How to Make a Cowboy Rope

Cut the raw hide into long thin strips. The longer the strips, the more durable the resulting cowboy rope will be. Carefully cut the raw hide in long even sections, making sure to cut in as straight a line as possible.

Soak the raw hide strips in water, and then stretch them over a block. Pull the strips as tight as possible and tie them off. This will help to maintain their shape. Leave the strips to dry for a couple of days.

Braid the strips as tightly as possible to make a tight rope. Use the standard braiding technique of interlacing each separate piece around each other. Continue braiding until you have reached the end of the raw hide strips.

Bury the completed rope in the ground. Leave it buried for approximately 2 weeks to allow it to soften. Dig up the rope after the 2 weeks have passed and stretch the rope over a block tightly. Use heavy weights tied to the ends of the rope to help stretch it tight .

Remove the hair off the cowboy rope with sandpaper. Make sure to sandpaper the entire surface area of the rope.

Oil the cowboy rope thoroughly with mutton tallow. Again, cover the entire surface area of the rope.

Tie an eye loop, or Honda, at one end of the rope. Create a loop and push the end of the rope through the loop. Tie a knot on the end of the rope to prevent the loop from becoming unraveled.

Push the other end of the rope through the eye loop and pull it through. This will form a noose or lariat.