Cow hitch (girth hitch, lark's head)

A bight is laid around the object, and the two strands run through this bight. When you pull on both strands, the bight presses them against the object and nips them in place. The forces roughly balance each other, and nothing moves.

If the pull comes from one side only, this balance is lost. The loaded strand pulls on the bight, and the rope can creep around the object until the knot is loose or slips off. That is why the cow hitch is a knot for even loading – for example with a closed sling, where both strands always pull together.

From the front you see a bight lying across the object, with both strands coming out side by side beneath it. From the back, two sections of rope lie parallel around the object. The key difference from the clove hitch: in the cow hitch the two turns run in opposite directions, in the clove hitch in the same direction. Once you have laid the two side by side, you will hardly mix them up again.

To set it, pull evenly on both strands until the bight lies flat and snug against the object. With webbing and slings, the bight should lie neatly and without twists. If you tie it with the end instead of a bight, leave enough tail after the tuck so it does not slip out straight away.

The most common mistake is loading it on one strand only. Then it slips, and the rope chafes against the object as it does. If you need a one-sided pull, there are variants: the end is additionally tucked through the bight or secured with a stopper knot. Their names vary – what matters is that the end can no longer slide through freely.

Another point: at the nip, the cow hitch bends webbing and slings quite sharply. With thin cord and tape, wear can occur there. Specific rules for slings in climbing are taught in courses and are not replaced by this page.

The cow hitch is perfect for anything hanging from a closed loop: a luggage tag on a handle, a lanyard on an eyelet, a loop of accessory cord on a ring. You can also put a line on a branch quickly without needing the end – as long as both strands are loaded equally, for example when hanging something.

It is the wrong choice when a single rope end is under tension, such as a guyline. There a secured clove hitch, a round turn and two half hitches, or a bowline are more reliable. For securing people: life-safety use only after proper training with certified equipment.

Take a loop of cord and a pen or chair leg. Tie the cow hitch and pull on both strands – it holds. Then pull on one strand only and watch the rope start to creep. This little test shows you better than any explanation what the knot is made for.

Then tie a clove hitch next to it and compare the backs. Also practise the version tied with the end, because you cannot always get at a bight. If you know both forms, you can use it quickly anywhere.