Page 30 - The Pocket Guide to Equine Knots

Honda knot, step 1.

Honda knot, step 2.

Honda knot, step 3.

Now thread the other end of your rope through the loop to create the lariat.

Of course, it’s extremely important never to place a lariat or other running loop around a
horse’s neck and then tie it to something solid. Traditional cowboys who roped horses from
their remuda in a corral sometimes used a snubbing post, but only to wrap (dally) the lariat
rope, not to tie fast. The rope was allowed to slip as necessary, much in the manner of the

drag on a fishing reel. Also, the honda on the lariat was open enough that whenever slack
was given in the lariat rope, the loop around the horse’s neck also loosened. And, as the
horses became used to the routine, they were in effect trained to be roped; when they felt
the lariat around their necks, they gave to the pressure and avoided injuring themselves.