Shoulder/Pastern Angles

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Kathy L. Mayeda kathy_mayeda@atce.com
I'm not sure that the shoulder should necessarily match the pastern angles.  I was listening to the Horse Show with Rick Lamb and Cherry Hill lists this as a common old wive's tale about pastern angles.  If Beau is shod according to his shoulder angle - which is real laid back - he has a broken pastern angle and I have to fight some farriers on this issue all the time. I think that it is very common for an Arab to have the laid back shoulder and steeper pastern angles than the shoulder.

He does not have any structural leg problems (but his back is an issue!) and is a fast, agile, smooth gaited horse unless some farrier leaves too much toe on.  Then he trips and becomes stiff gaited.  Gawd, I need a good farrier badly.

Look forward to more discussion on this issue.

K.