How to Tie the Ring Hitch
Usage
The Ring Hitch is the horse-world quick-release tie for a fixed ring: it holds an animal without choking down on him, and one pull on the free tail drops the tie out of the ring. If you know the Highwayman's Hitch, this is its close cousin — handlers swap the two names freely, and both collapse on a tail-pull. The difference: the Highwayman's Hitch is a separately catalogued three-bight structure, while the Ring Hitch is a twist-and-nest tie built around a closed ring. Whether they are one knot in two dressings is genuinely unsettled, so check which your source shows.
It is used for tying horses to a hitching ring, holding livestock during loading, and light tie-offs that may need instant release.
Why Learn the Ring Hitch?
The twists you put in the loop create slack between the rope parts, so a horse leaning back does not drive the tie into a cinch — the complaint about older quick-release ties is that they tighten until the rope has to be cut. The release is also genuinely one-handed: you hold the rope and pull the tail in one motion, never losing control of the line.
Common Uses
Horses and Livestock
- Tying a horse to a fixed hitching ring — the core job. Pair it with a breakaway (baling twine).
- Holding livestock during loading and unloading. Fine when freeing a spooked animal is the point, not for one known to set back hard.
Camping and Everyday
- A quick-release tie-off to a ring or post at camp: light, attended loads only.
- A temporary tie-off at the boat ramp while launching.
Other Names
Category
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Notable Features
- Twist-based anchor: Friction at the ring that will not cinch down under a pull-back.
- Nested slipped bights: Successive loops lock each other, and nothing jams.
- Total-collapse release: One pull on the tail frees the tie, even after it is pulled tight.
- Rope falls clear: No end left to thread back through the ring.
If the twist-and-nest sequence is hard to picture, step through it in the Knot IQ app — the order of the nested loops is what most people get wrong first time.
Similar Knots
Highwayman's Hitch vs. Ring Hitch
- Advantage: A defined structure that ties around a post or rail, not just a ring.
- Disadvantage: No twist geometry, so it lacks the same won't-cinch behaviour.
Use the quick-release Highwayman's Hitch when your anchor is a rail or post rather than a ring.
Double Ring Hitch vs. Ring Hitch
- Advantage: A collared, gripping attachment to a ring — built to stay put.
- Disadvantage: No quick release at all; you untie it by hand.
Same words, different knots. The Double Ring Hitch is a collared-bight tie for a stable attachment; this page is the equestrian tie built to let go.
Security Level
Treat the Ring Hitch as a release device, not a restraint. It holds a calm animal under steady tension and resists tightening — but smart horses learn to take the tail in their teeth and free themselves, and handlers report animals setting back hard and slipping the line on slick synthetic rope, where the friction it depends on largely disappears. Nothing in the tie can tell an intended tail-pull from an accidental one. Back it with a breakaway, and never treat it as load-bearing.
Downsides
- Releases unintentionally: A snagged or nibbled tail springs the whole thing.
- Fussy to dress: Leave out the twists and it can cinch tight under load instead of resisting it.
- Not load-bearing: Unsuitable for permanent or high-security attachment.
- Defeatable: Smart animals learn to untie it, and tucking the tail to stop them costs you the one-hand release.
History
This knot's paper trail is thin and almost entirely equestrian. Heather Smith Thomas describes it as the "Ring Knot" in Eclectic Horseman, noting that it "won't tighten up very much if a horse pulls on it" and gives "quick and total release" on a tail-pull. Animated Knots lists it among horse and farm knots as a rapid-release knot for tying a horse to a ring. Under this name and structure it does not appear in the traditional knotting canon, where "Ring Hitch" means other things entirely.
How to Tie the Ring Hitch
Step 1
Form a loop in the rope and twist it a few times, then pass the twisted loop through the ring.
Step 2
Draw a bight of the horse-side line — the part running back to the animal — through the twisted loop to make a second loop.
Step 3
Draw a bight of the working end through that second loop. Use fingertips only, never your whole hand, so a spooked horse cannot trap your hand in the rope.
Step 4
Snug the horse-side section to set the hitch, and leave a free tail on the working end for release.
Step 5
To release, pull the free tail: the nested bights collapse in sequence and the rope falls clear of the ring.
Pro tip: pull the tail, not the load side — pulling the horse-side line does nothing, or snugs the tie further. Drill it at home before you need it around a live animal; our Knot IQ companion kits are built for that.
FAQ
Is the Ring Hitch the same as a cow hitch or lark's head?
No — they share the name and nothing else. The cow hitch sense is a collared bight that grips the ring; this one is a twist-based tie built to collapse on a tail-pull.
Will the Ring Hitch hold my horse?
A calm horse, yes, and it won't cinch tight when he leans back. But smart horses learn to bite the tail and free themselves, and it can slip on a hard set-back, so always pair it with a breakaway such as baling twine.
Is the Ring Hitch the same as the Highwayman's Hitch?
Handlers use both names, plus "bank robber's knot," for this tie. Whether the two are structurally identical is genuinely unsettled — check which one your source shows.
How do I release the Ring Hitch?
Keep hold of the rope and pull the free tail. The tie collapses in sequence and the rope drops out of the ring, one-handed.
Important Notes on Safety
Never put your whole hand or any part of your body through a loop of the halter rope while you tie — fingertips only, so a horse that goes up cannot trap your hand. Do not trust this as the sole restraint for a determined or panicking animal: pair it with a breakaway (baling twine), standard equestrian practice. Keep the free tail reachable but clear of snags and mouths — a snagged tail triggers the release just as surely as your own pull.
