Airman learns resilience and helps other with horses

Cross-posted from US Department of Defense
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MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan., Oct. 31, 2016 — Air Force Airman 1st Class Lauren Nolan remembers running around the woods of North Carolina trying to catch a wild horse while she was growing up in North Carolina. She had fallen in love with a flea-bitten, little and gray Arabian horse that nobody could manage to catch, except her.

Not yet tall enough to put the halter on, she said, she would put the rope around the horse’s neck and look to her dad for help.

For Nolan, a 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron materials management journeyman, this is where her passion for horses began, and that passion continues to be a blessing in her Air Force career.

Stationed here since 2015, Lauren has two horses that occupy her time: Tiz Sunshine, 4 years old, and Shoobie, 6 years old, both off-the-track thoroughbreds. She boards them in the local community and spends her off-duty time taking care of them and training them for barrel racing.

With the unique challenges military members face, from frequent moves to deployments, everybody needs a way to unwind. Spending time with the horses is Nolan’s way, and realizing how much Tiz and Shoobie help her, she is sharing this experience with others.

“Every once in a while, I’ll take airmen out to see them so they can have their little getaway,” she said. “They could come ride them, brush them or just interact with the horses to help them cope with whatever they’re dealing with.”

Nolan also brings airmen’s families out to see the horses. She specifically wants to help first-term airmen who are new to base, as well as children with deployed parents, she said.

“I take anybody out to see the horses who needs it,” she added.

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FEATURED IMAGE
Airman 1st Class Lauren Nolan, 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron materials management journeyman, poses for a photo with her horses, Tiz and Shoobie, Oct. 13, 2016, in Wichita, Kan. When Nolan moved to McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. her first duty station she had her horses shipped to the area and now boards them off-base in the local community. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Jenna K. Caldwell)