How to Tie a Highwaymans Hitch

According to legend, the highwayman’s hitch got its name because it was the knot highwaymen used to tie their horses to the carriage they were robbing. The knot is also sometimes called a mooring hitch because it is used when securing a boat to a dock or pier. Its key feature is that it can be released by simply tugging the free end, making it ideal for any situation where it may not be possible to reach the end, or where it would need to be quickly released. Because it can be handy in many situations, it is good to know how to tie a highwayman’s hitch.

Things You'll Need

• Rope or cord
• Stationary object, like a chair or pole

Instructions

1. Make a bight.A bight is nothing more than a curved, or U-shaped, section in the rope. It is made the same way as the loop when you are tying your shoes. Simply fold the rope over to form a U. For the highwayman’s hitch, the bight is not done in the middle of the rope, but toward the end. After you make the bight, the right side of the bight should be the short side where the end of the rope is. The left side should be the long part of the rope, and it is called the standing side. To begin tying the knot, make the first bight behind the object to which you will be tying the knot. The entire bight should be behind the object, not looped around it, with the curve on one side and the ends on the other.

2. Form a second bight with the standing end, or long left side, of the rope by pulling the U-shape out to the left. This bight is not behind the object like the first one.

3. Pull the second bight up over the object and push it through the loop in the first bight. At this point, the loop around the object with one loop pulled through looks similar to the first half of the bow formed when you tie your shoes.

4. Make the third bight. This time the bight is formed on the short right side of the rope. Form the third bight in the same way that you did the second, without putting the bight behind the object.

5. Pull the third bight up over the object, and push it through the loop formed by the second bight. If you have done this correctly, the loop from the third bight will be sticking out with the top edge of the loop from the second bight in front of it and the top edge of the loop from the first edge behind it.

6. Pull the standing end of the rope to straighten the knot. Once it is straightened, grasp the loop in one hand and the two ends in the other hand. Pull in opposite directions to tighten the knot

Tips & Warnings

• The standing end of the rope is attached to the load. The load is the horse, boat, or other item being secured with the knot.

• Release the knot by pulling on the free end.

• The highwayman’s hitch is not a secure knot. Because it can release so easily, it is not a safe knot for climbing, rappelling, swings or any other use that could result in injury or death if the knot does not hold.