How to Make a Horse Rope Harness

A harness can be your best friend or your worst enemy when you have a horse. While wonderful to help move your animal, a harness might break, disappear, or is just too expensive for the small amount of time that you use it. A simple homemade rope harness is the answer. Common nylon rope that you can find at your farm supply or home improvement store can help you work with your animal in place of a commercial harness.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 20 feet of 1/4-inch double braided nylon rope
• Sharp knife or blade
• Matches or a lighter to seal the ends of your rope
• Cloth measuring tape or string

1. Measure your horse to determine the size of your harness. Use a cloth measuring tape or a piece of string to measure right below the cheekbones and above the nose.

2. 
   Overhand knot

   Fold your rope in half. Make a small loop and secure it with an overhand knot. This will be your tie loop.

3. Tie a loose overhand knot on one side of the rope. The distance between the tie loop and the knot is the same as the distance between the tie loop and the throat latch on a standard harness. For example, the length for a medium sized horse is about 9 inches.

4. Create an overhand knot below the throat latch. This is your left nose knot. The distance from the throat latch should be about 9 inches longer than the measurement of your horse's nose.

5. Tie an overhand knot below this one at about the same distance from the left nose knot as the throat latch is from the tie loop. This is your right nose knot.

6. Tie an overhand knot below your last nose knot. It should be 1 inch less in distance than your nose knots were from each other. This is your right ear knot. Make sure that you have at least 30 inches of rope left on this side.

7. 
   Double overhand knot

   Take the other side of the rope and tie it into the left nose knot using a double overhand knot.

8. 

   Thread the rope that has not been knotted through the left nose knot and secure it. Leave some slack, so that it can fit around your horse, and tie it to the right nose knot using an overhand knot.

9. 

   Leave some slack and tie a length of rope from the right nose knot to the throat latch. This will, essentially, create a conventional throat latch as seen on a standard harness.

10. Feed your rope into the right ear knot. Secure it using a double overhand knot.

11. Try your harness on your horse and see if anything needs adjusting before you continue.

12. Take the two lengths of rope that you have running between your ear knots and throat latch and make a loop with a simple overhand knot. This is the loop that you will attach your lead rope to.

13. Seal the raw ends of your rope with matches or a lighter.

14. Fasten the harness by threading the tie strings through the back of the loop and creating a latigo knot.

Tips & Warnings

• Good equipment maintenance is essential. Check and adjust your equipment every time you use it.
• Don't tie your knots too tight. Loose knots are easier to get undone if needed. Do not tie your horse in this harness because it can tighten easily and asphyxiate your horse. Do not use a rope harness if your horse has sensitive skin.

Resources

• Harness measurement tables