Term time break for horse - awful idea?

[ZoeCharlotte]

I'm not a frequent poster, more of a silent observer, so please be gentle!

I've been working for rides at a local livery for the best part of 8 months and made loads of friends, including a girl with one year left at school before she goes to uni. At the moment she rides her horse 3-4 times a week and they compete infrequently but happily at a reasonable level. She's planning to go to uni and, under the assumption it'll be hours away, has been thinking about keeping her horse on full livery while she's away at uni during the term and riding her during the holidays, which will obviously be long.

My job involves exercising a wide variety of horses when their owners request or can't make it up that day, but I've never heard or someone doing this before. The horse would be practically out of work for two to three months during autumn/winter, and again for two to three months in the spring. It'll maybe be hacked once a week and be turned out 24/7 the rest of the time.

Her parents have talked about putting the horse on loan for the time she's at uni, which sounds like a better idea, but she's upset about not having a horse to ride. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with anything like this? I'll be going to uni this coming year, and have other friends with horses who have other plans, including living at home and commuting. I'm interested to hear people's opinions! Thanks in advance!

 

[be positive]

Other than the expense of keeping a horse that is not in work on livery I can see no problem with the idea, if it gets plenty of turnout and its daily needs met. She will obviously have an unfit horse when she gets back, I would probably arrange for it to start some slow work just before each main holiday starts.

Horses always used to have a complete break, hunters would have summer off, show horses, eventers etc would have had a long post season holiday, bringing them back to work slowly pre season.

 

[rachel_s]

Used to be very common - a friend did this as she was at boarding school... It was in the eighties.....

 

[Star_Chaser]

Shame you can't organise a horse swap... there will be lots of people in the same situation some going off to universities miles from home and staying on campus. Even if it was just to ride and exercise or maybe compete if you got the right swaps.

According to the UCAS website there are over 300 institutions in the UK 115 of those are universities the rest are colleges or other higher education facilities.

Someone could have a nice little business there.... Might pay for a few books anyway

You only need break it down into type so competition - happy hackers, rider/horse weight range, rider and horse ability, cost/contribution, location.

 

[TandD]

im going to take my 2 with me!!! even if it means getting up at 5am every morning and not getting 'home' till 10pm...im not going anywhere without them whereever i go

 

[mandwhy]

I'm sure the horse won't mind! Lots of people do it or put them on loan, uni is only 3 years after all and my summer holidays are super long. I have a horse at uni but I live here anyway. Would probably rather take them with me if far away personally but depends on how cost would work out.

 

[smellsofhorse]

The horse wont mind having time off.

As long as she doesnt push the horse too much and remenbers it will be unfit then i wont be too much of a problem.
But she cant expect to go out competing.

If shes paying for full livery cant she get horse ridden a few times a week as well?

 

[Farasi]

I did it when I went to uni. My mum looked after my horse but didn't have time to ride too so he had term time off. At the time it was perfect for him as he needed time to grow and mature. I was gonna take him but I'm glad I didn't uni was an amazing social experience as well as a learning one and having a horse there would have made my time so different. Three years flies by! The horse will be fine!

 

[PolarSkye]

I think it depends entirely on the horse, really. For a generally healthy horse with no underlying conditions that meant being out of work would cause a problem, then possibly - as long as the horse was brought back into work slowly and carefully.

However, I wouldn't/couldn't do this with mine . . . he has navicular which means he must work as often as possible (on decent ground, of course) to stay sound and although he muscles up quite quickly, he does lose fitness rather quickly too . . . so it's steady, regular work for him.

P