Page 86 - The Pocket Guide to Equine Knots

Pastern: The portion of a horse’s foot just above the hoof but below the first joint (fetlock).
Picketing: Restraining a horse with a long line, often tied to a stake and secured to a

horse’s front pastern.
Poly rope: Slang for a rope made either of polyethylene or polypropylene.
Pommel: The front portion of a saddle; in western saddles, the portion holding the saddle

horn.
Reef knot: Another name for square knot.
Remuda: A group of horses traditionally assembled in a corral before work. Cowboys then

roped their mount to be used that day.
Running knots: Knots designed to allow movement of one of their components, such as a
slip knot or honda knot.
Saddle panniers: Cloth bags with appropriate slits to fit over a riding saddle when it must

double as a packsaddle.
Saddle strings: Usually leather thongs attached to the saddle, made for tying objects onto
the saddle.

Sawbuck packsaddle: A wooden packsaddle consisting of two wood bars joined by
wooden cross members in an X pattern.
Sheets: The lines (ropes) on a sailboat that adjust the sails.
Sling ropes: Ropes on packsaddles for attaching cargo.

Snubbing post: Traditionally, a solid post in the middle of a corral to which to tie or wrap a
lariat rope when an animal had been roped.

Splice: An attachment of two ropes together or another to itself, as with eye splice.
Standing portion: The part of the rope that leads into the knot.
Stopper knots: Knots such as the overhand knot intended to be tied in the end of a rope
for grip or to prevent unraveling.

Tackaberry: A hook with buckle that attaches to the ring of a cinch, making it faster to
saddle and unsaddle, since none of the latigo leather needs to be threaded or
unthreaded through the ring.

Tapaderos: Sometimes abbreviated to “taps,” stirrup covers that if well designed would
prevent a foot from sliding all the way through a stirrup and possibly hanging up.
Tree-saver: A strap to encircle a tree and prevent damage to the bark when attaching a
highline.

War bridle: A type of rope halter made to tighten on the horse’s poll (area just behind the
ears on the top of the neck).
Whipping: A system of wrapping string or thread around the end of a rope to keep it from

unraveling.
Withers: Conformational feature of horses, refers to point at base of neck; the tallest point
on a horse when its head is down to eat grass. Helpful in holding a saddle.