Western Horseman Rope Halter Instructions

Western horseman rope halters have many practical applications. Traditionally used by western riders, these halters are light on the budget but heavy in value. Place one in the trailer or barn for use in an emergency or use it under a bridle for a trail ride. Ground training with a rope halter gives you sound control over the horse. This same control is useful when working with an excited horse. Don't let the simplicity of a rope halter fool you -- it's well worth the time you'll spend making it.

Things You'll Need

  • Para-cord rope, 25 feet
  • Measuring tape
  • Scissors
  • Heavy-duty tape
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fold the 25-foot length of rope in half. At the halfway point, tie a simple and loose overhand knot. Tie a second simple and loose overhand knot several inches to the left of the first overhand knot. Adjust the knots until they're 11 inches apart. Tighten the knots in place, but don't tighten too much. These will be the nose knots.

    • 2

      Gather the two lengths of rope together below the nose knots. At about 9 inches below the nose knots, fold the rope up along itself and tie a loose overhand loop knot. Adjust the loop until it's about 2-1/2 inches in length; then tighten the knot down. This loop is the lead rope knot.

    • 3

      Position the halter in front of you with the nose knots on top, the loop knot on the bottom, and the rest of the rope trailing off to the right. Measure 7 inches down both strands of the rest of the rope. At the 7-inch mark, gather both pieces of rope in your hand and tie a simple overhand knot. Measure the distance from the lead rope knot and adjust as needed. Tighten the knot so that it's securely in place. This is the throat-latch knot.

    • 4

      Pull the bottom piece of the rest of rope apart from the top piece. Measure 10 inches from the throat-latch and tie a loose overhand knot at this point. Fold the rope and thread the end of the rope back through the overhand knot. This will form a loop. Pull the rope through the knot until the loop is 2 inches long. Fold the rope back over the knot and tie a second overhand knot over the first. Tighten down the knot to finish the loop. This is the tie-on loop.

    • 5

      Working with the same piece of rope as in Step 4, thread the rope up through the left overhand nose knot. Adjust the rope so there are 11 inches from the tie-on loop to the nose knot. Tighten the nose knot around the rope. Pull the rest of the rope through the second nose knot. Adjust the rope so it's an even distance between the knots; then tighten the knot down around it.

    • 6

      Pull the rope you're working with back and away from the last nose knot. Measure 11 inches down from the nose knot and tie a loose overhand knot. Grab hold of the other piece of rope coming out of the throat-latch knot. Pull this piece through the loose overhand knot. Adjust the rope so that the loose overhand knot is 10 inches away from the throat-latch knot. Tighten the overhand knot around the rope.

    • 7

      Cut both ends of the rope off evenly, leaving enough slack on which to tie the halter. Wrap tape around the ends of the rope to keep it from fraying.

    • 8

      Try the halter on a horse to be sure it fits properly. Make adjustments to the knots as needed.