06/02/2026
Today I had the opportunity to work with Ozzy in preparation for his upcoming barrel race this Thursday. His owner reached out after noticing that he wasn't performing at his usual level. She reported that he had been struggling with bending, wasn't moving as fluidly through his turns, and had been cross-firing during work.
Ozzy is a horse with a very big personality, which made this session especially interesting. He is naturally quite expressive with his mouth, so I had to pay close attention to distinguish his normal quirks from genuine release responses throughout the session.
Before beginning hands-on work, I performed a visual assessment and noticed that his right hip appeared to be sitting slightly higher than the left. This often indicates compensation patterns somewhere within the body and gave me a good starting point for understanding how he was moving.
I spent just over 90 minutes working with Ozzy. The majority of his restrictions and release responses were found on the left side of his body, which aligned closely with the concerns his owner had observed under saddle. He presented with significant tightness through both shoulders, with notable holding patterns in the left shoulder and sternum region. As work progressed, Ozzy offered several large releases, including licking, chewing, and even dramatically extending his tongue—clear signs that his nervous system was processing and releasing tension.
Additional restrictions were found throughout the left hindquarter, particularly within both the superficial and deeper gluteal muscle groups. By addressing these areas, Ozzy was able to release a substantial amount of stored tension and improve overall mobility through the hind end.
On the right side, I noted a localized area of tissue restriction above the shoulder. While working through the sternum and pectoral region, Ozzy repeatedly lifted his legs high, suggesting a significant release and increased freedom through the front end.
One of the most rewarding observations came at the end of the session. Upon reassessment, his hips appeared noticeably more level and balanced than they had at the start, indicating improved symmetry throughout his body.
Overall, Ozzy responded very well to the work. With improved mobility through his shoulders, sternum, and hindquarters, he should be better prepared to move comfortably and efficiently as he heads into his upcoming barrel race. I look forward to hearing how he feels and performs later this week.
This one keeps a professional tone while still highlighting Ozzy's unique personality and the specific changes you observed during the session.
