Editing Barrel racing (section)

==Injury issues==
Commonly, [[Horse leg protection|protective boots]] are worn on the horse's front and hind legs to decrease the risk of potential injury.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theequinereport.com/2017/07/common-lameness-issues-in-barrel-racing-horses/|title=Common Lameness Issues in Barrel Racing Horses|work=  The Equine Report|last=Walker|first=Neely|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-02}}</ref> Injuries can occur when horses or riders collide with a barrel, fall on a sharp turn, or have an accident in the crowded gate area outside of the arena. Although [[equestrian helmet]]s are not traditionally worn by riders, their use is slowly increasing, particularly since one championship-level rider debuted helmet use at the 2014 [[National Finals Rodeo]].<ref name="Kovatch">{{cite web |last1=Kovatch |first1=Kristen |title=Fallon Taylor Is Taking Las Vegas… In a Helmet  |url=http://www.horsenation.com/2014/12/09/fallon-taylor-is-taking-las-vegas-in-a-helmet/ |website=Horse Nation |access-date=April 2, 2019 |date=December 9, 2014}}</ref>

The [[metacarpophalangeal joint]] is the most frequently injured area in barrel horses. Owing to the nature of the tight turns of the pattern and abrupt changes of speed, the right forelimb appears to be subjected to more stress than the left, yet in [[radiograph]]s, the left shows more abnormalities. At the [[fetlock]], the medial [[sesamoid]] bones are more likely to suffer inflammation than the lateral.  Over time, some horses develop [[osteoarthritis]]. There are few studies on lameness in barrel horses, and most only examined horses known to be lame.<ref name=Menarim>{{cite journal |last1=Menarim |first1=Bruno Carvalho |last2=Vasconcelos Machado |first2=Vânia Maria |last3=Cisneros Alvarez |first3=Luís Emiliano |last4=Carneiro |first4=Rodrigo |last5=Busch |first5=Leandro |last6=Vulcano |first6=Luiz Carlos |title=Radiographic Abnormalities in Barrel Racing Horses with Lameness Referable to the Metacarpophalangeal Joint |journal=Journal of Equine Veterinary Science |date=April 2012 |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=216–221 |doi=10.1016/j.jevs.2011.09.064|hdl=11449/14701 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>