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.
