Highwaymans Hitch

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Ray Talbot

Guest
I had to make a pull-through system the other day and I considered using a Highwayman?s Hitch but never having practised it before I opted against it. I?ve never heard of a caver using it before so for those who don?t know it was designed to tie up a horse with one end but be easily releasable by pulling the other. Could such a knot intended to confine a powerful creature hold a persons entire body weight? Could it withstand shock loading?
 

footleg

New member
It 'might' stop a horse running away, but if it fails in that regard then you just have an escaped horse to deal with.

If it fails on a pitch in a cave then you could end up dead or seriously injured. So no, I would not use one to rig a pull through under any circumstances!

I did once attach myself to one in a gym, while also attached to a separate rope strung across the ceiling to another point. So when I released the highwaymans hitch (while I was still hanging on it) I could swing across the gym on the other rope. It proved almost impossible to release under load, and took the weight of 2 people hanging on the release end to undo the knot. I would still not trust my life to one however, as far better fail safe pull through belay techniques exist and work perfectly well in practice.
 

Geoff R

New member
Agree with the last post  (y)

Im a horse owner and rider and well know the Highwayman's Hitch from years of playing with it for amusement
I would definitely NOT tie my horse up with this. 

To SRT off one .... er not for me thanks  ;)

 

gus horsley

New member
Definitely not a knot to use underground or climbing.  Nowadays I think it really only has a certain novelty value.
 

footleg

New member
gus horsley said:
Definitely not a knot to use underground or climbing.  Nowadays I think it really only has a certain novelty value.

Or for when you are robbing a bank and planning to escape on horseback of course.  ;)
 

graham

New member
footleg said:
gus horsley said:
Definitely not a knot to use underground or climbing.  Nowadays I think it really only has a certain novelty value.

Or for when you are robbing a bank and planning to escape on horseback of course.  ;)
Something that some cavers do with monotonous regularity.
 

LarryFatcat

Active member
I've used it for years in sailing for temporarily mooring a boat.  I wouldn't dream of using it in caving.  Its purpose - easy to release, is the exact opposite of what I want in a caving knot.
 
D

Dep

Guest
It'd work in principle - but there's no way I'd ever consider it with other safer options available...
 

Piglet

Member
My horse used to fairly regularly go into turbo reverse in an effort to get free when she was tied up  :spank: (a yard brush up the backside eventually cured it  ;) ).  I had so many problems trying to release this knot, that I used to include a piece of cane in a certain part of it, which could be pulled out and allow you to loosen up the knot so you get it undone, it would pull that tight.

I'd agree with everyone else, this is definitely not one for doing a pull-through.
 

Geoff R

New member
Karen S said:
My horse used to fairly regularly go into turbo reverse in an effort to get free when she was tied up  :spank: (a yard brush up the backside eventually cured it  ;) ).  I had so many problems trying to release this knot, that I used to include a piece of cane in a certain part of it, which could be pulled out and allow you to loosen up the knot so you get it undone, it would pull that tight.

I'd agree with everyone else, this is definitely not one for doing a pull-through.

Funny - most horses of the non- western trained type would just pull the trailing end of the rope with their teeth    ;)
 
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