Fiador knot
Encyclopedia
The fiador knot is a decorative, symmetrical knot
used in equine applications to create items such as rope halter
s, hobbles, and components of the fiador
on some hackamore
designs. It is a four strand diamond knot in which six of the eight ends loop back into the knot, thus allowing it to be tied with a single line.
Considered a difficult knot to tie, cowboy
s were said to have been able to collect a fee for tying it. Clifford Ashley
went so far as to include it in a chapter covering trick knots in The Ashley Book of Knots
stating archly, "the trick is to succeed in tying it." More recent sources have shown a simpler method of forming the fiador knot.
, "When Theodore Roosevelt, 'the hero of San Juan Hill,' visited the Southwest, shortly after the[Spanish-American War] , it was a foregone conclusion that the Spanish name 'Fiador' would be corrupted to 'Theodore' in his honor."
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Knot
A knot is a method of fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or several segments of rope, string, webbing, twine, strap, or even chain interwoven such that the line can bind to itself or to some other object—the "load"...
used in equine applications to create items such as rope halter
Halter
A halter, headcollar, or, less often, headstall, is headgear that is used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals; it fits behind the ears , and around the muzzle. To handle the animal, usually a lead rope or lead shank is attached...
s, hobbles, and components of the fiador
Fiador (tack)
A fiador term of Spanish colonial origin referring to a hackamore component used principally in the Americas. In English-speaking North America, the fiador is known principally as a type of throatlatch used on the bosal-style hackamore. Its purpose is to stabilize a heavy noseband or bosal and...
on some hackamore
Hackamore
A hackamore is a type of animal headgear which does not have a bit. Instead, it has a special type of noseband that works on pressure points on the face, nose, and chin...
designs. It is a four strand diamond knot in which six of the eight ends loop back into the knot, thus allowing it to be tied with a single line.
Considered a difficult knot to tie, cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s were said to have been able to collect a fee for tying it. Clifford Ashley
Clifford Ashley
Clifford Warren Ashley was an American artist, author, sailor, and knot expert. He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, son of Abiel Davis Ashley and Caroline Morse. Ashley married Sarah Scudder Clark in 1932 and had two daughters, also adopting his wife's oldest daughter from a previous...
went so far as to include it in a chapter covering trick knots in The Ashley Book of Knots
The Ashley Book of Knots
The Ashley Book of Knots is an encyclopedia of knots first published in 1944 by Clifford Warren Ashley. The culmination of over 11 years of work, it contains some 7000 illustrations and more than 3854 entries covering over 2000 different knots. The entries include instructions, uses, and for some...
stating archly, "the trick is to succeed in tying it." More recent sources have shown a simpler method of forming the fiador knot.
Etymology
The origin of the variant name "Theodore knot", found in the United States, was suggested by Philip Ashton Rollins and related by AshleyClifford Ashley
Clifford Warren Ashley was an American artist, author, sailor, and knot expert. He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, son of Abiel Davis Ashley and Caroline Morse. Ashley married Sarah Scudder Clark in 1932 and had two daughters, also adopting his wife's oldest daughter from a previous...
, "When Theodore Roosevelt, 'the hero of San Juan Hill,' visited the Southwest, shortly after the
Uses by equestrians
There are several ways the fiador knot is used with certain types of horse tackHorse tack
Tack is a term used to describe any of the various equipment and accessories worn by horses in the course of their use as domesticated animals. Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, and breastplates are all forms of horse tack...
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- The knot is used on, and shares its name with, the fiadorFiador (tack)A fiador term of Spanish colonial origin referring to a hackamore component used principally in the Americas. In English-speaking North America, the fiador is known principally as a type of throatlatch used on the bosal-style hackamore. Its purpose is to stabilize a heavy noseband or bosal and...
of a hackamoreHackamoreA hackamore is a type of animal headgear which does not have a bit. Instead, it has a special type of noseband that works on pressure points on the face, nose, and chin...
. The fiador knot holds the four strands of the fiador together under the horse's jaw, while a doubled bottle slingBottle slingThe bottle sling is a knot which can be used to create a handle for a glass or ceramic container with a slippery narrow neck, as long as the neck widens slightly near the top....
—sometimes called a "hackamore knot" in this context—is used to attach the fiador to the heel knot of the bosalBosalA bosal is a type of noseband used on the classic hackamore of the vaquero tradition. It is usually made of braided rawhide and is fitted to the horse in a manner that allows it to rest quietly until the rider uses the reins to give a signal. It acts upon the horse's nose and jaw...
, or noseband, of the hackamore. A becket hitchBecket hitchA becket hitch, including the double becket or figure-of-eight becket hitch, is any hitch that is made on an eye loop, i.e. on a becket. A becket hitch has the same structure as the sheet bend, which joins, or "bends", the ends of two ropes together. The becket hitch, in contrast, fixes a rope to...
is used to secure the fiador around the throatlatch of the horse.
- On knotted rope halterHalterA halter, headcollar, or, less often, headstall, is headgear that is used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals; it fits behind the ears , and around the muzzle. To handle the animal, usually a lead rope or lead shank is attached...
s, the knot often is used under the jaw both as a decorative knot, and also to fashion the lower loop onto which a lead rope is attached. On a rope halter, the fiador knot is made from one continuous piece of rope, and is, along with a series of double overhand knots, one of two types of knots that comprise most rope halters. In North America, again according to Ashley, "...the method originated in the South American pampas and worked its way, via Mexico, to the Southwestern cow country, arriving there soon after the conclusion of the Spanish-American War."
- For one style of rope hobbles, a brass ring may be attached to the double loops on one side of the knot to join the hobble for the horse's other front foot. On the other side, a diamond knotDiamond knotThe diamond knot is a knot for forming a decorative loop on the end of a cord such as on a lanyard.-Tying:The diamond knot begins as a carrick bend with the ends exiting diagonally opposite each other...
terminates the two loose ends and the single loop is placed over this to encircle the horse's fetlockFetlockFetlock is the common name for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints of horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs. It is formed by the junction of the third metacarpal or metatarsal bones proximad and the proximal phalanx distad...
. A small rope slide (melted with a solder iron) on this single loop is pushed against the diamond knot to prevent the loop from slipping off the foot.