Procedure to Make a Rope Halter

Choose the Rope

• Yacht braid 3-strand is a good starting choice for the rope. It comes in many colors. Start with 1/4-inch diameter--it balances comfort and discipline needs while being easy to knot.

  Larger diameter ropes lay more comfortably on the horse's head; smaller diameter ropes give a stronger signal when used for training or discipline. Use a softer braid for comfort of your horse and ease of knotting. Stiffer braids are difficult to knot.

  For length, use the measurement (in inches) around the nose of your horse or pony. To obtain this measurement, use a soft piece of string and wrap it around your horse's nose just below the cheekbones and over the bridge of the nose (where the noseband will lay). If the string used measures 20 inches, buy 20 feet of rope (add two feet if you are just starting out). (http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/tiehalter.shtml)
  Cut a rope length with the same number of feet.

Knots

• The basic overhand knot is the same knot you use to start tying your shoes--it looks like a pretzel before it is tightened.

  The double overhand knot is used to fix two strands of rope together (this is not the same as a single strand double overhand knot).

  The double overhand knot can be tied two different ways. If appearance is a concern, thread the second rope through the same path as the first rope's knot to create a smooth knot. If training is the concern, a second method produces a higher-relief bump suitable for a training halter. For that method, thread the second rope through the loop in the same path as the first rope's knot, but instead of continuing the path of the first rope, loop it over the top and make an "upside down" overhand knot that finishes through the first knot in the same exit direction. Before tightening, this knot will look like two pretzels--one upside down--with the loops joined (http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/tiehalter.shtml).

  Tips: For images of these knots, see resources listed below.

  Melt the ends of plastic rope to keep it from unbraiding; tape the end of natural fibers or braided leather.

Measurements and Finishing

• A typical rope halter starts with knots for the right ear, right noseband, left noseband, throat latch, and tie loop. The measurements between each of these knots is determined by the horse's head size. The unknotted end of the rope is then threaded and knotted back through the other knots to form the halter. The top of the noseband and the crown are doubled for comfort.

  You can make a loop for attaching a lead using double overhand knots, a loop tie knot or try the fiador knot for a beautiful, symmetric knot that leaves you with a double loop.

  At the end of making the halter, you have two strands that come out at the throat latch. You can join these with a double overhand knot, or you can use an eye splice to join two pieces of three-strand rope into one piece (http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/eyesplicingeli.htm).

Warning

• Synthetic ropes are extremely strong, with thousands of pounds of breaking strength. Do not leave a horse unattended with a synthetic rope halter because it may catch the halter and be unable to escape--or worse, hang itself or break its neck. Never tie a horse that is being trailered with a rope halter for the same reason.

  You can make a "breakaway" at the crown by cutting and end-splicing or melting the ropes and then stitching them together with a single loop of 50- or 100-pound test monofilament.