Page 10 - The Pocket Guide to Equine Knots

appearance. However, my preference for three-strand twisted rope comes from the ease
with which I can splice it. Tying eye splices in twisted rope is relatively simple. Yes, braided

rope can be spliced as well, but the procedure is somewhat more complicated, and it
requires a few tools and accessories (fids and pushers) that match the particular rope. In a
backcountry camp, you’re not likely to have the correct accessories on hand. Splicing three-
strand twisted rope requires no tools.

Rope Materials
As to rope materials, all fall under two categories, natural or artificial. Natural fiber ropes
are made of nature’s own materials, grown by humans as agricultural products. Hemp,

manila, sisal, and cotton, among other organic fibers, have been used to make rope. During
the era of sailing ships, hemp and manila were major crops because a single large sailing
ship could require several miles of rope for its rigging.
Natural fiber ropes vary, of course, but they usually are somewhat rougher in texture than

artificial fiber, which can be an advantage—they’re less likely to slip through your hand—but
also less comfortable to handle. All natural ropes are subject to rot and to absorbing water
and becoming heavier and swelling because of it. Hemp ropes during the sailing era had to
be tarred to prevent rot, a nasty job given to the lowest-ranked sailors.

When a natural rope absorbs water, its knots become more difficult to untie. Freezing
also makes things tough. I’ve struggled to remove frozen cotton ropes from a highline early
in the morning after a wet snow and then a freeze at high altitude. While I know purist
packers who still insist on “grass ropes” and who like the natural friction when tying hitches,

artificial ropes have pretty much taken over both on land and sea. If used, natural ropes
must be cared for properly and dried and cleaned before storage.
Artificial ropes also come in a variety of materials, the three most common being nylon,
polyester, and polypropylene, though Dacron rope is also highly valued on boats because of

its low-stretch characteristics and resistance to sunlight degradation. Nylon is the strongest,
but it also stretches a great deal—good in some ways and not in others. I don’t care to use
nylon for sling ropes on my packsaddles, because it seems you can never get a hitch truly
tight—the line just keeps stretching.

Polypropylene is seldom used in the horse world, though I’ve seen hay nets and such
made of it. If you’re a water skier, you’re familiar with it. Since ropes made of
polypropylene float, they’re handy in some nautical uses when the skipper must avoid using
a rope that will sink and tangle in the boat’s propeller. A ski rope of polypropylene stays

visible on the water’s surface, another plus.
Nearly all artificial ropes are more slippery to handle than natural ones—again, both an
advantage and a disadvantage. They can also be manufactured in many colors, handy for
sailors who can use one color for sheets, another for halyards, and so on. But I use this

feature as a horseman, as well. My manty ropes are black with a red thread running
through them, while my sling ropes are yellow.
Peruse my tack room and you’ll likely see more polyester ropes than those of any other
substance. All are three-strand twisted types. Nearly as strong as nylon, polyester doesn’t

stretch as much, is abrasion resistant, and is nice on the hands. Some I’ve purchased is