Dr. Bill Swartz knows animals! A veterinarian since the sixties, he owned small animal hospitals in McLean Virginia for 23 years and in the Herndon/Reston area for 18 years. He also works as a relief doctor in the Naples area.
Now, he is putting his knowledge and experience to good use and, as the photo shows, having fun doing it. Naples Equestrian Challenge was featured in the summer edition of the GNL Connection.
NEC serves approximately 340 individuals per year through its various programs, which include therapeutic riding for individuals with disabilities. Participants range in age from 2 to 82 years old but 82% are children under the age of 18. Disabilities include cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, ADHD, autism spectrum, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke survivors and developmental delay. Participants at NEC also include children and adults with mental illness and behavioral disorders.
Join Dr. Swartz and volunteer Charlotte Newell who says, “The horses are the reason I began; the riders are the reason I stayed!”
photos courtesy Bill Swartz