Taking my horse to uni

[Har17]

I’ve got to hand in my uni application this year, so that also comes with the question of do I take my horse to uni? Of course I would love to, there’s a livery yard a 7 minute drive from my first choice uni (if I don’t get in then of course that’ll be different) and there’s options to work there too to afford it. I likely won’t bring my horse for the first month or two so I can make friends etc but plan to after that. The obvious questions though is will I have time, will I have to make sacrifices to social life (I’m not really one for lots of nights outs though) , how will I balance revision etc.

if anyone here has done this before I’d love to hear your experiences

 

[J&S]

It will depend on what course/s you are doing. If you are going to study Vet science then you have virtually no spare time, (But some do manage it!). If you are doing some other courses you may have quite a bit of time.

 

[stangs]

Depends on what course you’re doing and how academic the university you're planning on going to is. You say the livery’s a 7 minute drive away - will you be able to afford a car? What are your plans if you don’t get into your first choice uni? What would be your plan for the holidays: would you stay at uni with horse, or expect it to move again when you go back home?

I had two friends who took horses to uni. One ended up very broke with a broken horse. The other had a blast until their third year, where their grades reflected how little time they’d had to study between work and the horse. The former regrets it, the later doesn’t.

 

[Caol Ila]

I brought my horse to uni, the first, second, third, and fourth time. That's an undergraduate degree, two masters degrees, and a PhD.

My undergraduate uni was an Ivy liberal arts college in the States, and I know this may shock some of you, but we worked way harder than I see the undergraduates working here (and harder than I worked on my two UK masters degrees). I had to write one 20 page paper a week, along with regular exams and whatever other coursework they required. Our grades were based on mostly coursework, not just finals (although we had them too), so you had to make a reasonable effort at that. I still had plenty of time for the horse. Are you going to be studying for ten hours a day? No, no you are not. I know people who try, but they probably spend more time footering on the internet than actually studying. She provided a needed mental and physical break from my dormroom, books, and computer. A few hour per day of exercise and being outside is good for you. It is. Really.

It is also true that it limits your opportunities, more so than your horseless peers. Semesters abroad are tricky, nor can you gallivant off to spend the summer traveling. That's the sacrifice you make. I did my undergrad 2000 miles away from my parents, and shipping myself and the horse home for the summer was not feasible. I had to find things to do on the East Coast -- jobs, internships, whatever. That was a bit tricky and the first year, I remember feeling envious of my friends who could just go home. But I figured it out. It was probably character building.

However, it does not limit your ability to make friends at uni. You can still do nights out at the pub. And while you won't have time to experiment with every club and society on the planet, you can manage something if you care enough about it. I was an active member of the mountaineering club during my PhD and masters #2. I also played in Irish traditional music sessions from my third year of undergrad onwards.

 

[EventingMum]

I would say it depends on many factors. It will certainly limit your social life if the horse is on DIY livery - no late nights drinking so you can drive to the yard the next morning, no lie-ins etc. Also, it will depend on your horse, does he/she need regular work or will they be ok with some downtime when your workload gets heavy? My son toyed with the idea of taking a horse to uni but as he was eventing to a reasonable standard at the time we elected to leave the horse at home as keeping an eventer fit enough was a big ask not to mention travelling to events etc. Instead, I kept his 3 horses going doing all the fittening etc and he flew home regularly to school and compete from March onwards. The flights cost less than livery would have done and allowed him to enjoy uni. He also got a job riding out racehorses and took a few lessons at a big well known yard so he was fit and had his eye in when he came home.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Honestly...I wouldn't. I teach at a university and in general if students are not in lectures every day (it depends on your course of course) then they are doing social or club activities or things with friends or working to pay the bills. I'd not bother for the first year and see how you feel after then. The first 3 months are usually full on in any case! Wait and see how you get on x

 

[GinaGeo]

I took mine and had plenty of time. He was on livery at the Uni though, so no travel time, and I could nip up between lectures.

I loved having him there, but I’m not the most sociable person. Having the horse to do was a great excuse ?

 

[Caol Ila]

I was speaking to OH about this thread and recalled a dim and distant memory from undergrad days. I joined the first year choir, and it was great. Only a rehearsal or two a week, and we only sang at a couple gigs during the semester. It did not interfere with horse time or anything else. However, all the second, third and fourth year students who wanted to sing had to be in the Super Serious Choir. They had many rehearsals per week and gallivanted all over the East Coast for concerts. There were also a cappella groups, which required even more extreme levels of time and devotion. After speaking to the choir director, I realized that this was not really tenable with the horse. And I was okay with that. Choir was a wee fun sideline, but I'd rather dedicate myself to my horse than to that.

The point of that anecdote is that whether or not bringing the horse makes sense depends on how you feel about uni, what you want out of it, life (and finances). There are opportunities at universities -- sports clubs, music, whatever -- that could be huge commitments. Your horse would probably preclude you from being involved in those things. There are also clubs and societies which aren't huge commitments, so it's not like you can't do stuff. You just have to choose the stuff a bit more wisely. If you want the opportunity to join an a cappella group or a committing sports club, then you should leave the horse. If you don't care and you'd rather have your horse, then take it.

 

[ponynutz]

Not for your first year.

Just finished my first year and it is very hectic. University wise it the work load is difficult to come to grips with especially because assignments and exams come in 'bursts' rather than consistently so you go from having very little to do and then all of a sudden a lot - you have to get used to how to work to not make it very stressful. That's before we even talk about the raise in standard you have to get used to.

Socially first year is also very hectic. Yes, you could do it and miss nights out and day/evening times out to restaurants, fairs, shopping trips etc but uni is a very lonely place and you really need friends. Establish those friendships before you bring your horse into the mix.

Second and third year it all calms down a bit... or so my older friends have told me.

It certainly can be done but it comes at a cost - to your money, time, and quality of life. It really depends on how much horses need to be a part of your life.

Depending on where you're going there might be an equestrian club. I did this - you can either compete and ride 3x a week or do it recreationally and ride every week (or when you can afford a lesson). Might be a better idea for first year.

You'll also be home more often than you think. You'll go to visit your friends at home, for family stuff, for birthdays and then holidays add up to more months than terms do.

That's my honest advice, sorry if it's a bit disappointing.

(All of this being said I am a music student and so have much more extra curricular activities than most. BUT I can imagine my friends all saying a similar thing as I have above anyway).

 

[AntiPuck]

I can't imagine having had one at uni, it would have been a huge distraction, particularly in the first year, and have precluded me from trying new things, meeting people, exploring, developing new interests, travelling in the holidays etc.

If you've never had the chance to do these things before, never lived away from home etc., I'd vote not to have the horse with you for the first year at least.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

I said no to daughter taking horse to Uni believing that she needed to immerse herself in the experience without other responsibilities. But she was the intake of 2019 and the COVID lock downs were awful ..if she had had her horse nearby she might have found things a bit easier…maybe…

 

[blitznbobs]

It really depends on what course you are doing — if you are doing a science based course usually you will be in lectures labs or tutorials all day monday to friday and if you are out doing the horse every evening then you will miss out on what I remember as the best time of my life… if you are doing arts based courses then there is usually a lot more free time during the day so if you are the type of person that reads way into the night then you probably will have time for horses, work and social life.

do not underestimate importance of the social bonds at uni - if you are a long way from home they are your only support through the rough times

 

[Caol Ila]

I am monumentally grateful that my parents left it up to me. We could afford it, so that wasn't an issue, and they were not like, "You must have new experiences, dammit." That was my choice to make.

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Compared to life Uni is a doddle. But it’s a huge step up from school and for many quite overwhelming.

Leave the horse at home and enjoy the luxury of learning, making new friends and having new experiences.

 

[xxcharlottexx]

I found a loaner for mine (was actually my mum and dad's neighbour) and he stayed on the same yard at home. My course was fairly intense, we did 3 modules every 5 weeks each required an exam and 2 pieces of course work. I started at 9am 3 days a week and did practicals 3 afternoons a week which often went on until 5-6pm. I could have found time for the horse but then I wouldnt have done badminton several times a week, trampolining, the hiking group. I also worked 2 nights a week to as well as usually 3 nights out per week with friends. I guess I had the best of both worlds as loaner let me ride when I came home and the occasional weekend but I was glad I got to enjoy the full uni experience

 

[sarcasm_queen]

I took mine to Uni.
I did a very full on, busy course. Rode 3/4 times a week, did social things and still had plenty of time for my pony.
it helped that I could afford to have him on full livery though.
I’d 100% do it again.

 

[maya2008]

I would have enjoyed uni more with a horse. I took up running instead, which took about the same amount of time but wasn’t quite as fulfilling. I did a science based course - busy but the workload was steady and there was plenty of time for other things. Car plus horse plus uni would be very expensive though…!

 

[Supercalifragilistic]

I took two event horses to uni. It was a full on course (oxbridge, science degree) and I didn’t feel that I missed out on anything. I did have to keep them secret from my tutors! They were on full livery at an event yard although I rode them most days but was able to delegate some fast work and hacking to the yard. It involved some very early mornings, and thankfully the terms were only 8 weeks long. The oxbridge college system probably helped because everything social life wise was on my doorstep and it didn’t take long to get to the yard.

I guess it depends on how committed you are, I came out with a 2:1 and did my first 3* (would now be called a 4*) later that summer. I do remember being very very tired at times….

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I think it depends what you are studying, what your approach to studying is, and what your priorities are.

My degrees are in classics and law, and I did an awful lot of reading because I prefer to put the work in up front and use lectures as consolidation/ revision. This did mean that I managed my workload very evenly, so I seldom had time issues that would have prevented me from riding.

I also have never liked crowds, sticky student pubs and clubs, cheap alcohol or loud drunk people. I did have a social life though, it just mainly revolved around dinner parties with friends which could go on to all hours and through vast quantities of wine.

I don’t think I could have done DIY but I can’t see why you wouldn’t be able to manage on part or full livery.

I think my final two years of school were more time pressured, mainly because my schedule was more managed. I remember being at school from about 7am and classes ran until 4pm and then I’d need to ride, and then do homework in the evenings, and theatre or rehearsals at night a few times a week, and school on Saturdays - exhausting! At uni, I had the ability to manage my own time which worked better for me.

So if you’ve come out of a pressured school schedule, and you’re a focused sort of person then you might find university has plenty of space for horse time.

 

[scats]

I didn’t go away to uni, but I kept 3 horses on DIY while doing my degree. I didn’t really do the uni social life though, that wasn’t my thing.
It was hard but doable. My course for my first degree wasn’t hugely intense though, but uni was a 45 minute drive away, longer in bad traffic, so that ate into my time.
The hardest part was when one of mine got strangles in the final few months of my degree. He was really unwell and I was trying to juggle him, my dissertation, revising for exams… plus keep my other two horses from catching it. That was a bit of a nightmare!

 

[Annagain]

I wouldn't do it for the first year (or at all to be honest). I had non-horsey parents and a horse from 14 onwards, first as a share then on loan, doing everything myself. Going to uni (when he was on loan from my yard) without him was the best thing I ever did. For the first time since I had him, I had no responsibility to anyone other than myself, I could go on the nights out and stay out as I wasn't up early to turn out or ride or compete. The bonding over mutual hangovers with breakfast in the greasy spoon is as important as the nights out. Being able to nip to the pub, or the cinema etc at the last minute or just sitting around watching Neighbours (god rest its soul) of an early evening or joining in other sports is a big part of student life and making friends. I wouldn't have changed it for the world.

 

[jessss]

I took my young eventer to university with me first year, have to say I wouldn't recommend. He was on full livery and exercised twice a week but I still struggled balancing uni work, social life and horse.

However I was doing physiotherapy as a degree so pretty intense hours, really do think it depends on the degree as some of my friends had hours spare time. Secondly I put a lot of precedent on my social life, and would end up riding hungover, not wanting to compete on weekends because of things I'd be missing etc so does depend how important all that is to you x

 

[Har17]

I took my young eventer to university with me first year, have to say I wouldn't recommend. He was on full livery and exercised twice a week but I still struggled balancing uni work, social life and horse.

However I was doing physiotherapy as a degree so pretty intense hours, really do think it depends on the degree as some of my friends had hours spare time. Secondly I put a lot of precedent on my social life, and would end up riding hungover, not wanting to compete on weekends because of things I'd be missing etc so does depend how important all that is to you x

Thank you! Out of curiosity, what courses did your friends do? I’m considering business management or psychology

 

[Har17]

I would have enjoyed uni more with a horse. I took up running instead, which took about the same amount of time but wasn’t quite as fulfilling. I did a science based course - busy but the workload was steady and there was plenty of time for other things. Car plus horse plus uni would be very expensive though…!

Yes I’m currently trying to figure out the car situation! I don’t have a car yet so don’t know what actual costs would be, however I have calculated costs for my horses including travel and I’d I get a part time job I can afford it fine, again, time mangement is a biggie however especially with exams, and it depends on the course I choose. Atm I’m considering business or psychology

 

[Har17]

I took mine to Uni.
I did a very full on, busy course. Rode 3/4 times a week, did social things and still had plenty of time for my pony.
it helped that I could afford to have him on full livery though.
I’d 100% do it again.

Thank you what course did you do?

 

[sarcasm_queen]

Thank you what course did you do?

Maths. Was about 30 hour of lectures a week, and then another 20 or so of worksheets/assignments.
I still had plenty of time to do social stuff, and I’ve never been much of a drinker, so I wasn’t sad to miss out on all the clubbing fun.

 

[jessss]

Thank you! Out of curiosity, what courses did your friends do? I’m considering business management or psychology

My housemate did business and he was at uni max 15 hours a week. Can't say about psychology but sure you can ask the course what contact hours are. I was at uni from 900-500 pretty much every day except Wednesday afternoons off - and the hospital we were taught at was 35 min drive away from where we lived first year so added time on.

Something else to consider is distance from halls (or where you will be living) to yard, as it was 40 mins for me to get out of Nottingham and to the yard (worse during rush hour)- which also was a big factor in it being challenging. Added basically 1.5 hours onto each trip.