Kayla was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, where she spent time riding in multiple disciplines. She grew up with a love of all horses and disciplines. During her summers, she spent her time working on a horse and cattle ranch, leading and organizing a summer riding camp, along with general ranch and herd management. 

    

Basketball brought Kayla to the University of Victoria for her undergraduate degree, where she played for the University of Victoria Vikes basketball program while completing a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a minor in Neuropsychology. She returned home to Calgary to complete her degree in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary.

 

Dr. Dykstra has earned her CERPV (Certification in Equine Rehabilitation and Performance Horse Medicine), an advanced credential reflecting evidence-based, integrative approaches to improving equine soundness, recovery, and athletic performance. Through this program, Dr. Dystra has deepened her expertise in areas such as: 

   

• Rehabilitation protocols for injury recovery

   

• Performance optimization for sport horses

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• Pain management and mobility improvement

   

Additionally, Dr. Dykstra is certified in Equine Acupuncture (cVA), and along with her interested in equine sports medicine, her professional interests include emergency medicine and equine reproduction — her favorite time of year is foaling season! 

   

Kayla has an interest in 3-Day Eventing, participating in the sport both as a competitor and as an on-site veterinarian for shows, helping clients and horses with short term medical care. She likes spending time at home with her mini horse Chewbacca (“Chewy“), with her dogs Jac and Newt,  and with her husband Mike. When not doing horse-related activities, she also enjoys reading, baking and cake decorating.