Do You Even Lift, Bro?

LOOK AT THIS TOPLINE, CAN YOU EVEN?! I CAN'T EVEN.

Since we started really going hardcore on the dressage, Dino has been gaining an incredible amount of strength and muscle. Barnmates have commented on the visible difference in his neck musculature and the way he carries himself, I've definitely noticed a lot of changes in how he feels under saddle, and his topline has developed so much over the past few months. With all of that growth, a few weeks ago I decided it was time to get our saddle checked out by our favorite fitter and body worker, and see what she thought about how it was fitting.

We started with making new back tracings since it had been about 10 months since the last time the fitter was out, and the results were nothing short of astonishing.

Black lines are last year's measurements, red lines are this year's!

Dino has grown SO MUCH MUSCLE! HIs ribcage sprung an incredible amount, his topline filled out, his withers developed, and he is now a certifiable BEEFCAKE!

After taking a look at our existing dressage saddle and watching Dino go, our fitter's verdict was that, thankfully, our saddle fits him okay for now. However, if he keeps on developing the way he is, it will definitely NOT be okay in a few months! And with no plans to stop training full steam ahead (I am allowed to ride during certain time slots each week to keep everyone at the barn from interacting with each other during the pandemic) Dino will definitely need a new saddle sooner rather than later.

Doing lots of this has made Wonder Pony get RIPPED! 

I've never been so excited to have to spend thousands of dollars on anything, and I'm just so proud of my Wonder Pony for continuing to exceed expectations! My next few posts will dive into the couple saddles we've tried so far as we begin the search for our Prince Charming dressage saddle. Stay tuned!