Taking a horse to uni - 3hrs away!

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stressedequestrian

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Hi!
I'm currently looking into taking my horse to university with me in September (if I find a suitable yard) , the issue is I'm moving 3 hours away from home.
My only worry is the summer holidays. I don't know how it would work with bringing him home with me, which would mean paying livery at uni and at home, as well as transport fees due to not having a box.
I genuinely can't imagine spending the time without him, and if he doesn't come with me then there he won't be ridden or cared for up to the standard he is now (not neglected obviously, but no exercise/mental stimulation/daily checks etc.)
I'm stuck. I would love for him to come but summer is the only issue, any advice?
 
Don’t take horse to uni unless you re doing horse related degree. It was bad enough getting daughter home and flat emptied whilst on lock down...if we d have had to contemplate uplift of horse too..complete nightmare...or pay full livery bills for months....I shudder to think of the scenarios. Go to uni..learn about life and the area and your course. Don’t add extra stress if you don’t need to.
 
I would agree with above poster.

IF you are doing an equine-related course and are able to keep your horse on working livery at the college where you are doing your studies, then you might find it works for you. However, if you DO go the working livery option, bear in mind that yes whilst it would mean that your horse is exercised and sorted, you would get other students riding and "doing" your horse, and you might not want that!

Also, as you say, you would still have the problem of what to do with your horse in the holidays; either leave them at college for the duration - on full livery fees which won't be cheap! - OR pay transport to bring your horse home (you say you don't have your own transport), which again won't work out cheap!

If you are at uni, I very much doubt whether you'll be able to find the time to ride or "do" your horse if your course is not equine-related TBH! You will find it a push to go from campus, to yard, back to campus, on a daily basis if you are on DIY livery! (which I wouldn't recommend for someone in that scenario, you'll need at the mimimum to go for "assisted" or "part" livery).

Assuming that uni's and colleges ARE going to be back in September (who knows), then sorry but I think you may have to make some tough decisions re. your horse. UNLESS you have a virtually unlimited budget and can keep your horse on full livery at a good yard, and pop over occasionally to ride and touch base when you are able, knowing that your horse is being kept to the very best standards possible, and frankly it isn't many students (or any of us in fact!) who're able to enjoy that luxury. But if you are, then go for it!

Sorry can't be more positive. I just can't see you getting the time frankly.......
 
I would think the lack of transport must be a bit of a pest... but if you want to take him then do so. You can always try it and if it doesnt work out then you can look into other options then. Summer would be a pain but I guess if you discussed this with the livery near uni then they might put you onto basic livery over summer so it would be as cheap as possible to keep your place. Then go onto DIY near your home over summer?

I kept 3 horses fit and competing while at uni but then again I still lived at home and chose to travel (2 hour round trip) every day to uni instead and my horses were kept at home so it wasnt difficult.
 
Things to consider:

- costs, of well everything
- time: what degree are you doing, idea of timetable (not all lectures finish at 3pm...) where are you living in relation to campus, how far will the yard be from uni?
- travel: if you have a car, where are you going to park it, not all unis allow parking for those living on campus; if no car, can you get to the yard at all times? One bus once a week is no good to you.
- what do you want from uni life: Full freshers experience, half and half, horse takes over everything?


People regret many things when it comes to university, but in my experience (and I've studied at three) no one has ever said to me 'wish I'd taken my horse'... Personally I'd be more concerned over whether my degree was actually starting come September given current nationwide situation.
 
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Very difficult. I did an equine related degree but there was no option where I went to have horse ‘onsite’ all be it was only 3 miles up the road and was a uni owned yard. So horse had to be done around lectures which were fine until middle winter when some of my lectures were on until 5/5:30 so had to made arrangements around them which wasn’t always easy and there was no staff to provide services it was soley DIY. Another thing to consider is that whilst now your horse may be your world, once your at uni you’ll have new friends, be doing lots of new things and probably going out a lot! I was lucky because it was a semi ‘horsey’ uni there were a few of us to help each other out when we went out and was in no fit state to be going to the yard in morning! However if you’re the only one with a horse it will be difficult as they won’t get the ‘ i have to go the horse doesn’t look after itself’ situation! And so you’ll be put under a lot of peer pressure!! Ultimately you need to enjoy your time at uni!! Another thing to consider is the cost of livery let alone transport. Not sure of your situation but paying livery fees even DIY is a massive stretch on a student loan budget which most of the time doesn’t even cover your rent and food let alone a horse’s upkeep! I took my girl with me for the first term, then she stayed at home. I was able to enjoy my time as a student to the max and could go home at weekends when things were quieter at uni to see my horse :)
 
I can answer from an academic point of view (I am a University Lecturer) and would advise you to consider the extra complications of the current Covid situation. We are currently being told by management to prepare for three scenarios:

1. September face to face delivery with students arriving as usual for Freshers week.
2. September online delivery with students not arriving on campus until January 2021.
3. All course start dates being postponed until March 2021, or even later.

It's impossible to say at this point which of the three will happen, it is largely beyond the control of the HE sector and will depend on the government restrictions, which in turn will be dictated by the Covid spread. Given such uncertainty, i'd imagine that throwing the transport and livery of your horse into an already very changeable situation, will only add another layer of significant stress. You will find that the University semesters allow much more 'holiday' time compared to school and college, with reading weeks, long Xmas and Easter breaks and an 8-14 week summer break, depending on your course. This would allow lots of time, along with weekends, for you to potentially return home and visit? Hope that helps a little.
 
Tirna said:
We are currently being told by management to prepare for three scenarios:

1. September face to face delivery with students arriving as usual for Freshers week.
2. September online delivery with students not arriving on campus until January 2021.
3. All course start dates being postponed until March 2021, or even later.

It's impossible to say at this point which of the three will happen QUOTE]
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^^^^ Strewth....... I work in learning support at a land-based college campus..........
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
^^^^ Strewth....... I work in learning support at a land-based college campus..........
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Strewth indeed! We're all very keen to get back to work ASAP and keeping everything crossed for a 'normal' September intake, but I can see why the mass movement of students around the county and potential risk of spread in student halls is causing potential concern. Not to mention the international student intake, which some universities largely rely on and is currently in question. Worrying times for the sector (and many others of course).
 
Wow - didn't think of that. DD is moving from UnderGrad to Post Grad in September!

OP - there are Unis which are quite easy to keep a horse at. If you search the forums this is a question which comes up every year at about this time. But for most the additional pressure, both financially and on your time, is a real issue. Not only is transport in the summer an issue - you have to hold a livery space both at home so you can come back; and at Uni. For 3 years...
 
I considered taking my horse to uni, but found that the cost of a)livery and b) transport was just too much. I was about 4.5 hours away from uni and the transport quote was around £800, a bit less if I could get a shared load. If I had taken him, I would have had to stay up there over the summer to look after him. If you don't mind not coming home over the summer yourself, that will save on livery and transport fees each year.
If you think you can afford it financially and time-wise it is possible, I knew quite a few people at uni that had brought their horses, but budget for a lot more money and time than you think you will need.
If he is kept at home or you can get a grass/retirement livery place while you are at uni, it might be worth turning him away or considering loaning him out while you are at uni, if you decide not to take him with you.
 
I took my horse to uni....10 hours away from home, he went to uni every september and came home for the summer holidays, I came home at Christmas and Easter, when I either put him on full livery or paid another livery friend to look after him.

It really depends on what you want, for me I couldn't have coped at uni without my horse, I worked part time as well as doing my degree to be able to put Taz on full livery when I went home, if you want to take your horse to uni you'll make it work. I was lucky in the sense the uni i went to had its own livery yard, I was there for 3 out of 4 of my studying years so only paid livery during the academic year.
 
I've had horses since I was 12. My parents were totally non horsey so I did everything. They'd drop me at the yard and pick me up but I was effectively on my own. All the way through school, I was missing out on sleepovers (I went to a Welsh medium school with a huge catchment area so a lot of my friends lived miles away) because I'd need to do the horse the following morning. As I went into 6th form I missed out on nights out or left early so I could be up in time to turn out.

When I went to uni, my boy stayed with his owner (I technically loaned him even though I'd bought him for £5 by then - it's a long story!). I was heartbroken leaving him behind but it was the best thing I could have done. Making friends quickly at Uni is so important and so much of it was done over drunken evenings and breakfast the next morning in the greasy spoon with a collective hangover, with impromptu shopping trips for a Christmas ball dress (I still remember saying to now one of my best friends after barely knowing her a few weeks "Do you want me to tell you the truth or tell you I like it" when she tried an awful dress on!) and Saturday afternoons mucking about on the beach and evenings cooking communal meals - all things I'd have struggled to do with a horse to see to twice a day at the very least.

I was lucky that I could come home every holidays and pick up where I'd left off with my boy but those term times of being a 'normal' student were so important. I made friends for life at uni and being one of the gang rather than always sloping off early helped that immensely. It was the one time in my life I had no responsibility to anyone but myself and I had the best time because of it. You could probably manage the workload and a horse but uni is about so much more than the work.
 
Do it. I left one of mine at home and one in livery about halfway in between home and uni. I regretted it so much. If you are someone who goes home a lot like I was, its possibly bearable. But if you aren't planning on going home much, take him. I found uni so isolating and difficult and I was always bitter about having to go back. You might be able to find a yard where if you work for them doing bits and bobs they will let you off livery for the summer months. Or find a field to rent if he can live out. Make sure you get a clear contract if you go for livery though. A lot of liveries near universities are used to student with horses and the challenges that are presented. Also if you join the university teams/riding clubs, you might find good friends who could ride him and check on him over Christmas ect.
 
Best option might be just to move him and stay in the city that you are studying in during the holidays rather than visiting your parents.You should be able to find holiday work quite easily and accommodation during the holidays should not be a problem. Enjoy uni - you will have a wonderful time!
 
As others have pointed out, the logistics may be tricky but only you can know whether it would be worth it for you. Personally, I would leave him at home for at least the first term and then see how you think about it. As others have said this is a key time to make friends and get settled in. Going away to university is a big adjustment and taking a horse too until you know the lie of the land (for a non-equine course) may just prove too costly and stressful and will tie you down. Go first and do all things freshers do, then you can get yourself settled in and scout out possible places to keep him and the logistics and cost. I did take a horse to university but he was otherwise kept at home so no double livery costs and more flexibility. I didn't take him every term, just when I needed to to get fit for the show season or whatever, and I sold him at the end of my second year having realised that trying to combine a horse with finals and then moving again to establish a job and career was too much and the riding needed to take a back seat for a while. I did then buy another once I was settled again a couple of years later, and haven't been without horses since (am middle aged now), but there is a time and a place and further education and establishing a career are important and time consuming steps in life and your priorities may change.
 
Leandy said:
As others have pointed out, the logistics may be tricky but only you can know whether it would be worth it for you. Personally, I would leave him at home for at least the first term and then see how you think about it. As others have said this is a key time to make friends and get settled in. Going away to university is a big adjustment and taking a horse too until you know the lie of the land (for a non-equine course) may just prove too costly and stressful and will tie you down. Go first and do all things freshers do, then you can get yourself settled in and scout out possible places to keep him and the logistics and cost. I did take a horse to university but he was otherwise kept at home so no double livery costs and more flexibility. I didn't take him every term, just when I needed to to get fit for the show season or whatever, and I sold him at the end of my second year having realised that trying to combine a horse with finals and then moving again to establish a job and career was too much and the riding needed to take a back seat for a while. I did then buy another once I was settled again a couple of years later, and haven't been without horses since (am middle aged now), but there is a time and a place and further education and establishing a career are important and time consuming steps in life and your priorities may change.
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Yes, would second this - leave him at home for first term as it is full on, great fun and completely knackering - what previous posters have said about making friends over collective hangovers in Wetherspoons (other cheap breakfast joints are available) is so true! Then once you've got settled in with some friends, see how much you're missing him, and all his associated work, how much time and cash you have, and go from there. There's no right answer, as you can probably see from all the above posts.

The Covid situation does complicate things though, personally I think you would be best off planning for him to stay at home at least until Christmas, then you've given yourself space to see how things (both personal to you and collective re. Covid) develop.

Finally, if he is a nice horse then you will always have good options available to you, whether that's a sharer, finding him a loan home, taking him with you, or even selling him. There will always be nice people for nice horses.
 
I went to uni 4 hours away from my original home - my mum then moved a further 2 hours south with my horse so I was a long way away. I still got quite a bit of riding time all things considered - with my time split between 3 places. If my horse had have stayed at my original home, well I'd have probably ended up spending as much of the year there as I did at uni. I wasn't one for the uni lifestyle at all though. I would just leave at home and ride when your home. Summer is a really long time at uni. Depending on your lectures you may get long weekends and there are often reading weeks which can be done at home. You could maybe find someone near home to ride him a few days a week
 
why would you pay two sets of livery in summer? I did a law degree and took my horse to uni with me - he came back every summer and I just handed in my notice at my uni yard each time. There was one year where I had to move yard and one year where I had to move stable when I went back to uni, but my horse really didn’t mind
 
My friend gave the ride on hers (show jumper) for the first year then decided she had plenty of time to fit her horse in as well (albeit full livery about 30 mins from uni, so she needed a car too).
Horse used to go back with her in the summer and stayed near uni easter/xmas months either lunged by YO or ridden by me (home was 30 mins from yard for me).

I think the biggest decider is available funds really.
 
I have two friends that did one struggled as horse ended up on box rest and she didn't drive. The other managed ok but she did a degree with very little holidays to consider.
 
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