Dr. Nolan grew up in northern Virginia. His love of horses began as a young teenager when he purchased his first horse to train and compete in endurance and competitive trail rides. As a high school student, he became interested in a career in Farriery. After high school he attended the North Texas Horseshoeing Institute and began a business in northern Virginia and the Blacksburg area while studying at Virginia Tech. Dr. Nolan was a practicing farrier for over nine years before starting his career in veterinary medicine. He has enjoyed and valued the skills and principles of horseshoeing, while integrating this knowledge with veterinary medicine.
Dr. Nolan earned his doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the Virginia – Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. His career in equine practice began with an internship at an equine referral center, Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center, in Los Olivos, California. There, he trained with specialists in the fields of lameness, diagnostic imaging, surgery and internal medicine. He went on to work at the Delaware Equine Center in Cochranville, Pennsylvania. His training in sports medicine continued under the supervision of specialists in lameness, surgery and internal medicine. In 1993, he returned to Virginia to work at the Middleburg Equine Clinic.
Dr. Nolan has been caring for international and national level equine athletes for over 25 years. He founded The Piedmont Equine Practice, Inc. in 1996. In 1998, he became certified in Veterinary Chiropractic Medicine through the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association. He is an active member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, Florida Association of Equine Practitioners, and the International Society of Equine Locomotor Pathology. His areas of special interest include sports medicine, lameness, diagnostic imaging and chiropractic medicine. Dr Nolan has a strong interest in business and practice management and represents the practice as a member in Veterinary Study Groups Veterinary Management Group 7 where he serves as Executive Chairman. Dr. Nolan is passionate about continuing his veterinary education and attends 3-4 Continuing Education conferences annually.
John and Renée met in Veterinary school and married in 1990. Renée practices small animal medicine at The Small Animal Clinic at Piedmont Equine. They have two sons, Sam and Abe who are both students at the University of Virginia. They live on a small farm in Fauquier County where they enjoy gardening and the outdoor activities that abound in our beautiful piece of heaven.
