Page 17 - The Pocket Guide to Equine Knots

Rope buckle.

Clove Hitch

Two knots that are very useful in the equine world involve tying two half hitches. The clove
hitch can be used anywhere you want to secure the center of a rope against pull in both
directions. For instance, you can tie the center of a line to your saddle horn, then structure
various hitches for holding packs on a horse. (We’ll practice that in chapter 4.) One way to

think of the clove hitch is as two half hitches that go in opposite directions, usually tied
around a pole or post.
To tie a clove hitch, (step 1) make a loop in the rope, then another identical one. Place
the two together (step 2), one over the other.

Or, as the illustrations show (and this might be easier), tie it around a post or saddle
horn. Wrap the rope under the post or rail, bring it around to the left of the standing part,
then back over the rail and back under itself so that it heads in the opposite direction. The
lanyard on my Marine officer’s sword is tied this way, probably because the strap (made up

of two strands) proceeds in two directions, one part up toward the base of the handle, the
other hanging down toward the blade of the sword.

Clove hitch, step 1.