Wagner Horse Doc
Keith L. Wagner DVM
Advanced equine evaluation and treatment for horses of all types—whether managing routine concerns or complex, performance-limiting conditions.
This site is for horse owners who want clear answers and real progress.
If your horse has ongoing issues, unexplained performance decline, repeated soreness, behavior changes, or a condition that has not improved despite treatment—you are in the right place. And even if your horse is performing well, a deeper evaluation can often uncover hidden inefficiencies, compensation patterns, or early-stage problems before they become limiting.
Where Most Veterinarians Stop—Dr. Wagner Goes Further
Many of the horses Dr. Wagner sees are not routine cases. They are the horses owners describe with phrases like:
- “We’ve tried everything.”
- “No one can seem to get to the root of it.”
- “The problem keeps coming back.”
- “Something is wrong, but no one has explained it clearly.”
These are often called non-responsive or poor performance cases. This is where Dr. Wagner’s approach is distinctly different.
But this same depth of evaluation benefits every horse — whether the issue is subtle, early, or severe.
The Core Explanation
Most treatments focus on where the problem shows up. Dr. Wagner focuses on why it keeps happening. A horse may show pain in a joint, resistance under saddle, uneven movement, stiffness, or poor performance.
But often those visible symptoms are downstream from a larger breakdown involving movement control, compensation patterns, structural imbalance, and chronic stress on the body.
Dr. Wagner’s work is built around identifying those deeper drivers so the horse can move, stabilize, and recover more normally.
How Problems Actually Develop
Imbalance → faulty movement → compensation → stress → pain → inflammation → breakdown
Dr. Wagner’s approach:
Identify dysfunction → restore movement control → reduce compensation → improve stability → better performance
What Makes This a Different Kind of Equine Appointment
1. From Routine to Complex — All Horses Welcome — Whether your horse needs a deeper evaluation, performance optimization, or help with a difficult condition, this approach applies.
2. Difficult Cases Are a Specialty — Horses with chronic, confusing, or unresolved issues are a core focus of this practice.
3. Systems-Based Evaluation — Dr. Wagner looks beyond symptoms to movement, hindquarter function, structural compensation, and whole-body patterns.
4. Event-Based Access — Owners can access care through organized regional treatment events rather than waiting for a local equivalent that may not exist.
Book Now For Upcoming Road Trips
Improving the athletic performance of your horse is accomplished with Applied Kinesiology directed Chiropractic manipulation. Proper biomechanical function supports joints and tendons reducing the risk of lameness. Along with Advance Chiropractic care supplemented with Applied Kinesiology, I also preform Acupuncture treatments to help maintain your equine athlete in balance.
Harrisburg, PA Trip
Iowa Trip
Central MO Trip--Columbia/Fulton
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A DR. WAGNER APPOINTMENT
When Dr. Wagner travels to your area, appointments are structured to provide efficient, high-quality care for multiple horses while maintaining individual attention for each case.
Upcoming Visit: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Area
Dr. Wagner will be in the Harrisburg, PA region treating approximately 30–40 horses over 2–3 days, working between two host facilities.
Appointments are coordinated in advance to ensure smooth scheduling and minimal wait times.
Before the Appointment
To help us serve you and your horse effectively:
* Pre-registration is required
* Provide:
* Horse name, age, and breed
* Current condition or reason for treatment
* Relevant medical history
* Have your horse:
* Caught and haltered
* In a safe, accessible location
* Dry and reasonably clean
If multiple horses are being treated, please have them organized in advance.
Arrival & Scheduling
* Appointments are grouped by location and time blocks
* You will receive a scheduled window, not an exact minute
* Please be ready 15–30 minutes prior to your time slot
Because multiple horses are treated in sequence, staying on schedule is critical for all participants.
During the Appointment
Each horse receives an individualized evaluation and treatment plan.
A typical visit includes:
* Brief history review
* Visual and physical assessment
* Discussion of current condition
* Administration of treatment (if appropriate)
Dr. Wagner works efficiently, but never rushes clinical judgment. Each case is handled based on the horse’s specific needs.
Treatment Approach
Dr. Wagner utilizes Traditional Western Veterinary Medicine, Holistic veterinary medicine and Integrative veterinary medicine designed to:
* Support immune system balance
* Assist recovery from chronic or unresolved conditions
* Improve overall health and performance
Treatment protocols may vary depending on:
* Condition severity
* Duration of illness
* Previous treatments
After the Appointment
You will receive:
* Post-treatment guidance (if needed)
* Expectations for response and recovery
* Recommendations for follow-up care
Some horses respond quickly, while others may require multiple treatments or a phased approach.
Group Appointment Structure
Because this is a multi-horse, multi-day visit:
* Travel costs are shared across participants
* Pricing may be adjusted based on group size
* Host facilities help coordinate logistics
If you are interested in hosting a future visit in your area, please contact us.
What Makes These Visits Unique
* High-volume experience with complex equine cases
* Focus on horses that have not responded to conventional approaches
* Efficient scheduling without sacrificing individual care
* Opportunity to participate in a coordinated treatment event
Questions?
We encourage you to reach out prior to the visit with any questions about your horse’s condition or suitability for treatment.
why work with Dr. wagner?
We offer Advance Chiropractic Care Supplemented with Applied Kinesiology and Acupuncture Treatments
Holistic veterinary medicine
Using a more universal approach, holistic veterinary medicine encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of your horse. Holistic medicine emphasizes the use of alternative therapies, such as chiropractic; food therapy; and traditional Chinese methods, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, in your horse's treatment plan. Depending on the underlying condition, many horses thrive with this type of care.
Integrative veterinary medicine with applied kinesiology
While Western and holistic approaches have their own advantages, each one tends to lack something that another can provide. Integrative veterinary medicine is the ideal blend of Western, traditional Chinese, and holistic veterinary practices. Veterinarians are finding that many ailments are best treated with a combination of these techniques.
Traditional Western Veterinary Medicine
Like most veterinarians in the United States and Europe my practice started on providing the best traditional Western veterinary medicine. While incredible advancements have been made in traditional veterinary medicine in recent years, granting your horse the opportunity for better disease treatment, pain control, and quality of life, I found that there are complimentary veterinary practices that aid in providing more comprehensive care.
Complimentary Medicine
Chiropractic Care improves joint motion thereby increasing stimulation into the nervous system to enhance the neural output to the musculoskeletal, organ and endocrine systems along with the immune response.
Typically applying force to a bone, the chiropractic adjustment delivers a force to a joint or motion unit of the spine. This adjustment therefore increases joint motion and motion input receptor activity which stimulates output nerves to the body for improved balance and performance.
As one of the five modalities of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), acupuncture has been used for thousands of years. TCVM’s philosophy is good health creates an equilibrium or balance of all of life’s processes, allowing acupuncture to be a means of trying to return the body functions back to balance or equilibrium state. Traditionally thought of as applying needles to specific points on the body, acupuncture within TCVM also encompasses use of electrical impulses, medicinal herbs, and message therapy along with diet evaluation.
Applied Kinesiology or "AK procedures" are methods of diagnosis used to enhance standard diagnostics, not replace it.
The tests are easy to perform.
The sensitivity and reproducibility with knowledgeable examiners of the tests are very good as we assess the function of the nervous system.
Since the nervous system directs healing and maintains health, evaluation and treatment of the nervous system with chiropractic manipulation or acupuncture enhances our treatment of the patient.
Breakthrough Treatments
Treatments that separate Dr. Keith Wagner DVM from the herd.
Colic
A New and Better Way to Treat Spasmodic or Gas Colic in Horses.
The first time I saw it I had to think, did I just see what I thought I saw? Within 30 seconds of a chiropractic adjustment our older Thoroughbred who’d exhibited signs of colic was standing without stress and without pain. His countenance had immediately changed. No sedative, no Banamine, no stomach tube, no mineral oil, just the initial diagnosis and then the adjustment.
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Lameness
Equine Lameness -- is it preventable?
Equine lameness is generally a failure of the musculoskeletal system of the horse. The cause of equine lameness generally falls in one of three categories: bone and/or joint conditions resulting from repetitive stress, soft tissue abnormalities or injuries, or blunt trauma. Since horses will be horses, putting bubble wrap on them in a padded stall is not an option, blunt trauma is unpredictable and unpreventable at best. However, the other two categories of equine lameness do have a preventative component to them.
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Nutrition
Nutrition: The Key to Unlocking Your Horse's Health
The horse's small intestine is 50 to 70 feet long and holds 10 to 23 gallons. Most of the nutrients (protein, some carbohydrates and fat) are digested in the small intestine. Most of the vitamins and minerals are also absorbed here. Most liquids are passed to the cecum, which is 3 to 4 feet long and holds 7 to 8 gallons. The feed choices you make for your horse play a large role in their health and well being. Blend the basic nutrients of horse feed to work with your horses' age, health requirements and activity level and you've got the perfect feed program!
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