Page 42 - The Pocket Guide to Equine Knots

Tying to the Saddle

One area where we actually want to avoid tying a knot is when we pony another horse,
perhaps a pack animal, or drag something with our mount. Never tie fast to the saddle horn
or another part of the saddle. Yes, there was a tradition in the roping world among true
cowboys, particularly those in Mexican and South American tradition, that involved tying the

end of the lariat rope fast to the saddle horn, but few, if any of us, are of the level of
horsemanship (with horses at the level of training) necessary to prevent disaster with that
approach.
That said, utilizing your horse’s strength and size, as Elmer did in moving irrigation

boards, can be useful in a host of ways. With a well-trained horse, you can drag firewood
into camp or in an emergency pull an animal out of a bog (an advanced skill I hope you
never need). The trick is to handle ropes and knots with safety in mind, since the power of
a horse hitched to a rope that somehow inadvertently wraps around you means serious

consequences indeed.
Teach your horse to pull by dragging a loose rope first, then perhaps a tire, around the
arena. Assuming you ride with a western saddle, instead of tying any sort of knot, take a
dally (wrap) around the horn with your free hand, thumb in the air. (Like all good “using”

horses, your horse should neck rein. If he isn’t so trained, that’s another task to be
accomplished.)
Steer ropers consider three full wraps around the horn to be the minimum required to
hold the pressure of an animal at the end of a lariat rope. But use just one wrap when first

instructing your horse by dragging the rope or a very light object. If your saddle horn is
slippery, you can add a “dally wrap,” purchased from a western tack shop, to create
friction, or approximate one by cutting across a car or truck inner tube. Cut a swath about
an inch wide, which creates a loop, then place it over the saddle horn, twist, go over again,

and so on until your horn is tightly sheathed in rubber.

Timber Hitch
One of the handiest ways to attach your rope to an object, such as a log you wish to drag

into camp for firewood, is the timber hitch; it’s so simple that at first glance you might be
surprised it works. Just place your rope around the object, bring the free end around the
standing part, and then coil it several times around itself to create something that looks

vaguely like a hangman’s knot. Pull out all slack so that the hitch lies tightly against the log.
You’ve now created a tightening loop around the log, similar in appearance to a lariat
looped around the log, but requiring no other knot. The secret to its holding power is
pressure. As the rope tightens the coil presses tightly against the log. It works well and is

quick and easy to undo when the task is accomplished.