Pasterns

So I got my mare Abby in mid-September. Keep in mind, I did not buy her with competitive barrel racing in mind. I figured I would teach her the pattern and that would be it.

However, a couple of my friends might start racing next summer and I am thinking of joining them, but I'm concerned about Abby's pasterns.

I'm pretty sure the pictures I have aren't the best for judging them, but they're all I have for right now.

Basically, I am wondering about the angle of her front pasterns for barrel racing.

Don't mind her expression in the second picture either, she was nervous about the sound of the shutter on my Nikon.

I don't see anything glaringly wrong with them. I would personally rather have them just a smidge too angled rather than too straight. If you decide to start her on the pattern and go at speed, I suggest you invest in a good pair of full support boots. That will give her a bit of added support and hopefully prevent injury.

Good support boots should help. She's gorgeous! How old?
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She's 7. I wish I could say she was that lovely golden colour now. Those pictures are from September. Winter is coming and she's got this wonderful grey ting to her now.

And what boots would you recommend?

I'm not really sure as I don't use them but look on line and check all the different uses for each boot. I did have a pair of combo boots. Again, I can't say exactly what they were for except support for a mare I had that had a bit of an over reach or club foot.
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They don't look terribly bad. I don't think she would have any real difficulty but I would suggest boots, just to be on the safe side. Professional choice makes a really nice Combo boot that covers all the bases.

Legacy boots or SMBs are both good options.
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Her pasterns seem to look okay to me too.

A good, quality pair of protective boots is a good idea for any horse doing speed events like barrels. I personally use the Professional's Choice brand sport boots on all 4 feet, along with bell boots on the front legs.

I just got a new pair of SMB 3 this summer and I loved them! They fit absolutely great. But I do also have older pairs of the SMB 2 and also the SMB combo boot. Both also good, but I do certainly like the design of the SMB 3 better.

The combo boots are good too but the only downfall of the combo boots is that the bell boots tend to wear out quicker than the boot itself.

The oldest pair of boots I have are the SMB 2 and they are at least 7 years old ... and still in near perfect condition. So if you take care of them, they will last you a long time and be a good investment.

Don't even bother with the cheapo off-brands that are only like $20 for a pair of boots. They are junk. I know this because I tried them too. They are stiff, they don't fit the contour of the leg very well, and they don't hold up near as well.

They're not awful. I've seen worse.

And I use front and back Legacy boots when I run. They support my horses really well and keep them from hurting themselves.

I found some SMB3s for the front and SMB Elites for back that I really like and they're not that badly priced. I've had the pages open on my computer forever too. Ha

I'll look around some more too. Thanks!