Cowtail
A cowtail (English for cow tail, sometimes also called lunge) the term for a safety line.
Canoeing
The cowtail is a short safety line that is used when whitewater paddling on a chest strap of a life jacket to rescue or rescue a canoeist or his boat. In contrast to a D-ring , it usually has a round ring and is used with a kayak carabiner . Special carabiners allow the paddle to be attached to the boat. It is elastic for strain relief . In addition to rescuing a lifeless swimming canoeist, it can also be used to quickly latch yourself into a rope. You always need a device with an emergency release for the cowtail and must never hang it in firmly.
Speleology (speleology)
When exploring caves , the cowtail is a short safety line on the Speleo climbing harness. It is attached to the central link of the belt and usually has two ends of different lengths to which snap hooks are attached. The leash is used for self-belaying on rock hooks or for single rope technique . In contrast to canoeing, no emergency release is used here, as there is usually no risk of drowning and the safe connection between cave explorer and anchor point must be guaranteed.