Taking horse to University

B

billyncameo

Member
Joined
4 April 2016
Messages
13
Visit site
My daughter wants to take her horse to University. Shes.not stupid, she knows it will be a big commitment but she is a very determined young lady and I wouldnt even countenance it if i didn't think she could do it. Shes done loads of research of livery yards near the places shes looking at. We're not made of money so would have to be DIY or assisted DIY. She's learning to drive and will hopefully have passed her test by then. Places shes considering are Southampton, Bristol, Nottingham, Swansea, Loughborough, Sussex (Brighton) and Kent being backup options. Would be glad to hear from anyone who has taken their horse (or their young person has) in similar circumstances, and especially if anyone has experience of livery yards convenient for any of these Universities!! Have a lot of open days coming up which will be as much focussed on horse life as the course!!!
 
We re having the same discussion ..I have persuaded daughter to do the first year without so she can properly get to grips with looking after herself/uni work and social life. If she still wants her mare nearby next year we can look again.
 
I bought Denzel in the summer before my final year and moved him to university with me. For those considering it for first year I would probably advise to take a hard look at what you want to get out of your university experience.

Time wise I definitely missed out on a lot of social events. It did help me structure my time more clearly, on my course by final year I was only having 4 hours of lectures a week and the rest was independent study, so having Denzel meant I couldn't just faff about with "i'll do it later" because I had certain chunks of my day which were accounted for and I had to be productive in the rest of it. However, if your daughter is doing a course which is high contact hours it adds a huge amount of pressure to what is already a potentially very stressful situation.

Financially it was a real struggle. Even on assisted DIY with hay included I couldn't afford to join societies (which is a huge part of getting to know people in first year in my experience) so making new friends proved quite hard. I was in final year so I knew a few of my course mates but because there was an optional placement year a lot of my friends had graduated so in many ways I was starting from scratch. I also couldn't afford nights out, meals, or even really nights in when that involved a takeaway. This was all before vet bills when the tit bashed his eye on a fence post.

I agree with Midlifecrisis - university was an enormous change, and I think that if I had taken D to uni in first year I'd have regretted not being able to socialise or allowing myself time to adjust to being independent. Maybe consider loaning for a year while she adjusts and reevaluate come second year.
 
Excellent reply DenBob. OP my daughter is in year 2 at Uni. The career path she has chosen is fairly study heavy and she has to complete a masters and a Phd (More specifically a DClin) to practice. She chose a uni close enough to home that she can stay in Hall at Uni, get all that wonderful experiecne but still get home in reasonable time to ride (we live near London so lots of choice.) So all the financial burden - and physically looking after them - stayed with us as parents. But from 2021 she will be at her Master's stage (hopefully!) and is looking at moving away.

All of DenBob's comments apply. If you have a horse at Uni you seriously limit what else you can get involved in. It doesn't even help with the riding team as BUCAS competition riding must be done on borrowed horses. In addition to all that you actually have to fund two livery spaces - the one at Uni and one to come back to in the summer. You can leave the horse at the Uni place - but then DD can't come home for the summer and will need to find accommodation. food etc. Otherwise you have to pay at least a placeholder somewhere closer to home so you have somewhere to come back to.

I don't know what decision we will make - and a Master's place is significantly different from first or second year. But I would very much echo DenBob's comments about the impact on the University experience. Better to at least start the first year without the horse and see what is there, what the practicalities are etc. You only go to Uni once and if it means turning horse away for at least the first winter it is worth it.
 
She will also have to consider what happens in the longer breaks, two of my liveries have been through uni while at livery here, the first left the horse here and came back nearly every weekend as the uni was about 11/2 hours away, she also managed a few mid week days off as her course was not that full on.
The second took her horse and brought him back for the main breaks but when it came to exam time she found having to do him twice a day too much so he came back here so she could concentrate on getting her work done.
If the uni is not near enough to come home regularly to ride/ bring horse back, or your yard will not allow it to come and go then it makes any decision easier, I would certainly suggest her going initially without the horse so she has time to settle in first.
 
I really would not recommend it for first year. As said above, you have many different commitments and the need to make new friends and get to know the area before you even consider a horse into the mix
I didn't miss having a horse at all in my first year, my life changed hugely and I had so much else on that I didn't get chance to miss it. I did start to in my second year, and the equestrian society just didn't scratch that itch for me so I loaned a horse for my final year. I had financial help for it, and was purely a grass livery. It was a lot of work and I was very lucky as the yard I was on were aware I studied chemistry, so a very intense degree, and were happy to help with feeding when I wasn't able to get up (I don't drive)
My sister has started uni last year and was adamant she wanted to take a horse. She eventually agreed to not for her first year, and she agrees that it was definitely better that she hadn't because it allowed her to experience the proper student life rather than being tied down by obligations to the horse. She is half thinking about taking hers next year, but isn't very sure at the moment
I certainly think a horse in the first year is not the best idea as it severely limits you with what you can do, but once you have a circle of friends and all the rest of it, and you can afford it then why not!
 
I went to a horsey uni and got my pony in my second year. It actually helped me to be more social as I was on the yard more and riding with people! The yard was on site though (agricultural uni) so it was much easier as I just rolled out of bed, chucked him out then rolled back into bed :D or went to lectures as the lecture rooms were just up the road from the yard.
I'm lucky in that I didn't have to pay to keep my space at my normal livery yard so I brought him back over the longer breaks.
Money was always tight, but I worked a lot over the summer and breaks to make up for it.
Probably wouldn't have done it if I hadn't gone to the uni I did though.
 
I am a huge horse lover and have had horses all my life so I understand the pull to take your horse to uni but I would advise against it. It will effect your uni experience dramatically. The time you should be out socialising and connecting with people will be spent with your horse- this is such a huge part of uni experience and I think having a horse at university will lead to a lot of social isolation. Seeing this is usually the first time away from home and parental support etc the need for that social support is very necessary... it is 3 years of your life it is often the best 3 years of a persons life - it is about the only time you will have very few commitments and freedom at the same time - at least for the first year don’t take a horse as it will change the dynamic greatly.
 
I'm in second year at uni, and had mine back unexpectedly from loan from October to January. I was very lucky in that he could be on livery with my Aunt, but it still wasn't easy.

Those 4 months completely wiped out my savings, mostly the petrol from driving up each day (half an hour each way), and I did find myself really stretched for time. While it was lovely having him, I couldn't have kept going. I wouldn't recommend even in first year to be honest.
 
You are on the whole looking at city type academic universities. That and given budget constraints I’d really urge you not to support this.

You will be doing her a far bigger favour in the long run by encouraging her to integrate into the full uni experience and use the funds that would have been spent on the horse into minimising the debt she leaves uni with.
 
I've been on a few yards popular with uni students. For Loughborough, Home Farm at East Leake is excellent, (if you have a car.) Students at Nottingham using the Sutton Bottington campus had a few yards to choose from, including grass livery, with stables, in the village. Currently my yard in Staffordshire is next to a campus, but most students tend to quickly rely on full livery or assisted livery services. Only a dedicated minority find time for DIY.
 
All excellent replies! Thank you so much for all your responses. It's tricky, DDs entire life revolves around the horse, it's her raison d'etre completely. I think having at least the first term to concentrate on people rather than horse is a vg idea. I also worry about bullying as horses can be seen as elitist snd I dont want her viewed as the 'rich kid' (nothing further from truth lol!) or anything like that. Im thinking there will be plenty of horsey students who don't take their ponios with them and might be willing to share chores for rides.... wgich wpukd help financially too. Big questions!
 
It depends on how social she is/expects to be. When i was at uni i had the option to stay in halls or drive 1hr everyday and i am not at all social so i drove the 1 hr cause i wanted to be home to the horse. I did feel i missed a bit of the action as there was always stories the next morning etc but it didn't bother me too much - id love to have been that sort of person but i wasn't and still am not. Im happiest at home with the neds.
 
billyncameo said:
My daughter wants to take her horse to University. Shes.not stupid, she knows it will be a big commitment but she is a very determined young lady and I wouldnt even countenance it if i didn't think she could do it. Shes done loads of research of livery yards near the places shes looking at. We're not made of money so would have to be DIY or assisted DIY. She's learning to drive and will hopefully have passed her test by then. Places shes considering are Southampton, Bristol, Nottingham, Swansea, Loughborough, Sussex (Brighton) and Kent being backup options. Would be glad to hear from anyone who has taken their horse (or their young person has) in similar circumstances, and especially if anyone has experience of livery yards convenient for any of these Universities!! Have a lot of open days coming up which will be as much focussed on horse life as the course!!!
Click to expand...

I didn’t take a horse to uni but I live near Loughborough and there are so many livery yards around here that have students on - as not only is there Loughborough uni, but 2 x Leics unis and the vet school at Nottingham uni. I have met quite a few students around here with horses. I think as long as she is prepared to be quite stretched in terms of juggling horse, uni work and a social life, it should be doable in Loughborough.
 
equi said:
It depends on how social she is/expects to be. When i was at uni i had the option to stay in halls or drive 1hr everyday and i am not at all social so i drove the 1 hr cause i wanted to be home to the horse. I did feel i missed a bit of the action as there was always stories the next morning etc but it didn't bother me too much - id love to have been that sort of person but i wasn't and still am not. Im happiest at home with the neds.
Click to expand...
Like you, I wasn’t terribly social so wanted to stay at home with my horses at home. I picked uni’s which were within commutable distance with that in mind and it worked well. I did however put my main horse out on loan in second and third years, but that was because I had to move away (family circumstances). I had been facing an hour commute each way to sixth form for two years, so that first year was fine for me, but only because i wasn’t interested in the social side.
 
Bea_millard said:
I didn’t take a horse to uni but I live near Loughborough and there are so many livery yards around here that have students on - as not only is there Loughborough uni, but 2 x Leics unis and the vet school at Nottingham uni. I have met quite a few students around here with horses. I think as long as she is prepared to be quite stretched in terms of juggling horse, uni work and a social life, it should be doable in Loughborough.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!! Yes Loughborough does look.pretty good for all that. Weirdly enough its where hubby and i went and met, too!
 
I agree with all the practical stuff people have said so far. BUT...
It depends on the person surely? I certainly didn't go to uni "for the experience" - I went because I wanted a degree! I don't drink or party so was never into that side of student life anyway. I was there to study and that was it, I kept the rest of my life completely separate from uni and the people in it. I had two part-time jobs, a share horse, and a marathon runner's training schedule... hanging out with the people at uni, with whom I felt I had very little in common, was nowhere on my list of priorities!
 
joosie said:
I agree with all the practical stuff people have said so far. BUT...
It depends on the person surely? I certainly didn't go to uni "for the experience" - I went because I wanted a degree! I don't drink or party so was never into that side of student life anyway. I was there to study and that was it, I kept the rest of my life completely separate from uni and the people in it. I had two part-time jobs, a share horse, and a marathon runner's training schedule... hanging out with the people at uni, with whom I felt I had very little in common, was nowhere on my list of priorities!
Click to expand...
Thank you. This would be DDs view of things. She is zero percent party animal/socialite, a very hard worker, a bit of a swot and wants to socialise mainly with people like her who like horses! I think she woukd be miserable without ponio. But i do worry too. Its no fun being 'different'!
 
I didn’t take my two horses for my undergraduate degree, but I am taking them for my one year masters. Can’t afford to leave them at home on full livery so they are coming with me on assisted DIY. The yard offers part livery too and extras so a couple of days I’ll get them turned out and fed for me etc once I know my timetable and I can put them on full if I’m away, or really busy with work. The yard is only 10 minutes from the campus so should be manageable and only one is in ridden work. Having said that, I couldn’t have coped with them during my undergrad degree!
 
Melody Grey said:
Like you, I wasn’t terribly social so wanted to stay at home with my horses at home. I picked uni’s which were within commutable distance with that in mind and it worked well. I did however put my main horse out on loan in second and third years, but that was because I had to move away (family circumstances). I had been facing an hour commute each way to sixth form for two years, so that first year was fine for me, but only because i wasn’t interested in the social side.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Yes my daughter is also used to an hour commute by train to sixth form college and mega early mornings with me in the winter doing the horse beforehand. So she knows what its like. I've had the conversation about not being too proud to admit it if its too much. Hmmmm!
 
billyncameo said:
Thank you. This would be DDs view of things. She is zero percent party animal/socialite, a very hard worker, a bit of a swot and wants to socialise mainly with people like her who like horses! I think she woukd be miserable without ponio. But i do worry too. Its no fun being 'different'!
Click to expand...
I went to an agri uni so thankfully my best friend was horsey, id probably have gone mad without her!
 
I’m just finishing up my final year at uni, I had to sell up before I came here because I could not possibly have afforded horses no matter how much I worked. I’m torn about what I’d suggest, with me I had a great time first year living with 7 other people in halls and not having to worry about being sober enough to drive back to the yard at 6am, also at a city uni there is every chance she’ll get ripped into for being the ‘horse girl’ by her fatmates and not necessarily in a jokey way. My contact hours would’ve easily allowed me the time though and if she’s done with evening yard chores by 7\8ish she’d be back before any of the socialising even starts! Second and 3rd year I’d imagine it would be more sensible, I’ve lived with just 1 other girl for that time (who turned out to be a disaster and being in the flat is a nightmare but that’s a different story). There’s been far far less going out involved without a flat full of people constantly doing something and if not for meeting my boyfriend a few months into second year I would’ve probably become a complete recluse as someone who’s spent most of their life spending any free time at a yard keeping busy. I do think since the end of first year and being constantly busy it has had a huge impact on my mental health not spending the time outside and doing something that’s been such a huge part of my routine for so long and I constantly feel cooped up. Doubt I’ve been much help because I love considered both sides so much, if I was in a position to afford to bring a horse I think I would’ve from the beginning but probably would’ve rented privately from the get go and skipped halls altogether as I’m really not the most sociable or a big clubber. Would she have the option to keep them with you until Christmas while she settles herself and then make a decision?
 
Challaborough Christmas Tree said:
I’m just finishing up my final year at uni, I had to sell up before I came here because I could not possibly have afforded horses no matter how much I worked. I’m torn about what I’d suggest, with me I had a great time first year living with 7 other people in halls and not having to worry about being sober enough to drive back to the yard at 6am, also at a city uni there is every chance she’ll get ripped into for being the ‘horse girl’ by her fatmates and not necessarily in a jokey way. My contact hours would’ve easily allowed me the time though and if she’s done with evening yard chores by 7\8ish she’d be back before any of the socialising even starts! Second and 3rd year I’d imagine it would be more sensible, I’ve lived with just 1 other girl for that time (who turned out to be a disaster and being in the flat is a nightmare but that’s a different story). There’s been far far less going out involved without a flat full of people constantly doing something and if not for meeting my boyfriend a few months into second year I would’ve probably become a complete recluse as someone who’s spent most of their life spending any free time at a yard keeping busy. I do think since the end of first year and being constantly busy it has had a huge impact on my mental health not spending the time outside and doing something that’s been such a huge part of my routine for so long and I constantly feel cooped up. Doubt I’ve been much help because I love considered both sides so much, if I was in a position to afford to bring a horse I think I would’ve from the beginning but probably would’ve rented privately from the get go and skipped halls altogether as I’m really not the most sociable or a big clubber. Would she have the option to keep them with you until Christmas while she settles herself and then make a decision?
Click to expand...
Excellent answer! So much to think of. I really think seeing as the horse is as much part of her as her arms and legs it would be like leaving a limb or two behind if ponio didnt go too. We are in a position to carry on paying basic livery for her while she's there, we already do. Hoping home yard would let her return for grass livery Easter and Summer anyway. She'd probably need to look for a sharer. She's very determined!
 
First up - confession - I did not go to uni. But I do still have some observations as I spent much of my working life sorting out other people's lives in a 2 uni city...

Going to uni is about growing up and making your own decisions, sometimes making the wrong decision, and doing it in a semi-protected atmosphere, as much as being about the qualification.

If she wants to take the horse to uni, and it can be afforded, then I would not make a big deal about the decision. If you make a deal of it, then she can't cope, then it would be harder to come to you and admit it was a mistake. I would do it more as a yes, if that's what you want, why not take him/her and see how it works out, we can always bring him/her home again.

I would make sure, at least until Xmas, that you keep the stable at home readily available.

As far as socialising goes, having seen many of the socialising events, they are often what board people do when they have nothing better to do! I have also had to pick up the pieces when students have suffered anxiety and depression when they don't feel at all fulfilled either by the academic or the social side of uni.

I would see the horse as her bedrock. Unless she decides it is not working, whereupon it would be easy to bring the horse back, or even sell, as long as a deal is not made of the decision in the first place.

Having seen how intense and claustrophobic the whole living in halls experience can be, having an outside interest to keep some perspective, with friends that are not at all part of the uni group, is a great idea. Unless she decides it is not. Presumably she has some pride and confidence in her horse abilities, if things are tricky at uni then they will be a reservoir of self worth that can be collected.
 
I have just finished my first year of university and elected not to take my horse with me. I left her in field with a friends horses where she was checked daily when I wasn't there and then I came home wednesday daytimes and friday mornings through till sunday night each week to ride and spend some time with her as my university was only an hour away from home. Even just allocating a few hours, three days a week greatly impacted my university experience, I missed out on a lot of social events and struggled to maximise my independent study time as I spent a lot of time at the yard procrastinating. I struggled financially to fund my horse on my student loan as I didn't have the time to work in addition to my uni work and my parents do not fund anything horse related, apart from her insurance. I was constantly worried about money even though my mare is relatively cheap to keep as she lives out and only has front shoes so I only had to fund: feed, hay and shoes as I paid my livery rent upfront for the year while I working full time over the summer.
Although I did struggle, I am still so glad I didn't sell up before I went as my time riding and at the yard was a great stress reliever throughout the year and although it was hard work I did manage to keep on top of finances and my time commitments to both uni and horses. If I had had the parental support with the finances I think it would have made it all 10 x easier to manage; looking back I would also have gotten a sharer for her to help with the finances and with keeping her ridden when I was dealing with assessment deadlines and periods of heavy work.
 
My son was at the Sutton Bonnington campus of Nottingham reading vet med. there were a few student horses there and he and his friends were always willing to help muck out, turn out/in, rug and feed when the owner was away for beer and cake rather than monetary gain. They enjoyed the interaction too. If it is too time consuming or expensive have a rethink but at least she will have tried and will know it is not feasible.
 
billyncameo said:
Thank you. This would be DDs view of things. She is zero percent party animal/socialite, a very hard worker, a bit of a swot and wants to socialise mainly with people like her who like horses! I think she woukd be miserable without ponio. But i do worry too. Its no fun being 'different'!
Click to expand...

I would flip that on it's head and say learning to be happy WITHOUT a horse is a good thing, they are so all consuming and there's plenty of time in life for them. She might broaden her horizons a bit by socialising with people outside of a horsey circle, it's all part of the general uni experience. Good to experience other hobbies etc (that said I never took up any other hobbies or joined any societies at St Andrews, but I should have!). I am utterly horse obsessed and was as a teenager but even at 16 when I head off very young and immature to university, it never crossed my mind to take the horse. He was sold, it broke my heart (he is my user name!) and the minute I got my first "proper" job I got another straight away.

Don't regret it at all.
 
Michen said:
I would flip that on it's head and say learning to be happy WITHOUT a horse is a good thing, they are so all consuming and there's plenty of time in life for them. She might broaden her horizons a bit by socialising with people outside of a horsey circle, it's all part of the general uni experience. Good to experience other hobbies etc (that said I never took up any other hobbies or joined any societies at St Andrews, but I should have!). I am utterly horse obsessed and was as a teenager but even at 16 when I head off very young and immature to university, it never crossed my mind to take the horse. He was sold, it broke my heart (he is my user name!) and the minute I got my first "proper" job I got another straight away.

Don't regret it at all.
Click to expand...
I went to st Andrew’s too... great place with amazing memories

How is she going to cope with exams and a horse? Guess it depends what subject she’s thinking of doing but there is no way I’dve coped with the exam pressure and diy ing a horse (I did do medicine so it was a very full on course)
Maybe if I’d done a less intense subject idve been ok but I doubt it tbh
 
Ahhh I miss it so much! A really special place to go to uni, nothing else quite like it. Still got a red gown? 😃

blitznbobs said:
I went to st Andrew’s too... great place with amazing memories

How is she going to cope with exams and a horse? Guess it depends what subject she’s thinking of doing but there is no way I’dve coped with the exam pressure and diy ing a horse (I did do medicine so it was a very full on course)
Maybe if I’d done a less intense subject idve been ok but I doubt it tbh
Click to expand...
 
billyncameo said:
Thank you. This would be DDs view of things. She is zero percent party animal/socialite, a very hard worker, a bit of a swot and wants to socialise mainly with people like her who like horses! I think she woukd be miserable without ponio. But i do worry too. Its no fun being 'different'!
Click to expand...

your dd's views sound exactly like mine. I would let her take the horse for the first year in preference to any other year. It will provide a grounding for her and keep her happy. Without ponio she may be terribly miserable and even consider giving up if she just sees another 2 years without him. If she knows he can come home if she cannot cope it will remove the pressure on her.

you cannot make someone into a party animal nor can you make them want to enjoy the uni social experience.
It may turn out to be more difficult as the workload increases in which case perhaps the horse can stay back home for the odd term as needed.

I cannot see any advantage in "learning to be happy without a horse" it is simply a waste of life.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top