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How To Safely Tie A Horse Using A Bowline Knot

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A bowline is a good, safe knot to use when tying your lead rope because you can always get it untied, even when a horse pulls back. See lead ropes here: http://bit.ly/1JSwZcI. Find a sturdy post or other strong, well-set, stationary structure to tie to.

Always tie at shoulder level or higher but not so high it requires your horse to stand with its head unnaturally elevated. There should be approximately 18 inches of rope between the halter and the bowline. Leaving it longer may allow your horse to step over the rope if he lowers his head, and this can lead to a serious accident. It’s not safe to tie your horse low enough to graze. Be very careful to never put a finger or hand through the knot as you’re tying it.

  1. I am going to tie on the top rail of my steel corral but I’m also tying across both sides of the post so my horse can’t move up and down the rail. Loop the lead rope around the back of the rail on the right side of the post. The tail end of the rope should now be in your right hand and the end attached to the halter in your left.
  2. Make a loop in the rope on the left side of the post with the tail end coming out on the underside of the loop.
  3. Thread the tail of the rope in your right hand through the loop from the top.
  4. Using the tail of the rope go over and then back under the portion of the rope that leads to the halter. Next put the tail back up through the loop in your left hand.
  5. Hang on to the halter end of the rope with your left hand and pull the tail end tight with your right hand.
  6. Correctly tied bowline knot.

Be sure to use a lead rope that fits the function. Here I’m using a ½ inch lead attached to a halter which is fine for tying to a post or trailer. If I had planned to tie to something that would allow the horse to circle around (a walker or a line while camping for instance) I would use a lead with a swivel snap. Be sure to get a good quality lead and snap that won’t fail.

For more information on the strong and functional lead ropes made at Dennis Moreland Tack please visit http://bit.ly/1JSwZcI or call us at 817-312-5305. They are available with or without halters in a beautiful array of colors.

We’re a full line manufacturer of handmade tack and we’re here to help you with any questions you have on use, function or design!