Rain, rain go away...

Yes, the title is correct. It is currently raining. Sigh. But I guess it's a good thing because I'm stuck inside anyways so at least I don't feel like I'm missing out on something. I don't really feel like riding in the rain anyways, especially in July!

Jetta's had a little break since we've returned home. I hoped to ride her today, but again, rain and summer homework have gotten in the way. I'm taking two summer courses - an online Principles of Animal Nutrition, which, while I find interesting, is incredibly dense and takes a lot of time, and a self-study Third-Year French course. So, a lot of homework.

On a happier note, I won a t-shirt from Behind the Bit which made me really happy! I don't think I've won anything (as in a drawing or raffle) since I was in the eigth grade... And it fit my mood perfectly this weekend due to a little "situation". More about that later, but suffice it to say that it was very stressful and caused quite a bit of tears, so this coming week will be a wait-and-see-if-it-goes-away kind of week. This shirt encompassed exactly what I've been feeling.

My hair obscures part of it, but it reads "Horses make me happy. You, not so much." While I have to say that the majority of horse people I meet are awesome, there's the minority, that are well, not the greatest :) So thank you Stacey!

In other news, I was talking to my mom about presents. My birthday is coming up in a couple months and I always give my parents a "want list" that they pick one or two items from for my birthday and Christmas. My mom mentioned that she'd rather get stuff for me, rather than the horse. Sigh. But I don't want anything for me! Besides a new pair of breeches or two, I'm set. Instead, I'd really like a new saddle pad and breastplate for Jetta. And really, getting stuff for my horse is, by extension, really getting something for me.

I have to say that my favorite present (besides going to WEG) has to be when someone I knew gave me a completely unexpected birthday present. I knew her, but not very well, and we were both involved in horses. She ended up giving me some fancy horse shampoo, a tail wrap (because my horse at that time enjoyed rubbing his tail out for no reason), some riding socks and other horse-y related things. It was a super sweet gift because it was something I didn't specifically ask for and it was really well thought out. I mean, she had remembered that my horse rubbed his tail, so she got me a wrap, something I didn't think about, and other things that I normally wouldn't buy for myself, but were appreciated nonetheless. If you're trying to get a gift for someone horse-y, and don't have any idea what to get them, I think a lot of the time that expensive shampoo or horse treats/bran mash are a great thing because they're useful and will make you feel like you're pampering your horse which, as we all know, making your horse happy makes us happy. Also, gift cards are always good. I think I live on those the couple months after Christmas :)

In other news, the entry form for the Dressage Sport Horse Breeding (DSHB) Show is finally up! I'm trying to figure out if I really want to attend or not. It will be a one time thing because I just want to compete in Materiale and it's our last elegible year as a 5-year-old. We would also enter the Thoroughbred conformation class and the DSHB 4 year old and older maiden mare class. So it would be interesting, but I'm still a little bit wavering on the edge of trying to decide to go or not. It's a two-day show, so I could choose to ride both days, but then I'd need to bring a tent and spend the night and get a stall for Jetta. I would also have to pay the added expense of finding a braider, because I want Jetta to look great for her big debut, and my braiding skills are sadly far below par. Also, Mary Cornelius is attending to take pictures, which I really want some by her of Jetta. She was at the Youth Clinic, but she only got two pictures (plus one where I'm in the background in a truly awkward canter moment) so I really want some good ones.

When I write it all out, it seems like there are no reasons not to go! The only negatives are of course the cost (especially if I choose to do two days) and the fact that Jetta is a Thoroughbred. While I personally love her movement, there is no way that she can compete with a warmblood, so going to this show may just be setting myself up for disappointment because chances are that we may place dead last in every class. Sigh, decisions, decisions.

So yeah, those are my random thoughts for the day. I hope everyone else enjoyed a sunny day and put in a good ride with their horses!