Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Drassal-Creighton.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised on an Arabian breeding farm. My earliest memories are all horses. When I was 2 years old, I got my start riding a very naughty and brilliant Shetland pony named Penny. I was hooked from there. As I grew up, I moved on to more horses and showed in WSCA, and the Arabian horse show circuit. In 2010 my mentor gave me the courage to go off to vet tech school, then intern in Ocala FL where I also attended Animal Dynamics Equine Sports Massage Therapy. I was able to spend a few weeks learning how to massage horses and came home from my internship ready to work. I became a certified veterinary technician working at the University of MN’s large animal and equine hospital, I would work overnights as a vet tech and then go massage horses during the day. I was lucky enough to be asked to conduct some original research on the efficacy of Function Electrical Stimulation (FES), and so began my interest in what can be done both prior and after an injury to help horses maintain a happier, healthier life. So back to school, I went to learn more about equine rehab, I attended the University of Tennessee, getting certified as an equine rehabilitation practitioner, giving me more tools in my tool belt. I ended up leaving my vet tech job to manage a jumper farm, I learned a lot from this job, we traveled all over the place and I really learned to be at the top of my game to make sure the string of horses competing stayed feeling their best. It also allowed me to network with many people and eventually grow my small side hustle into a full-time hustle. Currently, I am lucky enough to not only work in my area of MN, but also travel to WI, IL, FL, and NY to help numerous clients keep their equine athletes feeling their best by utilizing my skills in massage, Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), and rehab plans.
I give a huge amount of credit for my success to my mentor, who showed me the correct path when I needed it most and always was my guiding light throughout my career. Plus, my parents were always my biggest supporters and believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I feel like my path progressed as it needed but has come with a lot of ups and downs. I think each step I took was essential in building the success that I have today. The struggles I had in the beginning came from not knowing what I was going to do in life, once my mentor set me on the right path, things seemed to work themselves out. I just kept peeling the onion to see what I truly loved and wanted to do for a living. The struggles now become good problems to have, like needing to hire an assistant because I am too busy, and having a team behind me because my social media, website and behind the scenes work is way too busy! I have learned a lot throughout the years, and I am sure there are many more lessons to learn.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My mission is to help your horse perform and feel better. I do this by working with owners to come up with specialized plans to fit their horses needs and achieve their goals. In order to fulfill my mission, I provide equine massage and functional electrical stimulation (FES). With the equine massage, I can get much deeper and provide more of a deep-tissue massage to reduce pain, break up scar tissue, relieve tension, and increase circulation. FES can be used for so many things, the basis to what it does is it uses computer-generated impulses (contraction and relaxation) which are administered through electrodes on the skin. It replicates the what the body functionally should be doing versus what it has been doing due to compensation, injury, over or underuse, and re-educates the muscle. It’s used to help with pain relief, breaking down scar tissue, improving mobility, reducing muscle tension, strengthening muscles and tendons, quickening the healing process, and decreasing rehabilitation time due to injury or surgery to name a few things.
I specialize in being the “last resort” person, typically I am the one who either gets referred to by a vet or word of mouth because the owner has literally tried everything else. I have a high success rate for turning horses around and on the right path. I love the challenge, the thinking I have to put into each case, and the payoff at the end. To see the relief on an owner’s face after dealing with an issue forever and finally getting some positive results is what I live for. The dedication to my clients is what sets me apart from the rest, I take on every case as if this horse is mine. Thank god I don’t have a farm of my own, I would have a million horses because I want to help them all.
I am most proud of my brand because it is becoming something people recognize and go to. TikTok has been an exciting part of the journey recently. I have a team of people that are behind my business who are brilliant in each of their areas. I was very hesitant to add TikTok but am so thankful for the push, I am gaining many followers daily and its shown me more areas that I can expand into that owners are really wanting. I have always loved teaching clients different ways to massage, stretch and help their horses. This platform has given me a voice and empowered owners to get out there and try the things I am teaching. I am also hearing from fellow bodyworkers who want to learn more or are wanting to get into this industry. It is my nature to help, so being asked by others to help them with their path has become another new avenue for the business I am adding.
Currently, I travel from barn to barn to provide equine massage and FES, I have also expanded to add consulting for future/present bodyworkers who want a more clear path or are just looking for new ideas. Coming out in late 2022/early 2023 will be a video series for owners on how to massage their horses. This is just the beginning, more will be coming as the business keeps expanding to what people want and need. These horses are going to be feeling their best selves before they know it.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I legit love the smell of dirt, like really love the smell.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/drassalequinebodywork.com
- Instagram: @drassalequinebodywork
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drassalequinebodywork
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUJ8cz4fJ5T5XZOoIubElw
Image Credits
Shelley Paulson Photography
RCK Images Photography, LLC
