Dr. Natalie Heitz, Equine Veterinarian

Dr. Natalie Heitz is an Associate Veterinarian at Northrup Equine Veterinary Care, where she specializes in treating horses. Her usually starts in the early morning at the racetrack followed by afternoons of farm calls. She may also visit race tracks during the racing season.  

Dr. Heitz was interested in horses and being a veterinarian at a young age.

“Since I could walk, I attended thoroughbred horse races at Churchill Downs with my family,” she said. “I remember as a little kid sitting by the rail watching horses speed by us. I also had big aspirations of being a veterinarian. Therefore I decided to become an Equine Veterinarian to take care of equine athletes.” 

 Her path to becoming a veterinarian was shaped by her college education. She first attended the University of Kentucky for her basic education in pre-veterinary medicine and then went on to graduate from Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

After college, Dr. Heitz went on to study and graduate from the prestigious Godolphin Flying Start program, where she worked with the world famous Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky for two and a half years before working at Northup in Louisville.  

“I never stop learning or gaining new skills,” Dr. Heitz said. “As a veterinarian, there are many technical skills I have learned in school and in the field under the guidance of my mentors. And there are many life skills that I use on a daily basis in my job, but the most important are: effective communication, problem solving, organization, and motivation.” 

Dr. Heitz also said that the people she has met and the places she has traveled are her favorite parts of her job.               

What advice would she give to young people who want to become a veterinarian?

“Work hard everyday, find a mentor, always have a smile, be resilient, be open and willing to learn, listen, and have a support system when the road gets rocky.”