I had a amazing childhood- I lived all over the country, went to Disney world, rode horses, played sports, had pets. Seriously picture perfect- I know I was lucky.
However my biggest memory is going to the racetrack with my grandparents in Pennsylvania. I've blogged about this many times but I think its because it's something that has stuck with me.
The racetrack we visited was Penn National- its located in south central Pennsylvania right outside of Harrisburg. Normally we would go for the day but occasionally we would vistit the track at night- those were my favorite. Night races in the summer were always more enjoyable- and at the time I loved racetrack food. My favorite part was going out to the paddock to watch the horses get saddled and the parade. I would pick horses out by how they looked, maybe I liked their color or markings, and without fail my grandparents would place a bet for me for that horse. I remember winning my fair share and even remember winning a long shot due to my methods. I loved it. As I got older I was taught how to read a program - which I can still do like a pro :) I even remember my grandparents saying one day I could be a jockey if I wanted to be- which we soon learned wasn't going to be a possibility since I'm 5'7 and way more then 112 pounds.
Nowadays horse racing isn't the sport it used to be. Drugging horses is a common practice and debates on whether or not the sport is humane is something I struggle with for due to my strong love of the animals. I still watch the big races and pick my favorite and it always brings me back to those race nights. I hope that one day the racing community will clear up its act and it will get back to how I remember it.
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