It's like knitting but without needles and really thick yarn

I learned how to tie a rope halter!

I am addicted to buying tack, equipment, and supplies for my horses. It's a sickness, really, when you think about it...because I have something like four or five halters PER HORSE. I don't think I'm exaggerating, either. I have three Parelli rope halters, the halters Tule and Pepper came with, and all the others I've bought since. Purple, lime green, black, leather, blue, multicolored pink...not a good thing. And every time I go to the tack store I look at them some more. Well, no more!

Rope is such a useful sort of thing. And I've looked at the bulk rope several times, too, thinking I could make stuff out of it. Like reins, for example. I love my Parelli reins but I don't like paying Parelli prices, and while the set I have are great for Tule, I need more control for Pepper so I need a shorter set. For a while I've been planning how to make my own. So, I wandered into the rope section at another store the other day.

And they had a 100' skein of perfect halter weight rope for like ten bucks. In a multi-color red pattern, which works on all three horses. So I bought it...and I researched how to tie my own...and I can do it!

So when I was at Tractor Supply this morning I bought more rope in a black with red specks pattern. I think Tule and Dillon both look better in black anyway, and I can use the red too. I also bought 13' of lead rope to attach to Dilly's new black custom halter when I'm done with it :)

Today, I worked with Dill-pickle first. He was actually a bit of a snot while being groomed...but I think I may have touched a tender spot. He's been playing rough with Mozart out in their paddock lately!

Then I went to get Pepper. She is such a wonderful horse...she comes when she's called. Her pasture is 40 acres, and the four-horse-herd that she is in is often at the other end of it. But my voice echoes well off the hills, and she comes trundling in for her meal. I've seen her trot to me a few times, and once I did see her break into a canter but that was because the boys were with her and Charlie the OTTB was instigating. Trust me, the canter did not last long...my mare is a master of energy conservation. I am working with her to 'fix' a lot of issues she has from past owners who let her get away with bloody murder under saddle. All I ask is that she move out and go at the speed I set, in the direction I point her. And this provokes Battles Royale. Today she actually did quite well!

Tule got to try on his new bridle today, that's all, and go right back out to play. I'd been riding him in a traditional English bridle with a noseband, but all those straps around his eyes have been kind of an issue. He's hard to fit anyways, with his Arab cheekbones and TB nose. So this time I broke down and got a simple Western headstall, without a noseband. The only strap on his face is holding the bit. And it looks good...we'll see how it works tomorrow or Friday.