In the United Kingdom, Carl Bettison says the Thoroughbred industry for a number of years has recognized the leading trainer, jockey and horses in different categories for age, gender and racing distance. The owner of Stromshol, a farrier supply house, which is the exclusive United Kingdom distributor of Kerckhaert shoes and the manufacturer of Gibbins aprons in Milton Keynes, England, Bettison decided it also would be a good idea to recognize farriers who work behind the scenes in the racing industry.

The result was the introduction of the Kings Plate Competition, which is open to British farriers who shoe with Kerckhaert racing plates. The program recognizes farriers in several categories:

• Fastest 50. This category recognizes the farrier who is the first to plate 50 winners during the flat racing season on all surfaces in England, Scotland, Wales and overseas tracks.
• Fabulous 50. This category recognizes farriers who manage to plate 50 winners during the flat racing season on all track surfaces.
• 50. This category recognizes the farrier who plates the most winners from a stable having less than 50 horses in training.
• 100. This honors the farrier who plates the most winners from a racing stable with more than 50 horses in training.

Bettison says each qualifying farrier receives a bottle of Moet Champagne. For 2014, the winner with the most total points will also receive an expense-paid trip to the 12th annual International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati from Feb. 3 to 6, 2015.

Bettison also recently opened the Stromshol…