Four-legged friends lead Airman to stable relationship

LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, AR, UNITED STATES

03.22.2018

Story by Airman 1st Class Kristine Gruwell 

19th Airlift Wing

The gate hinges creak as she shuts it behind her. Her boots, frayed from use, create a small dust cloud with every step as she walks toward her favorite part of the day. A smile erupts on her face which is matched with a greeting when Airman 1st Class Samantha Purdy, 19th Security Forces Squadron visitor center clerk, finally sees her horses for the first time after a long stressful day of work.
As a single Airman living in the base dormitories, Purdy spends most of her time with her two horses, Pistol and Runaway, at the Little Rock Air Force Base Horse Stables.
“The stables here are great for space, and I can ride anywhere on base,” Purdy said. “You get a stall and unlimited pasture for $65 a month. That’s unbeatable anywhere else.”
Every day Purdy is off work, she rides to Burger King for a snack, laughs with her friends as they brush the extra fuzz off their horses or trail rides around base listening to the birds chirp and whistle of the wing. The stables are her home away from home.
Purdy’s parents decided she could ride alone at the age of four, which raced off her lifelong love of horses. For seven years in 4-H, she competed in western games such as barrel racing and pole bending.
Horses weren’t just a 4-H project, riding horses was a way of life for the Purdy family. Whether it was work or vacation, Purdy’s family always had a reason to hop on a horse and ride.
“I always say a love for horses is born in your blood,” Purdy said. “You either like them or you don’t. Once you like horses, it’s a way of life. You can’t really get away from that.”
Purdy’s leisure time was sometimes spent horseback riding up the mountains of Washington State to camp for days at a time. She also helped her family out with cattle drives of distances of about 15 miles at a time.
Hooking her dusty boots into the stirrups almost every day of her childhood and creating memories she’d never forget, inspired Purdy to continue with her hobby after becoming an Airman.
When Purdy arrived at Little Rock Air Force Base, she knew she wanted to own horses, and the stables made that easy for her. She bought Pistol, and a few months later she bought Runaway.
Pistol and Runaway became Purdy’s outlet. The amount of stress that went away when with them could not be matched by any human.
“If I have a bad day, I don’t think about calling my friends first, I think about going to see my horses, and after calling my friend,” Purdy said.
Just like people, her horses have unique personalities. Despite Pistol’s harsh name, the white quarter horse patiently obeys Purdy during riding lessons with children, but every once and awhile she’ll get a bit of a sassy attitude.
Runaway is a thoroughbred that once was a racehorse. Some racehorses are trained using fear and Runaway was one who was. Since Purdy has had him, she dedicates his training sessions to brushing his body with the training whip showing how it’s not harmful. When he’s wearing a halter, he’ll listen to Purdy perfectly, but as soon as she takes it off, he’ll run around the pen as many times as he wants no matter how many times Purdy tells him to walk.
Two months after purchasing her first horse, Pistol, and boarding her at the stables, Purdy met a friend, and fellow horse owner, Hailey Lucas, a Little Rock Air Force Base Stables horse boarder.
Trail riding and horse training developed an inseparable friendship between the two, so they decided to start teaching riding lessons together. Currently they have one student, Bailey Davis, to whom they teach western-style and English-style riding about once a week.
Despite all the hard work, Purdy’s favorite part of teaching Bailey isn’t the techniques, it’s showing Bailey the peaceful lifestyle of a horse owner.
“I can’t explain the way horses make me feel, but I can show someone else,” Purdy said. “To watch someone else flourish on a horse and learn makes me happy. I love letting other people experience the joy of horses.”
Every Airman has their own form of resilience. Purdy’s was crafted from her home life in the form of two four-legged friends who give her the opportunity to teach others and discover friendships she otherwise would have overlooked.

• Date Taken: 03.22.2018
• Date Posted: 03.22.2018 16:08
• Story ID: 270298
• Location: LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, AR, US
• Hometown: MOSES LAKE, WA, US