Rope halters are available nowadays in different prices and therefore also in different qualities. Parelli rope halter Highly recommended: made of the highest quality polyester rope and featuring a fiador knot at the bottom. Unlike cheaper nylon cords, these ropes don't stretch or stiffen with frequent use.
With normal use, the knot at the bottom of the rope halter never comes undone. But to quote Pat Parelli: "Never say never, don't always say always, but say usually usually."
When washing your natural hackamore or rope halter it may exceptionally happen that the knot becomes slightly looser.
In the photo you can clearly see that the two loops at the bottom of the fiador knot have been sewn together (here the black thread).
If your button does come loose, you can easily fix this yourself by pulling the two sewn-on loops at the bottom back down.
This is a bit more difficult with cheaper rope halters, where the loops at the bottom aren't sewn in place. In that case, it's sometimes difficult to determine exactly which two loops you need to tighten.
However, high-quality rope halters are all tied from a single rope, and the fiador knot is at the very bottom, making it virtually impossible to untie. So there's always a solution for a loose knot!
What should you NOT do?
- When you your rope , rope reins or feather lines When using a rope halter for riding or Zone 5 Driving (groundwork on long lines), the knot can become unbalanced because you've applied more pressure to one side, for example. You can avoid this by always using the loop at the bottom as a single unit, and not, for example, one rein to a single loop, or by tying the reins to the side of the halter.
If you would like to ride with a rope halter, then the Parelli Natural Hackamore a much better alternative. In this case, in addition to the reins, you also have a lead rope (handy for on the road or for groundwork), and the thicker knot at the bottom automatically helps your horse respond to fine aids when Freestyle riding .
- Has your fiador knot come loose or is no longer completely symmetrical? Don't keep using the halter like this, but immediately tighten the knot back to its original position. Often, you can clearly see where the knot should be at first, and especially if the two loops are sewn together, it's a breeze to tighten the knot again.
The longer you use the halter with a crooked knot, the more the rope will settle and the harder it will be to tighten the knot correctly.
- Turning your halter inside out, passing it through the knot at the bottom, pulling certain sections through... is a bad idea because it only makes it harder to simply tighten the fiador knot again.
Recreating a fiador knot is a bit like solving a Chinese puzzle, once you get the hang of it, giving up is no longer an option ;-) ...Sometimes we have to "cheat" ourselves with another fiador knot next to it.
But if you can't get out yourself, feel free to bring your halter inside the store and then we will again provide you with a beautiful symmetrical fiador knot Parelli rope halter .
The one and only correct rope halter knot!
There is only 1 correct - SAFE - way to tie your rope halter: 
Making this knot is simple, but I still find it hard to Parelli instructor very often we come across incorrectly knotted rope halters, sometimes with people who have been doing it differently - and therefore unfortunately unsafely - for years.
The advantage of the right knot is that you can untie it again, unlike the knot that is not "on" the loop, but dangles somewhere at the top.
Not sure if you're tying the knot correctly? Check out our short instructional video here. on Facebook or read this article .
Good luck!
