Keeping your horse whilst at university... don't want to sell!

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RJ W

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I will be going to university in September 2017 and I need to work out what I'm doing with my horse.

I will be studying Law and if all goes well I will be going to a good university so the work load will be relatively full on.

At the moment I work 3 days a week to afford to keep my horse at home and my parents can't financially help me out. Neither are horsey either or have time to do the horse so asking them to look after him for me when I go isn't an option.

My horse is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me... He is a lovely young dressage horse that I was very lucky to get and would never be able to afford another like him in the foreseeable future. After having lots of bad luck with horses in the past Ive finally fallen on a good one that I have an incredible bond with.

I don't know how I can keep him when I'm at university but I am desperate to make it work. I doubt I will be able to work as much as I work now and if I could, I wouldn't be able to find that much time to do the horse. The universities I'm looking at aren't close enough to home for me to keep him at home so I would need to find a DIY yard.

Open to literally any suggestions or experiences people have gone through and if you really think I need to harden up and just sell him despite that I won't be able to buy a horse like him again for a long time!

Thanks x
 
Loan? Part livery close to uni with a sharer to help with the costs?

Whereabouts are you? There may be someone reading this that is either close enough to where you are now or your university to help.
 
RJ W said:
I will be going to university in September 2017 and I need to work out what I'm doing with my horse.

I will be studying Law and if all goes well I will be going to a good university so the work load will be relatively full on.

You don't mention which uni you are going to but as a uni lecturer I can tell you that a lot have riding clubs so find out if you can take him with you as a working livery. This way you get to keep your boy and he earns his keep. It also means that if your workload is too much you know he is being kept fit. Alternatively, is there a local agricultural college with equine courses nearby? Just some ideas. Good luck with it all.
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I kept mine by going to local uni so lived at parents and working part time on and off during term time and more than full time during holidays. The horses did not get anything like as much work as they should have. It was worth it just but I went in era when full grants were available for living and no uni fees. I also worked before going so had some cash.

You do not have to do a degree to be a solicitor if that is what you are thinking of so you could think of other routes in.
 
Im currently in South Buckinghamshire but depending on exam results will hopefully end up in Cambridge or York!
 
I don't know which uni I will be going to until next summer but I'm always one to try and start thinking of solutions in advance. I hope to go to York or if my exam results are really good maybe Cambridge. He is not the kind of horse that could be a working livery... he is a very sensitive dressage horse that isn't the easiest ride and would not do well as a working livery for his sake and the riders! But thank you I do appreciate the thought!
 
With any luck, I'll be going in Sept 2017 too. I work two days a week to fund mine ATM, although luckily my mum does help out a bit. My current plan is to fund out of my student loan as both of my siblings have found they really don't need it all to live, as well as hopefully finding someone trusted to ride her- although this is proving quite an issue currently because she's not that trusting, so I would be interested to see other ideas too! Also, I'll hopefully get a job in the holidays and work as much as possible to save up.

I appreciate your dilemma as I too want to go to a good Uni, and the workload will be full on, but I don't want my horse to go to waste and stand in a field! I would say start looking now for any potential riders now for whilst you're away- even if they can't pay, just to keep him fit, and save, save, save!
 
Thank you! I'm going to sound like a complete nerd but... I want to go to uni because I love studying and would also like to be a barrister! I think I'm unfortunately looking for the impossible and want the best of both worlds! :/
 
I completely get it. I'm hoping to apply to Cambridge if my results are good enough, and I know my life isn't going to rely upon my horse, it'll rely upon my uni, but its so hard to know what to do.. I'm still praying for a miracle whilst making contingency plans of looking around at yards where there are competitors in the hope one might be able to, and want to, ride her whilst I am away!
 
HoneyMonster1 Thats interesting about the student loans.. thanks for that! Ive had my horse since he was 4 and he's really become my baby! I've heard all sorts of horror stories about horses on loan or being ridden and messed up or broken by riders ruining them and it all scares me a bit! It would be great if I could find a talented young rider to ride him for the next 3/4 years until they perhaps wanted to go to uni and then I get him back but I don't know how realistic that is!
 
Thats my thing - I think I know in my heart of hearts the sensible thing is to not have a horse for the next few years of my life and really focus on getting a good degree and starting a good career but I can't bring myself to accept that involves loosing such an important character in my life!
 
I have also heard terrifying stories and mine was messed around a lot before I got her but is really starting to come out of her shell, so I don't want to set back all my progress. I went to look round a yard the other day where the majority of people had very difficult competitive horses, and I've put my name down for a place so hopefully I can move her there soon, get to know everyone then judge who might be able to ride her without ruining her and ask them just for 2/3 times a week.. writing it down does make it sound very idealistic but I'm still hopeful. If that doesn't work out, I don't know what I'll do. Perhaps have to pay my instructor to ride her.
 
I don't think that sounds unrealistic though! You seem to have found a yard that may just have the right type of people on it... I wouldn't have a clue where to look for a yard like that. Is it near where you live or the your top uni choice? I wish there was a semi-professional out there who wanted a nice talented young horse to compete that I didn't have to pay a fortune for them to do so! I would be interested to know how you get on!
 
I went to a university 45 minutes away from home so kept her on Diy and commuted daily. I worked evenings and weekends waitressing and was a film extra on my days off and during holidays. Got her in my second year of university and had her 10 years now!
 
I have had my horse at uni with me every year of my degree, and going back with him in September to do my final year, my first two years, I looked after him and paid for all living costs (rent, food, socialising, bills, car etc) from my student loan but it was very tight! In my third year I got a part time job, working 20 hours a week in the student union, which meant I had to be a lot more organised, but I still had plenty time to spend with Taz hacking regularly and competing every weekend.

In september I will be back working 20 + hours a week, having taz at a yard further out of town as the hacking is better (still on DIY) but also being a final year student so having to put alot more effort into course work. I wouldn't change having my horse with me at uni, yes it is hard work getting the balance but to be totally honest I'm not the sort of person who enjoys going out in town so I found all of my friends were from the yard or the uni riding club. I'm saving up for a horsebox in my final year so will be working as many hours as possible, as well as working hard on my degree, looking forward to those 6am starts at the yard and finishing work at midnight! Don't even get me thinking about when lambing starts!

I think what you need to look at is the amount of contact hours you are going to have per week with your degree that you want to do, I'm pretty lucky I have 10-15 contact hours a week at a maximum, so fitting in work and taz is made easier. But if i was 9-5 most days there would be no chance I would have time to work to make life easier for us, and do him justice as I'm not overly keen on the idea of a sharer.

Also at the two universities you have mentioned, how far out of town would you have to drive for a suitable yard? Cambridge I expect would be at least half an hour, and if that was to be DIY that soon adds up each day. I'm in wales so max I drive is about 15 mins and thats if I get stuck in traffic.

It's a tough decision but you have to do right by you and your horse, Taz would have loved to have stood in a field for 4 years, chilling getting fat, I on the other hand would have been so bored at uni without being able to disappear on a 4/5 hour hack regularly.
 
I essentially spent far too many hours searching the internet and went round a lot. Its near where I live, which is close to Sheffield, but my top choice would be Cambridge then St Andrews or Durham! That's why I'm looking more than a year in advance, so that I can get to trust the people properly before I go! Well you never know. They are out there, you just have to have a bit of luck and a lot of dedication to trawling the internet :)
 
I'm studying Philosophy at a very good uni, and plan on converting to law afterwards... I've just finished first year and have managed to balance that and my horse! (just about...)

It is tough, but it can be done. You could find a yard near your university (and near your top places there are a few - unfortunately I decided to study in London which was very difficult on the horsey front), where you could either put on working livery - saves money, and your horse is exercised for you, saving some time as well, or you could get a sharer? I would recommend joining all the freshers groups on facebook and student room and stuff and asking ahead - often people at uni will want to ride, so befriend the riding clubs and polo clubs, ask ahead, advertise... A sharer will be very handy.

In terms of finding a yard - ask around, ask on the university pages if anyone else does it, or ask on here on the regional boards on here.
In terms of money - working for the university pays very very well, and the hours fit in around your lectures and timetable, so you can fit that in around your horse. They also often do research opportunities, where you can take part in research studies, often with rewards - my friend sat in an MRI for a bit a earned some money for the afternoon! They also need student ambassadors at the beginning of the year for open days, which is an easy few hours of work. I also worked every single holiday - I'm actually working showing students around London this summer (not affiliated with my university, though), and I just fit my horse in around that as well, just like I did at school.

Another thing - if you are commuting to the yard, ie not driving - don't despair. I actually get a lot of my seminar reading done on the train and bus journeys, and listen to podcasts of my topics and stuff while I do yard chores and the likes.
PM me if you have any specific questions!
 
A lot will depend on where you end up going. At Cambridge you will be doing one or two essays a week as well as lectures, supervisions, seminars etc. You will not have time to work during term time, and most colleges don't allow it. Yes, you don't have to tell the college, but there are very good reasons most Cambridge students don't work during term time, and it's not that they are all rich! Keeping a car to get to the yard will be tricky, which would limit you to yards within cycling distance. Even if you were prepared to sacrifice all the things Cambridge has to offer outside the course itself (in which case why bother going) I think even superwoman would find it an enormous stretch to do right by a serious dressage horse and not screw up the degree. However, terms although intense are only 8 weeks long, so if you can find the money to keep your horse on full livery with exercise at a yard near home and then pick her up again in the holidays then it could work out.

The experience at York would be really quite different. The work isn't as intense and you might find you could manage a horse and a course if you are prepared to make a few compromises, such as a sharer. Keeping a car will be much easier, which will save time travelling. How practical a sharer would be if you're going to be moving the horse between uni and home in the holidays I don't know, maybe another student? And even if you're taking the horse home in the holidays you might well find that your yard expects you to continue paying for your stable, so you'd need to budget for that.

I don't think there's an easy answer to your situation unfortunately, but all the best of luck in finding a solution that works for you and your horse.
 
Hi there, just thought I'd add my two cents while I completely understand the not wanting to sell your horse before going to uni (was the hardest thing I have done) keeping a horse whilst at uni can be incredibly tough. I've just finished my second year studying law at Liverpool uni so whilst not as prestigious as Cambridge or York I thought I might be able to offer some insider knowledge.

Yes, your contact hours per week may be on average quite low, around 10-15 at the most, you will need to be preparing for tutorials and seminars. Our lecturers recommend we do around 150 hours of independent studying I think it is for each module per term and we do 4 modules a term. If you are successful in getting into Cambridge, then firstly massive congratulations, but secondly you will need to factor in the weekly essays in addition to the tutorial prep and lecture follow up. Your workload will increase dramatically around exam season as well, I found myself living in the library for several weeks in the lead up to exams this year!

If you are already working in order to fund your horse, you may find it difficult to maintain the amount of work and balance a social life and your actual uni work. In regards to student loans, I am on the basic amount each year due to the way the SLC work out how much you're entitled to and if I did not receive money from my parents then I would almost certainly be in my overdraft. The problem is, particularly in first year, that accommodation is extremely expensive. I'm lucky in that I now pay £325 a month however for halls I was paying £133 a week (and this has since gone up I believe). On top of that you also have to factor in books, transport (if needed), new dresses for all the balls etc all the things that cost money that you completely don't think about. I agree that working for the uni does indeed pay extremely well and I highly recommend it anyway even if money is not an issue.

Thirdly if you are seeking a career as a barrister then you will need to seek work experience inc mini pupillages (sorry applying for the Bar is not my plan so I'm not too knowledgeable here) during your holidays. While this are entirely necessary in order to gain valuable experience, the majority of them are unpaid which will again cut into your ability to work during the holidays.

Sorry for the wall of text, I just wanted to let you know what I think as a current student. Of course other people may have entirely different experiences and what I have just said may not be at all relevant to you! If I could then I would definitely taken my horse with me however, as painful as it was saying goodbye to him, I honestly think my studies would have suffered because I'd be too busy playing ponies! As others have said you just need to find what is the best solution for you and there is no straight forward answer as frustrating as that is.

Annastasia x
 
RJ W said:
I will be going to university in September 2017 and I need to work out what I'm doing with my horse.

I will be studying Law and if all goes well I will be going to a good university so the work load will be relatively full on.

At the moment I work 3 days a week to afford to keep my horse at home and my parents can't financially help me out. Neither are horsey either or have time to do the horse so asking them to look after him for me when I go isn't an option.

My horse is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me... He is a lovely young dressage horse that I was very lucky to get and would never be able to afford another like him in the foreseeable future. After having lots of bad luck with horses in the past Ive finally fallen on a good one that I have an incredible bond with.

I don't know how I can keep him when I'm at university but I am desperate to make it work. I doubt I will be able to work as much as I work now and if I could, I wouldn't be able to find that much time to do the horse. The universities I'm looking at aren't close enough to home for me to keep him at home so I would need to find a DIY yard.

Open to literally any suggestions or experiences people have gone through and if you really think I need to harden up and just sell him despite that I won't be able to buy a horse like him again for a long time!

Thanks x
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Dear RJ W

I'm making an assumption here but if you have a great horse at home you either load up and go somewhere to be with a coach or a coach comes to you.
could your coach help you find someone to loan your horse whilst you are at uni, and help towards costs and still keep at home. I am assuming your coach may know someone who is a passionate about dressage as you are and as you are not going to uni until next year you can have 12months working on goals together so by the time you leave for you chosen uni you will know your boy will be left in good hands
 
As a former law student (now solicitor) - it IS possible! I kept my old boy on DIY livery, 15 miles from home and 30 miles from university while I did my undergrad. I was extremely fortunate in that my parents paid for livery, I did have a weekend job but my wages didn't even cover my uni travel costs.

I think for you the best plan might be to find somewhere close to uni and keep him there on DIY/part livery - likely to be cheaper and the less travelling you have to do between work/uni/pony the better! A part loan to someone you trust would be ideal, as your loaner could contribute to costs.

You will have many many early mornings, and nights out will be a pain in the ****. I had the option of (a) having a drink and getting the train home, therefore having to leave early, (b) remaining sober and driving home at 3am, or (c) remaining relatively sober and driving home at 7am. It was worth it.
 
I missed out on a place at uni this year, so I'm reapplying for 2017 and sort of in the same boat. My situation is slightly different as I am now hoping to do an extra A Level and resits in my year off, and I'll have a year to try and work to save up funds.

Do not discredit sharers/a loan. You may find when you get to uni, through the riding clubs or various social networds, someone who had to sell their horse before they left and wants to keep riding. If all you needed was someone 2/3 days a week to do chores and to ride you could well find someone perfect, especially if they had previously owned or ridden at a high level. A good horse will always find a good sharer.

Law degrees can be fairly demanding, I know of 2 people who started a law degree and ended up switching due to the work load and the fact they found it hard. My mum also is a mature law student, who did it part time, and she found it demanding at times as well. I'm assuming you would also have to work on top of having the horse, studying and other student life, and given the unis you are aiming for I'm assuming you're very bright and work a lot for your studies too, you may find you have to make sacrifices somewhere. A student loan will also only cover you for so much, and you would have to really really budget. You'd be paying for DIY livery (which could be expensive depending on where and what you're after), travel to and from horse, shoes (again, depending on area could be expensive), insurance/vets bills, feed, wormers, costs of lessons/competing/travel etc.

I'll be in a similar position next year, however I have 2 sharers who I do think would be interested in taking him on as a full loan, if I'm unable to take him with me. It's not impossible, but you have to weigh up scenarios and once you've worked out rough costs for the area you'll be living in you may have a better idea of what is the most realistic option for you.
 
Without wanting to comment on the financial side - I don't know whether your parents would or could help with costs etc - I do think time wise it is more than possible. I studied law, went on to law college and am now a solicitor. Whilst I appreciate everything you say about really wanting to study, you have far more control of your hours and time when studying than you ever do when you start to work. The difficulty is discipline when there is so much going on.

As others have suggested I would look at sharing locally to you uni - there are good sharers out there as well as bad ones, if you want to keep riding your horse whilst at uni. Or what about doing a few hours at a yard in exchange for money off livery? You can find the time and many many students work whilst doing degrees without it damaging their study. Very best of luck to you.
 
Hello. I took my horse to university and it was the best 3 years we've ever had.

First things first. How are you planning to pay accommodation and tuition?
Are your parents going to help you out financially with the accommodation or living expenses?

I did an NHS course and therefore paid no tuition fees.
I received a bursary of £3500 ish a year which I didn't need to pay back.
I also had a maintenance loan of £6500 over three years.

My grandmother paid for my accommodation, so this was not a problem for me.

Therefore my £3500 + £2400 a year loan was for me to spend on food, living and horse.

My dad gave me £100 a month, which helped towards livery.

I kept her on pure DIY livery, no services. It cost £125 a month plus hay and straw. She was kept 6 miles from where I lived at a huge competition venue. I made lots of horsey friends, who I am still in touch with. My horse came on leaps and bounds and I had SO much time to spend with her.

I did an extremely challenging and full on degree, and STILL had loads of horsey time! I managed to ride most days and was up twice a day.
I used to get up very early to sort her out before lectures. Lectures finished at 4pm latest, which is pretty early in comparison to the real world of work!

I had also had an almighty social life, and used to go out 2/3 times a week and spend a lot of alcohol!

I used straw to keep costs down for the horse, and kept my feed bill almost non existent, despite competing 2 weeks a month.

Also, I took my car with me and chose halls that allowed car parking. A lot of the inner city ones do not. I chose a city where I knew I could realistically keep a horse relatively close by, along with having a buzzing night life and a decent course for my future career (which I am now doing very successfully!). Obviously choosing a London university is not going to lend itself to bringing a horse along.

I looked at livery yards before I even got my A level results back, and had a deposit on a space at one for 6 months.
 
I may also add, we had 24/7 summer turnout at my yard, which I used.

Nobody can realistically study/do their dissertation/revise ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT. It is not useful to you to do so.

University allows you a lot of self study time, when not in lectures.

I used to study all morning, go to the stables in the afternoon, and then come back and do more work. There are 24 hours in a day and that is more than enough to do a sensible amount of work and enjoy some down time.

Also, I had a sharer whilst at uni for about 18 months. She paid £70 a month and had 3 days a week. She was very useful, although she wasn't the most suitable rider for my horse.
 
One of my friends lives in the Cambridge area and her husband went to Cambridge and used to work at there too.

She has her own land so no problem but before they had their own land it was very hard for them to find decent yards in the area. I went to a BBQ at her house last summer and there were quite a few horsey folk there who also worked at the uni and said the finding a decent yard was an issue.

Could your horse live out? It would reduce the costs and possibly the time commitment for you as well?

This is a yard near Cambridge that does part livery living out for a reasonable cost

http://www.hallfarmstables.co.uk/livery

The other issue is what will you do outside term time as if you take your horse home again for the holidays you can't guarantee there will be a livery space for you when you return to Uni.

With regard to time, uni is more flexible than being at school or working full time, and the holidays are longer so in terms finding the time to look after a horse then it should be fine. Money will be an issue. I manage graduates now who have debt of over £20,000 from university and that is without having the extra costs of horses. If you have a successful career in law money will be no problem and you will be able to afford a dressage horse again very easily but you will need to be patient and wait until that time comes.

In the meantime I think a lot will depend on what your attitude is to debt and how much money you can borrow. If you have good office skills and are able to join a temp agency so you can work full time during the holidays as well then that might help. With regard to part time work whilst you are at uni - this might be harder to find if you can only do that job during term time if you go home during the holidays.

Are you just looking for ways to keep your horse but not compete as if you are competing that is an extra cost and time commitment to think about too.

How important is a social life to you and relationships? If you don't have a partner now but for example meet someone at uni? Studying, a part time job and having a horse on DIY and possibly competing could be very time consuming not leaving you much time for anything else. What would happen if you got ill?
 
I graduated from Cambridge last year and I didn't know anyone who brought their horse with them - that's not to say, however, that it can't be done! It would take up a lot of your time though and you'd have to be prepared to sacrifice pretty much everything except studying and riding. There's a bit of advice on the uni's riding club website related to bringing a horse with you that might be helpful (https://www.srcf.ucam.org/curiding/riding-lessons/bringing-a-horse-to-cambridge/).
 
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