The beginning of a new semester :)

  January 9th was the beginning of the new semester. Since the break I gained almost 20lbs :0. It was not a very good break weight wise, but my stomach was sure happy all the time :). So to get my body back into losing weight, the first week back my diet consisted of only fruit and V-8 juice, totaling about 300-450 calories a day. Not the healthiest thing to do but I decided that my body needed a period of time to clean out and reboot itself. Since then I went back on my 1300 calorie a day diet; during break it was probably 1300 calories a meal. The night before school started I couldn't sleep. I was too excited about getting back. Yes, it is a little strange not being able to sleep because of school. But jockey school is different. It's hard to explain, but I just thoroughly enjoy it. Don't get me wrong! I'd rather be able to sleep in and not have to muck out any stalls, but to me getting up early and doing all the barn work is worth it just for the little amount of riding time we have.

  The barn has dramatically changed. I am sadly no longer taking care of Gus but instead I'm taking care of a beautiful black gelding, Marble, and a bay mare, JC. The horses are not the only things that have changed; the class size took a dive. It started at 20, but by the time I came back, it was down to only 9. The class had been cut in half! Even though there is more work to get done since there are less people, for some reason we get it all done faster then we used to. I believe it's because the ones that are left aren't afraid of working hard and fast. They actually want to be there because this is there passion and dream, just like me. Since the only ones left have a great passion to be a jockey, everyone has a great mood at the barn. The people that used to mope about and bring about the infectious bad, gloomy attitude and bad work ethic have left. I'm definitely liking the new changes so far.

  All week we have been riding in the field, getting not only the horses but also our bodies back in shape before we venture back out on the track. I didn't realize how much a month off would affect me. I am no longer near as fit as I was when I left, but more riding and hard work should put me back in shape very quickly. Even though you can stay fit by working out and running, riding horses uses totally different muscles. While there are some exercises that can be done to increase the stamina in those muscles, it's not the same as riding a horse.

  I'm looking forward to the weeks and months to follow and can't wait to get back on the track. And if you haven't been to Starbucks lately to try their new blonde coffee, it is definitely worth the money :). It is a mild, smooth and sweet coffee. But if you're the type of person that likes your coffee dark and bold, it is definitely not for you. And to answer some of you Starbucks fanatics' question, yes, I was at Starbucks a little after 5:00 am for the debut of the new coffee. However the main reason why I was there that early was because I was on my way to the barn to go to school ;)