Getting "Outtaline" with Animal Therapy

WORDS BY BRUCE DERKSEN

Tucked away in Central Alberta, Canada, virtually invisible from physical view and advertised strictly by word of mouth is a smallbut thriving animal therapy facility known as OuttaLine Equine & Bovine Therapy Practice.Established in the summer of 2017 and run solely by seventh-generation rancher Kate Fullerton,it offers new and repeat customers throughout the province of Alberta everything from massage therapy and applied kinesiology to energy balancing techniques and essential oils.

Kate’s journey to Blackfalds, Alberta, followed a meandering path throughout North America, connecting scattered locations and varied institutions of learning. Growing up on her family’s 270-head Black Angus ranch in Pincher Creek, Alberta, she first traveled to Lakeland College in Vermillion in 2008, where she received her Associates of Livestock Production, then ventured south to Texas A & M University, earning her Bachelor of Agricultural Communications and Journalism. From there it was off to Vernon, British Columbia, to study at the B.C. College of Equine Sport Therapy, finally landing in Blackfalds, where she founded OuttaLine Equine & Bovine Therapy Practice.

Her first breakthrough came with Two Bit Bucking Bulls out of Magrath, Alberta. “I got asked to work on a PBR bull that was having some issues and that kind of led me down the path of focusing more on the cattle side of the business rather than the horse side.” Working with this bucking bull gradually led her to working with show cattle and commercial livestock as well. “Right now, I think it’s split between the bucking bulls and show cattle with cattle at roughly 75 percent,” she said. “I just sort of focus my business on that side now. It’s where my passion is. I followed my love of cows.”

Kate's patient, Happy Camper of Two Bit Bucking Bulls, faces Australia's Troy Wilkinson at the 2017 PBR Global Cup in Edmonton, Alberta at Rogers Place. Happy Camper was the PBR Canada Bull of the Year in 2018.

Photo: Andy Watson/BullStockMedia.com

Fullerton works with cattle and horses with show cattle and bucking bulls making up 75% of her practice.

Photo: Jamie Casebeer/JIC Photography

“I grew up on a ranch, so the passion for cattle has always been extremely important to me,” said Kate. In Vermillion and Texas, she studied animal husbandry, artificial insemination, anatomy and understanding cattle as a species, and after returning home she recognized that the task of taking care of her family’s horses and livestock was being outsourced to others in the industry. With the goal of eventually taking on this responsibility, she continued her education in B.C. Soon, she was working on her family’s and neighbours’ animals as a sideline, which gave her some added income. It was then she landed her present Monday-to-Friday, 9-5 job with one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies but continued to practice animal therapy in her spare time. “I always knew I wanted to work in the agricultural industry, so this worked well.”

Kate stressed that if she sees an animal with an issue beyond what she knows she can fix, she recommends the owner has a veterinarian check it out first, especially if she suspects there could be serious problems. While she doesn’t work hand in hand with the veterinarians, she will point owners in their direction if needed and won’t work on more serious cases until the animal has been cleared or diagnosed by a vet.

Photo: Jamie Casebeer/JIC Photography

Her long list of varied services, delivered almost entirely through house calls, includes massage, chiropractic treatments, equine kinesiology, natural, nutritional, structural and cranial assessments and balances, herbal remedies, essential oils, principles of movement, energy balancing techniques, acupressure and magnets. Each session differs and ranges in length from as short as 15 minutes to upwards of an hour and a half, depending on the animal and what its needs are. Some injuries and ailments are quick to address and bring relief, while others cannot be fixed with only a single treatment.

Typically, Kate likes to use applied kinesiology with muscle testing to ascertain the problem, and from there she devises a strategy for addressing the ailment. “Muscle testing is not the treatment,” said Kate. The actual process of treatment involves massage therapy, acupressure and chiropractic work along with essential oils, which some animals respond extremely well to. “It has a lot to do with energy, to be honest. I don’t use any kind of mechanical equipment,” she explained. “With the muscle testing of certain areas, I try to find what the issues are and the energy that I need to be providing moving forth with the treatment.” She reiterated that it is extremely important to know the anatomy of the animal and the specific areas that can be manipulated.

Kate admitted that treating show cattle is a newer part of the cattle market for her, having recently entered the specific field during the last six months. She counts herself lucky to have worked on some high-quality animals,assisting with everything from lameness to pinched nerves. “I worked on a bull at Farmfair that ended up having a pinched nerve while he was in the wash rack and I got that sorted outwith a lot of massage and direct pressure on his upper vertebrae.” She explained that tight muscles and pinched nerves are a considerable problem for show cattle standing in stalls. “It’s definitely an issue just because it’s not natural to stand in one spot for such a long time.”

Kate was enthusiastic in relating more individual cases and their positive results to me. One was her own herd bull who had been injured in a fight. “Before he got hurt, you would not want to walk up to him in the pasture, but it’s really amazing how animals can figure out you are there to help them and not to hurt or annoy them.” She explained that when they brought the bull in, he walked straight up to her. “His treatment included a lot of massage and direct pressure, which are two of my biggest treatments when it comes to upper cervical (vertebrae) issues. Touching his muscles was like touching cement and this was affecting his vertebrae and spine.” After three weeks of treatment, he was sound and ended up breeding and excelling that summer.

Photo: Jamie Casebeer/JIC Photography

Another bull she worked on was Happy Camper of Two Bit Bucking Bulls. He wasn’t lame but veered to one side as he walked. Through testing, she discovered muscle and cranial issues were causing the problem and over the course of a few treatments that included massage, direct pressure and essential oils she got him back to normal again. “He is a phenomenal bull. Now I work on him before his big shows and make sure he is sound and happy, feeling his best before he goes to places like the PBR World Finals in Vegas,” she said.

“It sounds kind of silly, but I find that a lot of animals have issues with headaches, especially with cases using Hot Shots. Often, I can help them using essential oils or direct pressure on their C1 or their C2 vertebrae,” she explained. One example she provided was of a bull that initially would try to hook her with his horns, but over the course of such treatments she was able to relieve his major cranial and congestion issues. “With all animals, when there is a release of pressure, tightness and pain, there will be a physical response showing this, such as yawning, tears or the smacking of lips.” She explained this bull exhibited such a release through tears, an indication of “Yes, that’s it! I feel a lot better.”

OuttaLine Equine & Bovine Therapy Practice is not yet considered mainstream by the entirety of the agricultural industry. When I asked Kate whether her practice was accepted throughout the community in general, she replied with a laugh, “Yes and no! A lot of my work is based on applied kinesiology, so muscle testing and energy work to figure out what the issues are. Some of the older producers and people in the industry have told me they did not believe in what I was doing until I worked on their animal and they saw a difference. That’s been a really reassuring feeling.”

Photo: Jamie Casebeer/JIC Photography

Due to some clients not being entirely sold on the validity of less-traditional methods, she has learned to adjust her approach with producers. If she senses an owner is open to the idea of energy work and applied kinesiology, she will happily explain and demonstrate her preferred strategy. If they are hesitant, she will stick with more traditional massage and chiropractic treatment methods. “It comes down to reading the owner and figuring out what they are open to, but most owners want to help their animals and when they feel they are at a loss, they are usually pretty accepting of anything and everything if they can get the animal feeling better and back to where it should be.”

When I asked Kate what she enjoyed most about her practice, she exclaimed, “The cattle! I love cattle. I’m one of those crazy cattle people. I have an undeniable love of the cattle industry and the producers I get to work with. Helping animals be at the top of their game, whether it’s the regular herd bull going out to breed commercial cows or it’s the next Grand Champion at Agribition or a bucking bull heading to the Calgary Stampede or the World Finals. If I can make them feel as good as they possibly can, that’s what matters to me.”

Kate’s wish is to see OuttaLine develop further in the future. “I would definitely like to be a little more involved on the show cattle side of things, so I hope that continues to grow,” she said. She intends to maintain her busy pace of life, striving to convince producers of the benefits of her practice. “I work a lot but don’t really consider it work because I love it and I can be around cattle. That’s where my passion is.” From what I’ve learned about her and sensing the energy and the bounds of this passion she displays, I have no doubt that Kate Fullerton will take OuttaLine Equine & Bovine Therapy Practice wherever she desires it to go.