HELP!! Should I take this horse on?

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£85 saddle needs throwing in the bin I'm afraid.[/QUOTE]

while i understand that this may be correct in most situations. i would like to point out that you can pick up decent saddles for this. i know this as i am currently trying to sell my 2nd hand saddle (this is not an advert i am not selling through here) my old horse had to be pts and to be honest i dont want the saddle around the house as it upsets me too much, i paid £850 for it 8 years ago and it has been kept it good condition. my old horse had very high withers so it wont fit "normal" sized horses. all i am asking for is £50ono. call me stupid but i would rather it be gone out of sight and be useful rather than sit in the house coz no one can afford it/wrong fit. it would only upset me further.

my point is, just because it seems cheap doesnt mean it has to be s**t quality, you never know the situation behind why it is being sold. that said i would deffinatly get a saddle fitter out to check whatever saddle you chose.
 
Ok everyone is just posting the same things now.

I just want to ask is what year are you at uni and what sort of job do you want at the end (meaning how good of a degree do you need)?

Reason i ask, i am in my last year at uni and i have 4 horses. I live on a farm and commute from home each day. My horses live out 24/7 rugged in winter with decent rugs and just have the farrier when needed. Now they are not a huge drain financially however i never get time to work them which means at the moment no competing or hunting which i would love to be doing. Also when i am at home and get to hack them out it means im not working on my uni stuff. I am not going to get an amazing result and i know it.

My point is if i needed to put extra work in to get a better result then i wouldn't get time to ride at all and therefore its cost for no gain.

If you are saving from now is there anyway you will have enough to buy this horse outright therefore have no problem in the owner taking back which will lead to heartbreak. Also as he is young could he be turned away for 6 months or so on grass keep so keeping costs down, let you have time to save for decent stuff and let you still have time in the day.

You said you would get the cheapest rugs etc i would be wary of this as they can often rub, personally i only use horseware now if possible as my one pony will just sore rubs from anything else they just dont fit her well enough. You say he doesn't rip them which in my experience gives you all the more reason to spend a little more as it will last i would only buy cheap rugs for ones that trashed them.

If you want to speak anymore about how i cope with mine in uni then give me a pm.
 
Templebar said:
Ok everyone is just posting the same things now.

I just want to ask is what year are you at uni and what sort of job do you want at the end (meaning how good of a degree do you need)?

Reason i ask, i am in my last year at uni and i have 4 horses. I live on a farm and commute from home each day. My horses live out 24/7 rugged in winter with decent rugs and just have the farrier when needed. Now they are not a huge drain financially however i never get time to work them which means at the moment no competing or hunting which i would love to be doing. Also when i am at home and get to hack them out it means im not working on my uni stuff. I am not going to get an amazing result and i know it.

My point is if i needed to put extra work in to get a better result then i wouldn't get time to ride at all and therefore its cost for no gain.

If you are saving from now is there anyway you will have enough to buy this horse outright therefore have no problem in the owner taking back which will lead to heartbreak. Also as he is young could he be turned away for 6 months or so on grass keep so keeping costs down, let you have time to save for decent stuff and let you still have time in the day.

You said you would get the cheapest rugs etc i would be wary of this as they can often rub, personally i only use horseware now if possible as my one pony will just sore rubs from anything else they just dont fit her well enough. You say he doesn't rip them which in my experience gives you all the more reason to spend a little more as it will last i would only buy cheap rugs for ones that trashed them.

If you want to speak anymore about how i cope with mine in uni then give me a pm.
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To be fair, living on a farm makes a huge difference to costs - presumably you don't pay livery and are provided with cheap/free bedding and forage. Add in the fact that you don't have to travel to see to your horses impacting on time and finances and you are already quids in.

I hate to say it, but it is when people are encouraged to buy knowing that there may well be financial difficulties that the purchaser won't be able to afford and suggestions of only seeing the farrier 'when needed' (and yes I'm aware that many horses don't need six weekly trims, but most will need checking at the very least, and to suggest that you can leave a horse until you think he needs it is a recipe for neglect for the inexperienced or those wanting to cut financial corners.) Great if the horse doesn't need shoeing/trimming as often, but it should be included in the costings as essentials.
 
Kelly - It's really tough when you have something like this to decide, especially if you are attached to the horse. I don't really feel it's my position to give you direct advice, except to listen to what everyone on this forum has been through.

These are my experiences:

I did not have horses during my degree (and tbh I was so stretched for time with the activities I was involved in and of course the huge amount of studying that I had), but I know that some people manage it. I went to a good university and left with a good grade, worked hard and did not miss out by not having a horse. There are always people who need help with their horses for you to ride, but of course the long-term attraction of having one to own yourself is different.

I am now studying as a postgraduate. I do 40 hours a week + studying including being at college for 2 days a week and I have regular projects and exams. I think this is a little bit more than an undergraduate degree, but this time I have two horses to ride and look after, as well as working (only a small amount, 10 hrs a week approx). I LOVE riding and schooling and working on my two young horses, competing as much as I can, having lessons etc. I am in the fortunate position that even though I worry about the amount it costs, I have savings to cover it if something should go wrong. Time however, as much as you can love riding, can be seriously limited, and can make the work/life(horse) balance really hard and consequently make life much more stressful than it ought to be. There are also a lot of tricky things to decide and get through post-university.

I graduated 4 years ago and was completely idealistic about my job prospects, but after a year of research, 6 months of consultancy, 6 months of working in a busy law firm and two years of further study I am just about on course for a good professional position. I went to a good university and left with good results. For me, I enjoy and will enjoy horses much more when I am settled both geographically and financially. When you are studying, your time is much more flexible than when you are in full time work, but for me studying is when I am most stressed and therefore additional stresses can make things really hard and difficult to enjoy.

Good luck in deciding - the best decisions are made by taking ALL the emotion out of them and getting a clear perspective. Running horses on a shoestring is tough and university is tough and sometimes life doesn't need extra complications to stress about, they will inevitably appear just when you're not expecting them!
 
clares said:
while i understand that this may be correct in most situations. i would like to point out that you can pick up decent saddles for this. i know this as i am currently trying to sell my 2nd hand saddle (this is not an advert i am not selling through here) my old horse had to be pts and to be honest i dont want the saddle around the house as it upsets me too much, i paid £850 for it 8 years ago and it has been kept it good condition. my old horse had very high withers so it wont fit "normal" sized horses. all i am asking for is £50ono. call me stupid but i would rather it be gone out of sight and be useful rather than sit in the house coz no one can afford it/wrong fit. it would only upset me further.

my point is, just because it seems cheap doesnt mean it has to be s**t quality, you never know the situation behind why it is being sold. that said i would deffinatly get a saddle fitter out to check whatever saddle you chose.
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This is very true. There are some good older saddles around very cheap these days. I got a smashing saddle for £40 last year that just needed some new girth straps to be good as new, and it ended up being sold again as it fit a horse in for schooling that had been proving impossible to find a suitable new saddle for.
 
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Gloi said:
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while i understand that this may be correct in most situations. i would like to point out that you can pick up decent saddles for this. i know this as i am currently trying to sell my 2nd hand saddle (this is not an advert i am not selling through here) my old horse had to be pts and to be honest i dont want the saddle around the house as it upsets me too much, i paid £850 for it 8 years ago and it has been kept it good condition. my old horse had very high withers so it wont fit "normal" sized horses. all i am asking for is £50ono. call me stupid but i would rather it be gone out of sight and be useful rather than sit in the house coz no one can afford it/wrong fit. it would only upset me further.

my point is, just because it seems cheap doesnt mean it has to be s**t quality, you never know the situation behind why it is being sold. that said i would deffinatly get a saddle fitter out to check whatever saddle you chose.
Click to expand...

This is very true. There are some good older saddles around very cheap these days. I got a smashing saddle for £40 last year that just needed some new girth straps to be good as new, and it ended up being sold again as it fit a horse that had been proving impossible to find a suitable new saddle for.[/QUOTE]

Yes, you can get a very good saddle for very little money. My current DR saddle I got for swapsies with on old Wintec. However I think counting on getting a very cheap one without having the horse fitted is a different story, and you have to know you are buying good quality for a good price rather than cheap tat.
 
Shysmum said:
I just cannot see that this is a genuine post. If the OP is intelligent enough to go to Uni, why are they coming up with figures such as "£171" ? Why the extra £1 ?

Nope, it's a wind up.
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I got it slightly wrong it was actually around £174 (rounded up) and I got this figure as I looked through the discount sites such as equestrian clearance and fast tack direct to try and find the cheapest stuff.

And I'm sorry but this decision is hard enough as it is without people questioning my intelligence, all I was asking for was some advice as like I said my heart is ruling over my head and all I wanted was to know what people with experience thought about my situation.

I am very grateful for all the advice that has been given and I thank those who have given it but if you do not think the post is genuine, I don't see why you bothered commenting.
 
Hi, I am in a really similar situation to you- horseless and at university. I'm not sure what year of your degree you're in, but I'm now in my final year, and the workload has really stepped up this year. I know that I wouldn't have time to give a horse the care it deserves, and work, and do all my uni work this year. I've decided I don't even want to commit to a proper share this year, although I do ride other people's horses when I can. However, it's on an ad hoc basis, so they are clear that I may not be able to come up on a regular basis, especially when I have a lot of deadlines and exams. I know a lot of people who have given up jobs or scaled back their hours this year, and no-one manages that much of a social life either :(

Money aside, I really think you will struggle time-wise as your workload gets more intense. Every summer, during the long break, I wish I could get a horse, but I know I won't have the time to look after it properly during term time. Last summer, I worked full time at a riding stables/trecking centre which was really fun, and I got a lot of riding out of it. Is this something you would consider in the summer?

Money is an issue. I do think you can keep horses for relatively little money, if you have lots of time to do everything yourself, and shop around a lot. However, if you are time limited, keeping a horse cheaply becomes harder. As a student, you are likely to be both. You'll also have more unpredictable commitments- like group work and tutorials, which make looking after a horse a bit more difficult.

Also, when you graduate, it's quite likely you'll move to get a job, and you may not be able to take the horse with you. So you might have to say goodbye anyway :(

I know it sucks, but in a few years, your life will be much more stable, and you'll be better off and you'll be able to get a horse. Until you reach that point, it's not really fair on a horse to bring it into an uncertain situation.
 
I tired ti keep my mare through uni but it was awful. I had no money to go out or do anything and started to resent my mare, who, half way through my first year suffered an injury and racked up massive vet bills, culminating in her having to be PTS. I still feel guilty as even though I know i did everything, while she was undergoing treatment I was terrified of the amount it was all costing. After she was PTS my mum offered to buy me another horse (I'd had them all my life and the thought of not having a horse felt like it would take away apart of who I was) BUT i said no. It wasn't the right thing to do.

Instead I waiting another five years after graduating, until i was in a secure job, could drive, had my own home etc. I now have four beautiful horses and i dont have to worry financially about nasty "surprises" as I can afford it.

Also, as an aside, horses NEVER cost what you think they will on paper. I could draw up a monthly budget but I guarantee it would fluctuate month on month.

I think you might be setting yourself up for heartache. Horrible situation and think the current owner is quite irresponsible offering this horse to you, knowing your situation and how much you love him.
 
I was in a similar situation with horse and uni. I kept my horse at home and commuted to uni in the first year which worked reasonably well financially, but I missed out on a lot of social life!!

By the second year I really felt like I was missing out too much so put my horse out on loan and went to live away. I really hated being horse-less, but got round this by taking on part time work as a yard girl (which later turned into manager) at a riding school, so I earned whilst riding which was great! I wonder if a similar opportunity would work for you? The experience of working with a large amount of horses/ ponies was invaluable.

I'm now just about finished in education (PhD to go!) and am really looking forward to having a horse of my own again in the next few months now that I can afford it, have a business and my son.

Not saying don't do it, but perhaps be open to other options with less financial commitment? Good luck however you decide to go forward :-)
 
Just wondering where about's you are based as £200 wouldn't go far near me but i am fairly close to London.
Plus if you need any services it will be more e.g. turn out/ bring in.

Things to consider are farriers, dentist, back lady, vets, even if you are insured there will be a substantial excess maybe see if the owner will take responsibility for that.
Also your insurance estimate seems really low, mine is around £40per month.

Other things like wormers, treats, lessons ect all mount up and it is also a massive drain on your time.

If you do take the horse on and find it is too much then at least you can give the horse back, I wouldn't advise buying your own horse whilst still studying.

To be completely honest the most sensible option would be to share.
Or how about finding somewhere you can have the horse out 24/7 that has a massive impact on costs/time.
 
Sorry OP another one with a 'Don't think its going to work out'

You take horse on, 3 months goes well, your working your money out, and keeping above water, just.. dipping into Uni Loan Money, that's slowly dwindling down...
Your at Uni... you get a phone call, horse de gloves his leg, vet needed, months and months of bandage changing, vet visits, an infection, needs to go to vets for IV antibiotics, Horse turns to a loon not being out, jumps fenced off paddock, everyone has either got bored of helping change bandages and walk horse in hand, horse has become a pain some people are refusing to handles horse, now its all on your shoulders..

The above happened to me, I wasn't at Uni, I was working full time half hour away, I had to visit the stables, before during and after work, Change bandages nearly every time due to the location of the wound and the fact she paced or box walked the bandage slipped, this went on for 6 months before it got any easier, in all the vet bill cost about 7K most covered by my insurance, but not all, petrol money, Hay, bedding, being there for vet visits, so time off work, more money lost, Physical and emotional heart ache, drained all the time, My girl became dangerous to handle at times, I had help some days but not all, I was lucky to have a full time job and a partner to help with the funding,

This may never happen, but it also could happen at any point, the basic running costs are the easy part, its the unexpected costs that you need the most money for.
 
I'm in Newcastle.

There aren't any opportunities like that, they all want qualifications and I don't even have my stage one although I do have a lot of experience. I do volunteer at a local riding school, helping with kids from a referral school on my day off from uni (I'm doing Criminology degree) but its rare that I get to ride then because its quite busy during the day with school trips and older riders...

The insurance estimate was a quote but can't remember what company it was.

The yard I was looking at has friends on it and I'm sure that if I did need someone to turn him out they would do it, but like I've said the decision hasn't been made and hopefully won't have to be made any time soon.
 
You would easily find a horse to share, you know. I've been trying to find a sharer for mine for ages... Save you a fortune and give you lots of riding.
 
There is very few within easy travelling distance of me. The majority are in Durham or Northumberland so like an hours bus ride normally or can only be accessed by a car :/

A good thing about taking this horse on would be that I could put him on a yard that's only 15-20 mins bus ride
 
I've read the whole thread, and i also don't think it'll work.
I think you would just about manage financially, but you would also work yourself into the ground. I've been there, done that and i would never go back and i would really not recommend going down that road.
You say that you've worked it all out, and that you haven't made the decision BUT every point that anyone on here raises, you seem to have an answer for, which is not a bad thing but i do think that you have mostly made your mind up already and just came on here for people to tell you that it was a good idea.
Relying on friends is a very very bad idea. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who would regularly go out of her way to help me, even though it sometimes cost her money too. But equally, i've seen people who have friends that will help them out, and the first time they need help the so called friends aren't so helpful afterall.
If i were you, i personally wouldn't take the horse on until:
a) you can comfortably afford it and have a nice sum in your savings account as the 'emergency fund'
b) you have enough time and your own transport to get there and back every day twice a day without having to rely on anyone, unless you can of course afford part/full livery.

Trust me when i say that you will feel pants at first for losing out on another horse but when you're in a good position and get your own then, you will feel so much better knowing that you don't have to stress about HAVING to do the extra hours at work, or HAVING to be on a very strict budget, or stressing about whether or not your friend who is turning out, did actually turn out in the morning rather than leaving the horse stood in with no food until 3 etc etc. You get the idea.
But at the end of the day, it is your decision to make. Just choose wisely and think about it very carefully. Don't let your heart rule over your head. Good luck OP :)
 
Sorry but I'm another in the "no" team.

I'm currently studying towards a degree and live at home with five horses and I work a 16 hour week. Trying to keep up with my coursework is hard enough, thankfully my Mum does most of the horses and my family have money to pay for them but you really haven't taken into account unplanned costs,
for example, my horse has just had an endoscopy as I couldn't ride him because he got all iffy about his tummy, that cost around £400 but the biopsy results were inconclusive, now we have to try out some medication which we are yet to get quoted a price for and he will need another endoscopy at the start of the year. He still needs fed, he still needs the farrier and he is still a professional rug ripper. He is insured but theres excess to pay and the bills will probably exceed the payout. This horse is nine and four years ago rolled next to a fence and shredded a tendon in his leg with bills exceeding £3k...

You also have to consider all the work and money you'll put in for the owner to take him back and sell, they will cash in, not you. You will be left with very little money and its not like when you own and sell a horse that your left with money to buy a new one, you will have nothing but sadness . .

Definitely talk to the owner about your financial situation and do not agree to paying for everything, if they really want your help they will help you, otherwise be prepared to walk away and find another.
 
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