Amy Winchester, D.C.

Bakersfield! I will be there this Thursday March 14 with room for 4 more horses. I can also stop along 99 between there and Clovis mid-day if anyone else needs anyone seen. Please text me by Tuesday to get on the schedule! (559)250-5116

A little PSA for everyone since this seems to be a theme lately, one I feel pretty strongly about.
Lately, I’ve heard a lot of people are using “chiropractors” for their animals with no schooling or certification. Would you expect to go to a “veterinarian” with no schooling? I think not!
Certifications and licensing does a multitude of things:
1. It teaches! (Duh right?) Why does a chiropractor DO what they do? Why did you move the animal that way? What are we looking for? Does this issue need to be assessed by a veterinarian? If there isn’t schooling, how is someone supposed to know the how or why of chiropractic?
2. It creates accountability. You cannot get a license or certification without schooling and passing the proper tests. You cannot maintain licensing without continuing education. And you CANNOT get malpractice insurance without any of the above! If your friend the “chiropractor” who watched a YouTube video once tries something with your horse and hurts that horse, you have nothing to fall back on. They have no malpractice to cover expenses. It’s like getting into a car accident with someone that doesn’t have car insurance. You become the liable party but did nothing wrong (aside from trusting the wrong person). If a certified animal chiropractor hurts your animal (pretty rare because they have the proper schooling), they have malpractice insurance to turn it into to help cover expenses.
3. They will have professionals to refer to in the very likely scenario that chiropractic is not the answer to your animal’s problems. Do you need a different farrier? A dentist? A different veterinarian? A nutritionist? A chiropractor will be able to help you in the right direction. They will be able to talk to all of these professionals to give the most well rounded care for your animal. At the end of the day, it’s about the health of the animal after all!
So how do you find the right fit? Someone that is licensed and certified?
1. Ask!!! Any animal chiropractor will tell you about the process. I spent 4 years getting my Bachelors of Science before heading off to 3.5 year of chiropractic school to get my Doctor of Chiropractic (for people). Before ANY animal chiropractor can graduate from animal chiropractic school, they have to be a doctor first (veterinarian or chiropractor for people). That comes out to 8 years (minimum) of college just to be able to take the test to become an animal chiropractor.
2. Get referrals from professionals! If an animal chiropractor is good at their job, there will be other professionals that will refer; whether it’s a veterinarian, farrier, dentist, nutritionist, or trainer.
3. Check the web! Animal chiropractors have to keep up the certifications through continuing education. Certified animal chiropractors in the US have two different associations to certify. Some chiropractors are certified in both, but most are certified in one. The American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (animalchiropractic.org) and International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (ivca.de) (which I am a member of) both have a “find a doctor” tab so you can find a certified animal chiropractor in your area.
Guys! Do your research! Save your money for someone that actually knows what they are doing! Certified animal chiropractors are sometimes hard to find, but worth the wait! Get on a schedule and stay on it when you find the right one!

Big things are in the works! (As if I wasn't busy enough working, returning calls, trying to plan my own wedding, and maintain a social life.) Cold laser is coming to Sport & Spur Chiropractic for both people and animals.Starting next week, we will be able to offer cold laser therapy for you and your four-legged family! I've been wanting to do this for awhile but hadn't made the jump. I'll have a higher powered cold laser with me to treat as well as 3 lower power lasers to rent out. Contact me to add this to your visit!

Busy season is upon us!

April is by far my busiest month of the year. Between foaling mares that are uncomfortable in their body or have had difficulty foaling, people legging up their horses after months off, rodeo season in California, breeding stallions, not to mention injuries from this terrible mud and rain; my schedule will fill up! I’ve done what I can to forewarn everyone to schedule ahead of time, but if you were on the fence about getting your horse on my schedule, don’t wait! I can only see up to 13 horses in a day before my body is tapped out. I don’t work weekends, as they are used for my body to recharge and spend time with friends and family. I’ll give you my 100% M-F!

My team and I work hard to stay on schedule throughout our day and help as many horses as possible. PLEASE have your horses caught and ready at your appointment time, unless I’ve contacted you telling you about a change in plans.

As always, to book or communicate in any way, please text (preferred)/call/email. I check my texts constantly throughout the work day and can get back to you usually within an hour. Calls and emails are usually returned at the end of the day. I don’t respond to comments or messages on social media as I have my notifications silenced. (Can’t keep up with everything and still give your animals my all!)

Remember, there are no emergencies in chiropractic. I don’t keep emergency slots available. If your animal is hurt, they should go to the vet first anyways! So let’s plan ahead! If you’re on the fence about getting your animal adjusted, text me NOW before it’s an issue!

(559)250-5116
Dr.Amy.Wi******[email protected]

Guess who has room in their schedule this month for new patients?! Me! I only have a few and I will list the times below! Text/call/email me to get on my books! It’s not often that I can accept new patients (people)!
March 28: 2:00pm, 3:00pm
There are 2 slots available to book before I close my books again for awhile. Please don’t respond to this post as I will not see it. Text/call/email only!
(559)250-5116
Dr.Amy.Wi******[email protected]

Bakersfield! I Have openings for Feb 8 in the area around Pensingers. Please text me asap if you would like your horse(s) seen!
(559)250-5116

The year is almost at an end! I have NO openings for people left this year and will not be accepting new people patients for at least the next few months. I have some spaces open for horses for the rest of the year and will list below. An email will be going out to my existing patients, but a $5 increase on mobile large animal appointments will go into affect on Jan 1. Initial $140 and follow ups $120 to keep up with our gas prices. A transaction fee of $5 will continue to be in affect for any payment method that is not cash or check. Also, if your check bounces, I will no longer accept it as a payment method and will implement a $15 return check fee. All open balances will need to be paid before a future appointment can be scheduled. Here are the openings for the rest of the year for animals:
Dec 15: Squaw Valley/Sanger
Dec 16: Coarsegold (limited to a few more spots)
Dec 19: Clovis
Anyone else wanting to get in before the end of the year will have to trailer to these places for their animal to be seen. As always, please text or call my cell phone to schedule. I do not respond to facebook messenger (aside from the few automated responses in place). I do my best to get back to emails, but those sometimes get lost in my spam folder. I will almost always get back to a text within a few hours if it is during working hours and usually can't get back to calls until the end of the day. I will be taking some much needed R & R from Christmas to New Years, so please plan accordingly!
Merry Christmas!
Dr. Amy
(559)250-5116
[email protected]

Happy NFR week everyone! I’ll be unavailable Friday, Saturday, and most of Sunday this week (Dec 2-4) so I can go see the bright lights of Vegas overtaken by all of the cowboy hats. I’ll also be unavailable the week between Christmas and New Years for some much needed R and R!
I am no longer accepting any human patients at this time. Please do not book a new patient online as I have disabled this feature.
Existing human patients: I have availability for 17 more appointments for this entire month and that will dwindle after I see people today. If you are going to book, please do so immediately online.
I do have some availability for horses this month listed below:
Dec 12: Lemoore in the morning (just a few horses)
Dec 14: Three Rivers (just a few horses)
Dec 15: Squaw Valley
Dec 16: Coarsegold (just a few horses)
Dec 19: Fresno
Dec 21: Open
Dec 22: Visalia/ Exeter/Tulare
Dec 23: emergency/ haul-ins to Clovis/ Fresno
As always please send me a text, call, or email to book your animal. Existing human patients can text or book online.
(559)250-5116
Dr.Amy. Wi******[email protected]

I have some availability next week!
Nov 14: Sanger/Clovis/Fresno up to 10 horses
Nov 16: Madera/Chowchilla/Merced up to 6 horses
Nov 17: Hanford/Lemoore up to 4 horses in the morning
Please shoot me a text if you want to add to the day! I am making my schedule for next week in the next 24 hours!
I will be out of town the week of Thanksgiving and will not be seeing any patients. Please plan accordingly!
(559)250-5116

Please follow my business page for updates and contact me via my cell phone.

Keeping you & your four-legged family well adjusted Mobile chiropractic in the Central Valley Temporarily accepting new human patients. **Below link for established human patients

I’ll be returning communication this afternoon. Please follow my page below for any news as I update it frequently.

Please go like my business page! Updates can now be found on the business page.

Wonder Valley and Squaw Valley on the 21st. There are still a few openings. Shoot me a text if you need a horse seen! (559) 250-5116

Last day to book for this deal!

You won’t get a better deal than this! I have several openings the month of December! Book this weekend!
(559)250-5116

You won’t get a better deal than this! I have several openings the month of December! Book this weekend!
(559)250-5116

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Your Horse

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Your Horse - Seriously Equestrian Chiropractic care for your horse, also known as equine chiropractic, is an important part of overall equine health. Chiropractic care for horses is similar to chiropractic care for humans, in that it helps to strengthen and repair the relationship between the body’s structure – particularly […...

I'm excited to announce the creation of Sport & Spur Chiropractic! It has been a long time coming! I will be offering mobile chiropractic services to people and their furry family, large and small. Please visit the new website for more details. https://sportandspur.com

I will be in Madera on Nov 2 with some availability. Please message, call/text if you would like your horse seen.
(559) 250-5116

Amy Wi******er, D.C. updated their website address.

A Supercomputer Analyzed Covid-19 — and an Interesting New Theory Has Emerged A closer look at the Bradykinin hypothesis

I’ll be in Visalia/Tulare area on September 11 with several spots open and Bakersfield on September 14 with very limited availability. Please let me know if your horse needs to be adjusted! (559) 250-5116

Chiropractic care can help with many ailments and is being sought more often now that the research can prove its efficacy. Here are some of the risks and benefits!

Signs You Should See a Chiropractor Back pain, neck discomfort and headaches could be reasons to seek chiropractic care.

What a week! These dogs get it.

“WHY is my horse out?” Let’s list the ways he could be out and start the detective work!

WHY IS MY HORSE SORE?

This is a question I get asked a lot, especially when there seems to be no particular or outstanding reason why. As a therapist I always look at a horse holistically and not just the affected area to try to uncover the issue or issues that could be causing the soreness.

I have found in most cases of muscle soreness unless it is a trauma, injury or paddock slip, bad saddle fit etc that has happened, that it is usually a combination of a few things that causes muscle soreness and not just one individual thing.

Like an onion with layers, one thing will build on another and it can sometimes be a process to strip everything back and get to the core again.

Every single horse will have the first issue I have listed below, then add another 2 or 3 of the other problems mentioned to the scenario or maybe even more and you start to get the picture that something in the body is going to get sore or uncomfortable eventually.

Some of these issues may only be very small or subtle or not much of problem if isolated on their own but start to add a few of these little things together and we start to create bigger problems unfortunately. We need to take all these into consideration when we are trying to determine why your horse is muscle sore with no glaringly obvious cause.

Every athlete will have some level of soreness but it is how we manage it and look at every other aspect mentioned below to make sure our horses are as comfortable, healthy and sound as possible to give them a long and happy riding life.

Have a read to see how many of the things could be affecting your horse if he is often sore or use this as a guide to help you if your horse becomes sore in the future.

1. Natural Asymmetry - every horse has this issue, full stop, no horse is balanced evenly over all 4 legs. Some are obviously more so than others but here is our very first base layer of things starting to happen in the body from day one creating tension and compensations. This will eventually start to show up at some stage in their life if not addressed with correct inhand and gymnastic/ridden training to supple and train the left and right sides of the body as evenly as possible.

2. Feet - unbalanced feet cause so many issues and strain through the body, please find yourself a good and knowledgeable farrier who is happy to discuss with you what is going on with your horses feet and give you a plan of how to get them back on track if things aren’t correct. Also find one who is happy to work with other equine professionals that care for your horse so everyone is on the same page and heading in the right direction for your horse.

I can’t stress enough how much your horses hooves affect it’s entire body and please get them done regularly!

Go out and really have a good look at your horses feet and find yourself a picture of a correctly aligned foot and compare, best thing you can do for yourself and your horse is to educate yourself on this subject.

3. Tack - ensure that every piece of gear or equipment you place on your horse fits it well, ill fitting saddles, bits, bridles, girths can do untold damage and stop your horses from performing correctly. Don’t use gadgets that hold and compress your horses head and neck in and make it hollow through the back and make the hind legs trail out behind. Get your saddles checked and fitted throughout the year and don’t assume one saddle fits all your horses, sadly they normally don’t.

4. Rider Skills and Imbalance - not every rider has the same skill set or level of knowledge which is totally fine, but please understand if you don’t have basic dressage training and are not schooling your horse to change these imbalances that you are riding a crooked and uneven horse and will not be showing it how to balance itself better so you will be increasing the chances of muscle soreness and possible strain or injury due to every horse having Issue number 1.

If you wish to help your horse become more balanced find a good dressage coach that is all about the horses wellbeing and has a methodical, step by step, building block approach to help you train your horse correctly.

We are also not symmetrical and have our own body issues and may lack core strength so our weight upon our horses back affects our horses way of going also, so try to be as fit as you can be and get yourself looked at every now and then too.

5. Diet - what a horse is or isn’t fed can affect their muscles, temperament and health. There are too many issues to discuss here, but things like grass affected horses, weight issues being over or under weight, lack of certain minerals or vitamins, can all affect our horses wellbeing and performance very much. Ensure your horse has a balanced diet with a good vitamin and mineral supplement, salt and good roughage available 24/7. Even foals need good nutrition from the day they are born, provide them a quality vitamin and mineral mix as they grow up to ensure healthy development and strong bones.

6. Conformation - some horses have various conformational issues that will affect their way of going and this will in turn affect their muscles, such a being croup high so the forehand is loaded even more than it should be putting extra strain through the front end muscles or a turned in hoof that puts strain on that side of the leg and shoulder more than the other.

7. Posture - some horses that are not ridden in a way that engages their core muscles can be slumped or hanging down between their scapula/shoulders and then will not use their back correctly. If your horses goes around with its head up in the air or flexed off this will become its normal way of going and bad posture creates sores muscles and loss of top line. Even if you are not inclined to do dressage training there are many exercises you can do from the ground to help improve posture and muscle soreness such a carrot stretches, tummy lifts and leg stretches to improve things for your horse.

8. Age - older horses can stiffen up more than younger horses and may need more time to warm up when ridden or may need to start on a joint supplement or injection to help them feel better and loosen them up. A stiff horse will restrict and contract it muscles creating soreness and become shorter striding or more shuffling in its movement.

9. Fitness Level - we can sometimes ask too much of our horses which contributes to causing sore muscles. If they have been out of work for a while we need to slowly build up muscle strength and cardio fitness again over a number of weeks. We can sometimes ride for a bit longer than we planned or teach new exercises or movements that use different muscle groups or over do the same thing. Young horses are also very weak and get muscle sore easily, riding on a softer surface than usual or on hilly terrain if they not used to it can all cause muscle soreness too.

10. Living Environment - conditions that horses live in can severely affect their muscles and general wellbeing. Your horse may be living on very uneven ground, or be on a steep slope or in muddy, slippery paddocks that will all have an bearing on his body and how it functions. Also if they are in a herd what is the pecking order, is he being bullied or a bully, again this can cause stress, tension and soreness. Are they a fence walker or running around a lot, these things can and do have an impact.

It is not always possible to move your horse or change things especially if you are agisted but do have empathy for how your horse is in his living quarters as that is where they spend the majority of their time and try to make it as stress free and comfortable as possible for them.

11. Regular bodywork - if you haven’t had your horse treated by a professional bodyworker of any modality then it is truly worthwhile to start as they can identify issues and help to release muscle soreness and give you advice and a program to follow between visits to assist with keeping your horse maintained. Find a good qualified bodyworker who is willing to work alongside your vet, farrier and other bodyworkers you may use to have your horses best interest as their top priority.

Look for someone who will tell you what they are doing as they treat your horse and explain what they are looking for or finding so you understand what is going on with your horse, don’t accept someone that turns up and just says “yep he’s out” and then only spend five minutes or so there and don’t even assess your horse properly, explain what was wrong or what they did, they are not doing either of you any favours.

12. Underlying issues - if you still have ongoing muscle soreness issues and have looked at each of the above mentioned topics and feel that they are not the main cause and that there could be more going on then please don’t hesitate to call your vet for an examination of your horse.

Things like ulcers, sacroiliac issues, arthritis, pssm and overdue teeth also cause muscle soreness in horses and no amount of bodywork, correct riding or training will be enough to ease the discomfort until it is addressed.

I hope this helps you to understand the many factors involved that could be causing muscle soreness and that it takes a team of committed professionals and owners to all work together to get your horse back to optimum performance and comfort. 🥰🐴👍

What is it that causes that 💥POP💥?

Ever wondered what causes the popping sound when you’re joints are manipulated? Boyle’s law tells us that volume and pressure have an inverse relationship. When the joint is stretched, the volume within the joint increases leading to a decrease in pressure. This allows some of the gas that’s in the joint to come out of solution, much like opening a soda bottle. This release of gas bubbles is what causes the popping sound!

Interesting read on the importance of nervous system health in the healing of the body.