the fiador knot and the over-
hand knot. You want your measurement
4 the same strand of rope, and make to be about 7 inches from the middle of
another loop over the first loop and one to the middle of the other. To get the
then under the first loop. Pull the loops to the correct length, push down
rope all the way through and on a piece of the rope to figure out
straighten out what you have just where it is coming from. Then take the
done. Now you are done with that extra rope from the loop and pull it up.
piece of rope on the right-hand side. Adjust the knot. Measure again to make
sure the overhand knots are 7 inches
from the fiador knot. Now adjust the
12 loops to be about 2 1/2 inches long.
5 Push one of the pieces of rope into the
fiador knot to figure out which it goes to
then adjust the loop knot by pulling the
loop rope back through. Then take the
other loop, push it back into the fiador
knot to see which it goes to and adjust
the loop. Pull the access rope through
5. & 6. Moving to the left-hand the fiador knot and to the end of the
side, anchor your knot and take the rope. Pull and tighten the fiador knot.
left strand of rope and put it over
6 the left loop and then pull it all the
way through the loop. Straighten 12. Remember, the distance between
out the loop. the overhand knot and the fiador knot
is about 7 inches. The loop knot is 2 1/2
inches long. Position the halter with the
overhand knots on top and the fiador
knot on the bottom with the strands of
rope stretched out to the right.

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 Throat-Latch
13 Knot 16
13. You will now put in a double
overhand knot. Take the piece of
rope that is furthest from you
and tie a simple overhand knot.
Tighten it.

14. Then take the other piece of rope 17. It should be 6 1/2 to 7 inches
14 and put the end through the center of
the overhand knot.
17 between the fiador knot to the
double overhand knot. To loosen
the knot, push the knot from both
sides. Then move the knot up or
down the length of the rope until
it is the right distance from the
fiador knot.

15. & 16. Go up and over and back Tie Loop

15 under the piece of rope you are
working with, pull the rope out to
18 18. Now work with the piece of rope
that is closest to you. Take the rope
the end and then through the loop
and tie a simple overhand knot.
right through the center of the
Between these two knots the measure-
knot. Pull the strands to tighten
ment should be about 9 1/2 inches to
the knot.
10 inches in length. Now you will tie a
loop knot. Take the end of the piece of
rope you are working with and put it
through the center of your overhand
knot. You will do a double overhand

ALTERNATE KNOT
1 1. Those who do not
19 knot but you will leave a loop on the
end. Pull the rope through until there is
a loop that measures about two inches.

wish to attempt the

fiador knot use the big
overhand knot instead.
Fold the rope up
together, and then take 19. - 20. - 21. Take the same strand of
the pieces together
and cross them over. 20 rope, go up and over the overhand knot,
bring it under the knot and then take
the end of the rope and put it through
the center of the loop and through the
2. Pull the loop down knot. Tighten the knot by pulling on the
2 and through. This is like loop and the end.
tying your shoe.

21

3. Then pull the knot

3 tight. This is a quick
replacement for the
fiador knot. 22. Check the measurements again. It
22 should be 9 1/2 to 10 inches from the
middle of one knot to the other.

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23 24 25 26

24. & 25. Cross the rope over and go under the cheek piece. Take the end and go 26. To straighten the halter, pull up on the
Left Cheek through the loop and through the middle of the knot. Pull it and tighten the knot, noseband section and down on the fiador
Piece sliding up and down in order to tighten it. Recheck your measurements. To adjust, knot, making sure the knots are even.
23. Now you will work on the cheek loosen the knot and pull it tight.
piece, which should measure 11 inches
from the loop knot to the nose-band knot.
Take the nose band knot that is closest 27 28 29
to you and loosen it. Take the piece of
rope and slide it through the middle of
the knot. Here you will be making another
double overhand knot. Take the time to
adjust the halter as you go along.

Nose Band 28. Pull the rope through the center and 29. Then take the end, go through the
27. Now work on the nose band. Take the go over the top. Take the piece of rope loop you just created and through the
piece of rope and put the end through the and go under and pull it through all of center of your first simple overhand knot.
center of the other simple overhand knot, the access. Tighten the knot. Pull on the fiador knot
making another double overhand knot. and up on the nose band piece and make
sure the knots are even.

30 Right Cheek
Piece
30. Now you will work on the other
cheek piece. It should also be about 11
inches in length. Take the strand of rope
CUTTING AND WHIPPING 1 2
you have been working with and tie a
simple overhand knot.

31 31. Now take the other piece of rope 1. Take the soldering iron 2. Take a small piece of
that was left to the side. Take it up and or rope cutting gun, put parachute-type cord and
through the center of your overhand
knot. The cheek piece will measure 11
between the two sections make a loop at the end of
inches while the lower throat latch of rope and melt them the rope.
piece should measure between 9 1/2 to together. Do this in a well-
10 inches, the same length as the other. ventilated place.

32. & 33. Take the piece of rope that

32 you just put through the center of the
overhand knot and go up and over and
3 4
then go underneath through the loop
you just created and through the cen-
ter of the simple overhand knot. Then
pull the end and tighten the knot by 3. Than take a second 4. Wrap the other end of
pulling on the strands that lead into piece of cord, place one the cord around the end of
and out of the knot. Check your meas- side of it on the other side your halter with five or six
urements again. Make any adjust-
of the two pieces. loops.
ments necessary.
33
34. On the poll strap, measure both
strands to 27 inches. Cut any excess
off with a soldering iron or rope cut-
5 6
ting gun. Do this in a well-ventilated
place. Now you have completed your
first horse rope halter. Remember, the
first time you attempt to make a hal- 5. & 6. Take the cord and put it through the first loop you
ter, you may spend a few hours tying created. Then pull the end and the extra cord out.
34 and untying the knots and studying
the instructions. Don’t get discouraged
7. Cut the cord and burn the
if you make mistakes or have to start
over from the beginning. Eventually, end. Make sure you are in a 7
each rope halter you make will be a well-ventilated area when
little bit easier until you’re able to burning the rope.
whip one out in about 10 minutes.

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