Rope halters that are hand tied are easier than you might think. There are several different ways to tie a rope halter. One of the easiest ways to make a temporary rope halter is with one lead rope.
How many times have you tried to catch a horse in the pasture, only to discover that he didn’t want to wear his halter? If all else fails, take your lead rope in one hand and a palm full of feed in the other, if that is the only way to get the horse to come to you.
You will need to take one end of the rope and pull it through the snap on the other end to form a small loop. As your horse puts his head down towards your palm, gently slide the loop over his nose and drape the rest of the rope behind his ears.
Pull the end of the rope down along the opposite side of his head until it meets the loop, making sure the rope is against his head but under his eyes. Pull the end of the rope between the loop and the side of his face, so that there is still some lead left. You should now have control over the horse’s head and can lead him to the barn, or position a regular halter or hand tied halter over your makeshift one.
This is one way to make a temporary halter if all else fails, but, of course, you would not want to use this one permanently. It is only meant to help you gain control of your horse until you can put a regular halter and lead rope on him.
To make your own halter, you will first need to decide what type of rope you want to use. Some people prefer nylon rope, while others prefer polyester or even yacht braid material. Most people agree that the ¼ inch or the 3/8 inch is the best size to use when creating a halter.
You will need to buy the appropriate length for your horse. If you have an adult horse and usually buy adult size bridles and halters, then choose a rope that is from 20 to 22 feet long. If your horse is considered a pony size or small horse then choose a rope that is around 18 feet. Of course, if you have an extra-large horse, such as a Clydesdale or Percheron, then choose at least a 24 foot rope.
The following directions are for an adult size horse, so make adjustments for the size of your horse. Take your rope and tie a series of simple knots. Some people call these overhand knots, and they are the knots that you can tie when tying your shoes. Important-Make sure you tie all of your knots very loosely because you will need to pull your rope back through the knots to create a tie-in knot.
Make your first knot at 30 inches from the end of your rope. This will be your right ear knot. Move on up your rope, away from that knot another 10 inches and make another simple knot. This is your right nose knot. Then, move 10 more inches, and create another knot, the left nose knot. You will now need to measure another 32 inches and make another knot. This knot forms your throat latch knot. Measure 10 more inches, and this time make a small loop with your rope by tying another knot.
Now that you have tied all of the simple knots, it is time to tie into each of them. To do this you will need to make sure the knot is loose enough so that you can thread the end of the rope through the center of the existing knot and bring it back around and over following the path of the first knot. You have now formed a double knot. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time. Keep your knots loose, so that you can start over until you are satisfied with appearance of the knot.
You will need to tie into the existing knots in the following order: First, take the end of your rope and tie into the left nose knot leaving a large loop at the end where the small loop is. Next, tie into the right nose knot. Now, take the end of your rope and tie into the throat latch knot. You should now be able to see the actual halter forming, but move it into a shape that makes sense to you. Now, tie into the right ear knot. Take the two long sections of rope and tie a big knot that will fit under the horse’s chin.
Because you should have made all of your knots loose, you will need to adjust them according to how they look and how they will fit on your horse’s head and then tighten them. You can hold the halter up to your horse’s head to see if the knots look like they are in the right place and to determine if the halter will fit.
Once you are satisfied with the look of your halter, tighten all of the knots securely. You can seal the end of the rope with matches or a lighter. You can tie the ends of the rope together or band them with twine or leather. You now have a halter that should last and be comfortable for your horse.
