Back in November, a proud grandfather reached out to the American Farriers Journal team with a simple but heartfelt request. His granddaughter had just earned her farrier certification, and he wanted to give her a Christmas ornament to celebrate the milestone. There was only one problem — he couldn’t find a single female farrier ornament anywhere.

A quick Google search confirmed what he had discovered: every silhouette available to order featured a male farrier.

So, the American Farriers Journal team decided to change that.

With the help of our in-house design and marketing team, we created a personalized ornament featuring a female farrier to mark the occasion for this Michigan family. To make the Christmas memory even more special, we added a few additional American Farriers Journal goodies, including a hat, Scientific Horseshoeing by Prof. William Russell and “Getting Started in Hoof Care,” AFJ’s career guide.

American Farriers Journal created a keepsake for a new farrier. Image: Joanne Volkert

Just this week, the American Farriers Journal team received two thoughtful thank-you notes — one from the grandfather and one from the granddaughter — along with Christmas morning photos from the gift opening.

It’s a wonderful reminder of the impact each of us can make in small but meaningful ways.