Many people find the blood knot equally frustrating and functional.
Perhaps this has happened to you…
You buy a headstall and you’re so excited to get it to the barn and hang a bit on it. So, you take it apart and then…shoot, you don’t remember how to put the two strings back like you bought it. You scratch your head and wonder how the two strings are intertwined to make the correct knot.
If this scenario sounds familiar, it’s OK. You’re not alone.
Dennis Moreland, legendary leather maker whose business was based in Weatherford, Texas, says he often found himself explaining or demonstrating the proper way to tie the blood knot.
Always attentive to safety, Moreland is a big fan of the blood knot for its security. Most often seen on the cheek pieces of a headstall, Moreland created a slotted concho that works well and looks great on with the blood knot.
The knot is thought to have received it’s name because of the nature of how it’s tied, one string bleeding through the next. The leather strings each are made with slits at their bases. The bottom string is fed through the top, making it the top string. The bottom string is now fed through the top. The knot, when correct should lay relatively flat with both strings’ tips hanging nicely toward the bit.
Well, if the reason it’s tricky to tie means that it’s just as hard to untie… that is reason enough to learn how to tie the knot. Once you master the skill, you’ll probably say to yourself, “that was sure easy.”
Until you buy your next headstall and have to find this video to refresh your blood knot memory.
Original article: The Blood Knot – Western Horseman
