Page 65 - The Pocket Guide to Equine Knots

Even if the horses don’t paw excessively, during an extended camp stay the ground under
a highline is likely to become trampled and disturbed. Building the highline on high, rocky

ground can lessen the impact, but if possible, move the highline periodically. When you
break camp, scatter manure and use your camp shovel to level the disturbed ground,
repairing any damage as best you can.
Where grazing is allowed, hobbling and picketing become practical methods of horse
restraint. Training for both hobbling and picketing by the front foot were discussed in

chapter 2 (see page 39). Normally you’ll use a hobble half for picketing to a front foot (on a
horse so trained). Do not picket with a rope to the halter. It’s dangerous, should the horse
spook or fall. There’s also a chance the horse can catch a hind foot in its halter while

reaching up to scratch, and that can be disastrous.
Even while the animal is picketed by a front foot or hobbled, the halter should be removed
and kept in camp so your horse won’t catch a hind foot in that fashion. There’s another
benefit too. When a horse isn’t tied, he’s free to try all sorts of tricks to rub his halter off. If
he loses it in tall grass, you’re short a halter.

Tying a Rope Halter
But if you lose a halter, all is not lost, even if you’ve forgotten to include an extra in your

packed gear (always a good idea). You can make a lariat loop-type halter with a piece of
rope. Tie a honda knot in one end and create a loop that goes over the horse’s head and
rests on his poll, behind his ears. Then insert a half hitch around his nose, as shown on the
next page. This halter works well for leading an animal, but is dangerous for tying because

it will tighten around the poll should the horse pull back. In effect, this type of halter creates
something similar to a “war bridle,” a high-leverage halter that should be used only for
careful training, not for tying.

Rope halter, bowline around neck with full twist around nose.

For a rope halter safer to use for tying, I’d tie a loop around the top of the animal’s neck

with a bowline, then make a loop around its nose by twisting the rope twice. Pulling back
will result in some tightening above the nose, but there’s less chance of strangling the
animal or hurting the sensitive nerves in the poll area.

Hobbles