Homemade Rope Halter

A halter is the harness an owner places on a domesticated horse's head to lead it around. They are sometimes made of leather, but also from many varieties of rope. They can easily be made by hand, provided one has a basic understanding of knots.

  1. Before You Begin

    • Quarter-inch inch double-braided nylon rope works the best for making your halter, but polyester also works. It all depends on personal preference. You can find these and other types of ropes at most marine supply and hardware stores. You can also easily order it online from a multitude of sources.

      You will also need a sharp knife or razor blade to cut the rope and matches or a lighter to melt the ends, preventing fraying.

      Before you begin, you must figure out how much rope will be required. For a pony or smaller breed, 18 feet should be sufficient. For a medium-sized Arab breed, 20 feet is needed. For a large breed, 22 feet is necessary. For an extra large breed, such as a warmblood, 24 feet of rope is necessary. For a very large draft horse, 26 to 28 feet is needed.

      Practice tying overhand and double overhand knots before you begin. It will make the process much easier.

    Cutting the Rope

    • You must measure your horse. Use a piece of string and wrap it around your horse's nose just below the cheek bone. Then lay the string along a yardstick to take readings. From this reading, you know whether you are making a small, medium, large, extra large or extra extra large size halter. If the horse measures about 20 inches, the halter is small; medium is 22 inches; large, 24 inches; extra large, 26 inches; extra extra large, 28 inches.

      These measurements are approximate, based on average sizes for horses. You may find it necessary to adjust some measurements to fit your horse. From this measurement, you know about how long all of the lengths of rope you need to cut are. You will cut 10 different lengths of rope for the following sections of the halter:

      A: End of rope to right ear knot; small 28 inches, medium 30 inches, large 32 inches, etra large 34 inches, etra extra large 36 inches.

      B: Right ear knot to right nose knot; small 7 inches, medium 8 inches, large 9 inches, extra large 10 inches, etra extra large 16 inches.

      C: Right nose knot to left nose knot; small 8 inches, medium 9 inches, large 10 inches, extra large 11 inches, extra extra large 12 inches.

      D: Left nose knot to throat latch knot; S 29 inches, M 31 inches, Lg 33 inches, XL 35 inches, XXL 37 inches.

      E: Throat latch knot to tie loop; S 8 inches, M 9 inches, Lg 10 inches, XL 11 inches, XXL 12 inches.

      F: Tie loop to left nose knot. S 8 inches, M 9 inches, Lg 10 inches, XL 11 inches, XXL 12 inches.

      G: Left nose knot to right nose nnot; S 8 inches, M 9 inches, Lg 10 inches, XL 11 inches, XXL 12 inches.

      H: Right nose knot to throat latch knot; S 29 inches, M 31 inches, Lg 33 inches, XL 35 inches, XXL 37 inches.

      I: Throat latch knot to right ear knot; S 8 inches, M 9 inches, Lg 10 inches, XL 11 inches, XXL 12 inches.

      J: Right ear knot to end of rope; S 28 inches, M 30 inches, Lg 32 inches, XL 34 inches, XXL 36 inches.

      These are general measurements that should leave a margin for error so that you can make adjustments for your horse once you begin fitting it. Remember to use a match or lighter on the cut rope ends.

    The Process

    • There are specific points where each length of string must be tied to the main rope (see References for a diagram). You must connect each piece in the proper place using overhand and double overhand knots. Take special care with the tie loop at the front of the halter, as it will be the most difficult piece to fix later. Add each section of rope in turn. You will use double overhand knots to connect the main pieces of the halter together, and the overhand knot for the tie loop and the lead rope knot.

      Once you have everything attached, try the halter on your horse and make all the necessary adjustments. You can do this by slipping the knots up or down the rope or adjusting the size of the tie rope under the chin.

      Be careful with the halter. Don't leave your horse tied in it, especially in a transport trailer, as it may not be able to get out.