Pack Saddle Latigo Safety Knot
Art Hedin from Kalispell, Montana, a long time packer in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area, says that when packing horses and mules, it is most often a good idea to have a quick release knot on the pack saddle latigos. That way, if a wreck occurs and a packsaddle turns, you can quickly pull the loose end of the latigo and loosen the cinches and release the packsaddle before the equipment and pack animal can be hurt. This knot is also flatter and less bulky under the packs to help eliminate galling the pack animal.
To tie the knot: 1. To the left, put the point of the latigo through the ring in the packsaddle rigging. 2. Bring the latigo back under the rigging ring above where the latigo first entered, on the same side, forming a loop. 3. Pull the loop tight. (Rigging ring acts as a lock to the loop.) 4. Another loop of the latigo may be inserted through the first loop, and tightened down if you have a great deal of latigo to get rid of. Art assures us that one loop is enough to secure the latigo. 5. To release, simply jerk the free tail. |
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