Those of you at Uni- what have you done with your horses?!

floradora09

floradora09

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Doing lots of careers stuff at school at the moment and starting to mull over possible Uni courses (I'm currently in year 11). I own a lovely TB who'll be 19 when I go off, despite being a bit older he's just awesome and is teaching me the ropes of eventing.

I really can't imagine selling him, nor can I imagine not riding at all while I'm at Uni! I've not done any research but I don't see how taking a horse with me to Uni is a viable option either. My poor long-suffering non-horsey parents who've put up of years of feeding in the winter evenings and towing me around the countryside at weekends, however much they like my horse, understandably don't want to (or have the knowledge to!) look after him for me.

So how do the horse-addicted on here cope?! I want to continue to progress with my riding and competing while/after uni too if possible! Does anyone loan? Share? What other wacky ideas have you come up with? :D
 
I think it depends on where you want to go, and how much money you have tbh! I sold mine when I went to uni, but he was 9 and our relationship was coming to its end anyway (the little g*t!). You might be able to take on with you and get a sharer, or loan out at home and just ride him in the holidays?
 
After I'd been at uni a while I loaned out my main pony, and the second one was always shared with my sister. Whilst on the summer holiday after my first year I got my current horse, a 4YO :rolleyes: As a compromise I live about an hour from uni, and an hour from home, so I can still go to uni and ride 5 or 6 times a week if I spend a lot of time travelling :)
 
I!! bought my horse in year 2!!!


Couldnt be without her, shes my escape from uni!

I admit sometimes i could do without the extra itme away from books....however its my escape (and yes i bought her out my loan :D )

I pay for her, my car etc but live at home! Im in my final year now and believe me theres no time to breathe! But shes on part livery (sorted in the mornings) so without that i couldnt cope!

Wheres theres a will........ ;-)
 
I'm in my first year and have brought my boy with me :D. It was horrible here with out him for the first week but now hes here its fab. It really depends on your timetable and the yard your on, I have very few days where I'm in lectures untill its dark and when I do it doesnt matter as the yard dont care when horses come in and mine doesnt care about being out last. The only thing is I will have to saccrafice competing as much as I would like during term time as its a bit far for my parents to come down and take us out but the summer holidays are long so we will make the most of that :).
 
My friend has gone to uni and I look after her horse for her (for nothing) though her horse has the winters off as I'm not confident enough to ride her.

I think its rare to get this kind of deal though! I have done this because I used to own the horse! (mine and hers on the same yard though)
 
Never had a horse but am at uni. I did consider getting my first horse while in my first year of uni however, this plan was foiled when I realised that I have no money! I missed riding soooo much as I didn't have a car at uni to get to lessons so had to rely on taxis which cost as much as the lesson did to get me there even when I was sharing with two other people. I honestly don't know how people afford to have horses at uni though I am seriously considering getting a car. Sorry, probably not much help but good luck whatever you decide!
 
ahhh well, my horse decideed to go and be lame and have operations and the likes :rolleyes: so i don't have that much of a problem riding wise. I also live at home and uni is 20 miles away so really i still get to see her every day and spend loads of time with her but the boyfriend seems to be loosing out on his attention time :p
It also depends what degree yoyre doing, im doing psychology and am there 9 hours a week so i have LOADS of time off. Wheras he's doing Physics and is in around 20 hours a week.
In a round about way things have worked out for me, but the answer to your Q really depends on how far your uni is from you and what course you're doing.
But i agree with another post, where there's a will there's a way!:D
 
Thanks for the replies :)

Hmm.. will assume I'll have no money and won't live at/near home, so may be relying on where there's a will there's a way! :p Think I won't be able to think very seriously about it until I have a better idea of where I go and what I'll be doing, but perhaps a loan/share agreement may be the way forward! :D
 
I loaned my horse out for a term during my first year of uni and was horrific, she came back emaciated, with sores all on her withers from her loaners not taking rug off. Had really bad mudfever, was rearing out on hacks AND she was lame, shes never been once and I've had her for 7 years! And they were family friends, was so upsetting :( I was keeping an eye on her, but there was a month I didn't see her and thats when it all happened. Now shes with me at uni and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!
Milly
 
I live at home so didn't have to move mine, so not much help. I do know a few others that have moved their horses with them to uni. They are kept on full livery at a show jumping yard - her parents are pretty well off.

Could you not try and find a DIY yard close by to the uni's your thinking of applying to? Your options would otherwise be sell, loan, or get your parents to look after him and just try to get home as much as possible.
 
My daughter is in the first year of Uni, luckily the course she wanted was on offer at our local uni so she lives at home. The horse is stabled about a mile from us and on the way to uni so it works out quite well. If she has late lectures I can go down for her. We have decided that if it gets too much for her further into the course we will put the horse out on loan, luckily we have a few friends who would love to have her so hopefully it shouldn't be a problem.
 
It probably depends what course your doing. I'm in my final year doing a Bsc in Equine Science. I currently own my event horse (off with fractured withers) a just backed youngster, my old retired mare and 2 horses that live out full time as they were abandoned on my yard. I also have a horse that I look after on 5 day livery and 17 DIY liveries that I do additional services for, for example in the week I usually bring in around an extra 5/6 horses that are not my own. My life is manic with it's fair share of 4.45am alarms especially as I am now starting my dissertation but ultimatly I wouldn't have it any other way as my degree was more of a way of delaying life before the yard took off but thats happened a lot quicker than I intended!
It depends what you want to do intially I went to uni with one horse but couldn't hack the getting in at 4am and being at the yard for 7am so I returned home and went to the local uni. However, i didn't have a horse for around 9 months of my A-levels so I kind of got everything out my system then so i've never felt that i've missed out!
So yes it can be done but it depends entirely on whether you want to be responsibility free and what course your doing medecine takes more dedication than equine science!
I'm 20 btw and permanantly broke!!
 
I plan to stay at home to go to uni and keep my horse. Wish I could go away but there's no way I would sell him and I have tried and failed to get a loan home for him.
 
I'm off to Uni in September (hopefully!). I'll be taken my current horse and a project with me. They will be stabled near by as I'm not planning on going to a city uni.

I know it's going to be a lot of hard work and I'll have no spare time, but I wouldn't want it that way. I've done it for 3 years now as I have a non-horsey family, work and go to college - so I'm sort of prepared!
 
I sold mine before i went to uni and regretted it ever since!

I did biology and had about 20 hours of lectures/practicals a week, but still had loads of free time that i could of spent with my horse. Time shouldnt be an issue, i currently work 45 hours a week and still fit riding in. There were about 3/4 DIY livery yards within 10 miles of uni, and all offering cheaper prices than at home! I had no problems with money either, affording a new car and 2 holidays a year courtesy of the government ;)

To get my 'fix' I shared various horses for free, you really dont need to look very hard to find to find someone offering rides for a bit of help. I did go to aberystwyth though so plenty of countryside around, might be harder if your planning on going to a more metropolitan uni.

Id say go for it, its definatly do-able :)
 
I put my horse out on loan when I was 18 so I could go and work abroad so she was still on loan when I went to uni aged 21. She came back from loan at the beginning of my final year so I combined horses and studying through my final year of my first degree and then on through my masters. It is perfectly doable as long as you expect to work part time (by which I mean something like 25 hours a week, preferably something like coaching a sport or tutoring, better than minimum wage, and don't tell your uni how much you are working), don't expect to have as much of a social life as your non-horsey friends, and you can drive. It is all a matter of priorities really. If you want it badly enough, you will make it work. It is certainly a lot easier than having a full-time job and a horse!
 
Thanks everyone for the good advice. :)

My parents can't really afford to pay for livery at a nice big full livery yard, so that rules that one out.

Inky09/unbalanced- Good point about responsibility and social life, depending on the course. I'm looking to find a midway point really; so not having to constantly worry/have a horse as my priority (you only go to uni once!!) but I am sure I will need some contact or I may go insane! :D

Cathey- Yes I fear that may happen to me, I guess you just don't know until you try really! Maybe play the first term by ear until I've worked out how much spare time I'll have etc.. :)
 
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