SubscribeGift a Sub
Enable cache 100

Video: How to Tie a Safety Release Knot

A safety release knot, sometimes called a quick release knot, is a method of tying your horse in a way that can be released quickly in case of emergency. If your horse panics and pulls back, you’re able to untie the knot with a single tug to prevent injury to your horse or damage to the barn or fence he is tied to.

 



Here are the steps to tying a safety release knot.

  1. Put the end of the rope through the tie ring or around the post.
  2. Wrap the loose end once around the rope, creating a circle.
  3. Fold the loose end into a loop, and pull it through the circle.
  4. If your horse is mouthy, tuck the loose end through the loop so that he can’t untie himself.



Note: some horse owners make a loop of bailing twine and tie it to the tie ring, then make the safety release knot on the twine. This is an added safety measure so that if the horse panics and you don’t reach the knot in time to pull him free, he will break the twine before he injures himself.

Horse Illustrated

Horse Illustrated is the magazine for people who are passionate about horses. Each issue offers advice on horse health and care, plus user-friendly training tips for both English and western riders and engaging lifestyle features for horse lovers.

View Comments

Recent Posts

AHP Equine Industry Survey Returns in 2025

Horse owners who live in the United States, are 18 years of age and older, and currently own or manage…

2 days ago

Is My Horse Cold? – An Excerpt from Keeping Horses Outdoors by Iveta Jebáčková-Lažanská

Is your horse cold in the winter? The following excerpt from Keeping Horses Outdoors by Iveta Jebáčková-Lažanská helps answer that question…

2 days ago

ASPCA Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week: Hali

Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…

3 days ago

Common Horse Training Mistakes

These four common horse training mistakes are easier to catch and correct when you’re aware of them. As a clinician,…

4 days ago

All About the American Warmblood

If you appreciate sport horses of many different breeding backgrounds, types and colors, the American Warmblood will unite you with…

6 days ago

Waste: ReImagined – ZahnTech Repurposes Waste for a Permanent Fencing Solution

LENNOX, S.D. — Every great innovation begins with a moment of clarity, and for ZahnTech's founder, Avery Zahn, it came…

1 week ago