Feasibility of taking your horse to Uni

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Love

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I have a place at Worcester University in september (to do Physical Education and Human Biology) and have obviously got to contemplate what to do with Kenny the connie!

Obviously there are the 2 obvious options of selling him or loaning him out whilst im away. Whilst selling would be the easiest (she says) there is always the thought of "where could he end up?" and with loaning the loaners could turn round and say they dont want him any more, or i find they are having problems in the middle of the term and im stuck with what to do!

So ive been thinking about the feasibility of taking him with me....

He is a rising 6yo connemara and a very good doer so would be more than fine living out so if i could find some grass livery near by? I've heard Worcester is a lovely place for horses.

Basically just after any advice or anyone that has been there and done that and to tell me what they think.

Meat feast pizza on offer! :D
 
I kept mine when I was at queen Mary. She went on loan during my study abroad (to a riding school which was very successful). I lived at home and she was on DIY. I had a car. I worked A LOT to supplement my loan - you can't view yourself as a full time student, it has to be something you do alongside the jobs and horse. If you are organised, very good at time management and budgeting and determined it is perfectly possible. My friend had two horses and we both got firsts while keeping our horses fit. I also self funded a full time MA with no loans or anything and did a PGCE with the horse. If that's what you want to do, go for it and good luck :)
 
unbalanced said:
I kept mine when I was at queen Mary. She went on loan during my study abroad (to a riding school which was very successful). I lived at home and she was on DIY. I had a car. I worked A LOT to supplement my loan - you can't view yourself as a full time student, it has to be something you do alongside the jobs and horse. If you are organised, very good at time management and budgeting and determined it is perfectly possible. My friend had two horses and we both got firsts while keeping our horses fit. I also self funded a full time MA with no loans or anything and did a PGCE with the horse. If that's what you want to do, go for it and good luck :)
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Thank you for your reply, thats really great to hear! just trying to find out as much as i can before deciding anything :)
 
I currently have my horse with me at Aberystwyth Uni, we are lucky as there is a yard that takes DIY's on campus, which is about a 2 minute drive from halls, I have so far found that I have a lot of time to do Taz in between lectures and studying, as well as occasionally going out, I however didn't have to pay rent as I had money in my savings which made things easier, but alot of the girls at the yard manage rent, horse, food, sociallising on the same or smaller amount of loans and bursary than I get, it is definately something that can be done, but time management has to be improved especially in winter, as the yard I have my horse on, they have to be in before its pitch black, which some days means leaving in if im in lectures till 5, or going up to the yard at lunch time.
 
It was a good few years ago now but I took my horse with me when I did law at Warwick University. I kept him on DIY at a big yard and worked there at weekends to pay for his keep and ended up teaching most evenings and all weekend. It was pretty lucky really as my teaching money paid for my accom etc.
the only problem was I didn't have transport so I couldn't take him home in the holidays so I stayed at Uni during the short holidays and took my horse home for the long summer holidays.
I managed to keep quiet about having a horse for the first two terms and just told people I worked at the stables but once people found out they were fine about it.
 
I am at uni now and bought my horse while I was here! I am however a mature-ish student in my twenties, so I'm a bit over the partying aspect of life now, settled with a partner and keep my horse (and companion pony) on rented land which I have got pretty lucky with, rent and hay costs have been pretty low.

It's the money you would really need to think about, but you could get a sharer and there are lots of ways to cut costs.

Time wise you may find it more difficult! Depends how much you want to throw yourself into uni life.
 
Many moons ago, I did both a loan and then took my Connie X with me to Uni.

Leeds didn't have great options for livery, so I put him on loan. I agonised about it and was worried about not being able to check on him regularly, while I was away. I was lucky enough to find an amazing girl who loved him to bits and treated him like royalty. I had a really positive feeling about her from the start, but I put a good loan agreement in place anyway. It was strange coming back in the holidays and seeing him, but not being able to ride. I'm sure she wouldn't have minded, but I took the view that he was hers for the duration of the agreement.

I worked like mad while I was at Leeds and in the holidays, so that when I went to Aberystwyth, I could afford to take him with me. It was hard to fit everything in, especially around exam time, but riding was a great way to unwind from the stress of studying.

Both worked for me, but I would say that you have to be really sure about who you loan to. Plan what you would do if the loaner decided to end the loan early, especially if you are moving a distance from home to go to Uni.

The old boy is still with me 20 years later and I'm so glad that I didn't sell him.
 
I didn't have a horse at that time when I was at Queen Mary (East London), but found a share and that worked pretty well for me. If you did decide to sell/loan him, you should be able to find something to ride pretty easily.

The time aspect of it is easier for students, I think, than those in full-time work - generally you do get the odd half-day and couple of hours free when you can ride. The finances are of course harder.

I now have a horse who is out on loan to a girl who is thinking of taking him with her. She is considering making the work/ time aspect a bit easier on herself, as well as getting a bit of financial input, by finding a share once she is there. Would you contemplate that?
 
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