Would you like to make your own horse accessories out of rope, such as a unique horse halter, but aren’t sure what you need? In this blog, we’ll give you advice on what kind of rope to use for different parts of your horse gear.
The use of rope with your horse is encouraged by a movement of horse-friendly training methods known as “natural horsemanship.” These methods focus on communication, body language, trust, and an understanding of natural horse behavior.
There are several well-known trainers who have developed their own training methods based on natural horsemanship, such as Monty Roberts and Pat Parelli. There are also approaches that combine classical dressage with natural horsemanship, as practiced by Greetje Hakvoort, among others. The shift in how horses are kept and trained lies primarily in the move toward less dominance and more cooperation. Horses are given a voice of their own and, moreover, learn better when they are relaxed.
We’ve listed various rope options for you. Based on your personal preference, you can choose a specific thickness or material.
In general, polypropylene (PP) and polyester rope are widely used for horse equipment. We carry several types of PP rope, which we abbreviate as PPM. In this blog, the relevant types are PPM round, PPM flat (without a core), PPM solid braid, and PPM double braid. The advantage of polypropylene is that it’s a lightweight material. It’s easy to clean and doesn’t develop mold. The only drawback is that PPM rope can discolor with regular exposure to sunlight.
A premium alternative is polyester. It is stiffer, more durable, and more resistant to sunlight than PPM cord. We offer recycled polyester (rPET) cord or spun cord. Spun cord has a cotton-like appearance but offers the aforementioned advantages of synthetic cord.
We do not recommend nylon cord, as it stretches and can harden when wet. However, it’s perfectly fine for decorative purposes. Consider micro cord, which allows you to add extra details and colors using the whipping technique.
We recommend using at least 6 mm rope when tying a horse halter. Thinner rope can cut into the horse’s skin. 8 mm rope is also an excellent choice, especially for a larger horse. The rope can be PPM or polyester. For PPM rope, we recommend the round variety.
There are many different ways to tie a horse halter. We’ve highlighted one of these methods for you in a tutorial. Here you see how to make a rope halter for a horse step by step:
In the tutorial above, the nose piece is decorated with micro cord using the whipping technique. You can also choose to add a soft nose piece made of, for example, 12 mm PPM flat cord. Flat cord has no core. You can slide this over the 6 mm or 8 mm cord of the halter.
Are you making a rope halter with a lead rope? For a lead rope, we recommend 14 mm PPM Double Braid rope. This rope is sturdy but feels soft in your hand. An even softer option is PPM Solid Braid in 10 or 12 mm. A lead rope is often 3 meters or longer.
A lunge line allows your horse to circle around you at a distance, so these lines are often 8 to 10 meters long. They shouldn’t be too heavy, because you don’t want to pull too hard on the horse’s head. When looking for lightweight rope, PPM comes out on top. Choose round or flat PPM in the thickness of your choice, paired with strong but not overly heavy accessories. Make sure to select an accessory with the appropriate breaking strength for your purposes.
A neckrope allows you to ride bitless, meaning without a bridle. You can make a neckrope with or without a ring. Neckrope cord is often PPM Flat or PPM Double Braid cord.
Polypropylene is ideal for making reins. Did you know that you can remove the core from PPM Round and PPM Double Braid cord? That’s because the outer sheath isn’t attached to the core. Simply cut off a small piece from both ends and pull the core out. Of course, you can also choose to use PPM Flat cord. This has the same weave as PPM Round, but differs from the weave of PPM Double Braid. You can create a loop using the Selma split needle and attach snap hooks to it. Be sure to check the breaking strength of the snap hooks you choose.
Have fun making your (first) piece of horse tack! Read more about the sizes that fit your horse, which knots you can use, and how to add decorations to your horse rope halter in our other blog posts.
Before you can start making your own dog collar, you must first know the size of the dog's neck. But what is the best way to measure this? And how do you make sure that the collar will actually be this size?
In this photo tutorial, you will see how to knot the Summer Vibes pattern. The Summer Vibes knot was designed by Elza Zuidema-Suurd and is difficult to make.
Noah van Sluis is the maker behind the funny Instagram page @weimaraner.ace. Because of her love for dogs and making, Noah ended up in the Paracord.eu team. As a buyer she takes care of the best assortment for makers that work with BioThane and leather. Which tools does Noah prefer for leather crafts?
The fall season has officially begun, so the evenings are getting darker earlier. For your own safety and that of your dog, it is important to stay highly visible while walking. These products will help you walk safely in the dark.
You see it everywhere: BioThane long lines, dog collars and leashes or a BioThane bridle. But what exactly is BioThane coated webbing? When do you choose BioThane webbing instead of leather? This blog will answer all your questions about our products from BioThane USA®.
You see them all over the internet, rope halters! Available in different colors and thicknesses, these are everywhere. It's vacation time, and you're feeling a bit bored. You think: tying a rope halter, I can do that too!" So, you search for an instructional video, believing you've made the halter correctly, and eventually, you want to use it for your horse or pony. You put it on, and ‘oops!’. Your halter falls apart. The first time tying a rope halter often goes wrong. To prevent accidents, here are 5 tips for safely tying a rope halter, just for you!
