is a good temporary halter and lead rope once your horse
has
been taught to lead. It should NOT be used
on a
young horse (under one year) or when 'teaching'
a horse to lead. (For this,
use a rope halter and lead rope,
because the catch rope will 'tighten up' too much
around
the nose.) Also, be aware that, because it will slip off the nose
fairly easily
OR if the horse pulls back, it will be tightened
around the nose and cut off their air passage,
you
should NEVER tie your horse to anything using the catch rope.
 Through The Ring |
 Around The Nose |
 Callin' Her In |
To make a "Catch Rope", the first thing you'll need is
a 16-1/2 foot piece of 1/2 inch yacht rope. This
type of rope
is soft, pliable, strong and almost impervious to the elements.
Melt
both ends to keep them from fraying and tie off one end
with a leather strip or lace it any way
that looks good to you.
On the other end you'll need about a 2 inch loop,
just like on
a lasso. Jake ties a round brass ring to the end,
but a small boline knot will
work well. Now, take the
looped end and drop it over your horse's neck right behind
the ears and pull it a little toward you with your left hand
until it's under her
neck, as shown in the first picture.
Make a new little loop
with the rope in your right
hand by poking it
through the
end loop (or brass ring).
This new loop goes around her nose. Take out the slack,
straighten &
adjust it and you have a good working
temporary halter & lead line which is
the
tool you'll use most often in the round pen.
