Thai Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana has been riding horses since she was 9 years old and has become a strong equestrian athlete that studied at the Royal Stable Unit. She has also become an advocate for excellence in every aspect of the equine industry.

She continues to attend horse trainings and competitions throughout Europe and has participated several times as a member of the Thai Equestrian Team. One day, she hopes to attend the Olympics. But for now, she is focused on raising awareness in Thailand for equestrian sports and the importance of proper horse care.

To do this, she has established the Princess’s Cup, Best Groom and Best Farrier contests in Thailand and hopes to continue these events in the future.

The princess says she established the Best Farrier Contest to show how equestrian riders depend on a team of people, especially farriers, to succeed and to make sure their horse is healthy and safe. She also wants to promote hoof-care knowledge and skill in the farrier industry.

“Farrier teams must know how to make both ordinary and special horseshoes,” she tells the Bangkok Post. “And they must make sure that every shoeing does no harm to and creates a better balance for horses.”

In the future, she may establish a clinic to further educate the importance of proper hoof care and maintenance of horses in addition to a mobile unit to teach and provide training on proper horse care.

“There will [also] be horse anatomy experts and people who know how to take care of horses and do proper grooming,” she says. “They must know how to not only prepare horses, but also notice the condition of horses and detect their illnesses.”