university and your horse

J

JessMannion

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So in 2years i will be off to uni... but will my horse? How many off you took yours? is it hard? who choose to sell? why?
i know its a while off but i just wondered
thanks
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I have left my two on loan, I would struggle to find the time to go to a yard do the work and go to uni, nevermind a social life but if I had transport it would be much much easier.
 
I had a horse in diy livery while I was at uni. I had to work f/t in McDonalds to pay for it, as well as studying!! Plus I seemed to spend my entire life on the train going back & forth. I made it work, but I also ended up with glandular fever...

If you want to do it, now's the time to start your preparation. If I had my time again, I'd have started saving up by getting a job earlier before I went. I'd have thought about working livery or seeing if I could work on a yard in exchange for livery.

Also, do some research on where you'll live & where the horse could live, & try to find a reasonable fit. Will you have a car, scooter, bike etc?

It *can* work, but you need to be v organised & disciplined & not mind being in McD's or traipsing off to do morning stables when everyone else is getting drunk & lying in...
 
I started Uni in october and took 3 with me, although one is now on box rest and am going to have to part with one of them as it is difficult with them all in to manage work and play! x
 
My horse has really affected my uni work - not because of the time I spend riding, but because I am too depressed that I can't ride her due to injury and therefore have no motivation to do uni work! I got into a lovely little routine last winter, uni until 5pm, back to ride my horse, home at 7pm for quick dinner before doing some assignment work then off to bed. I live at home though and uni is 30 minutes away so it's not a problem for me. I'm also on an equine course so my workload has only this year become a properly heavy uni-style workload. It's definately possible but it depends on what course you'll be doing, where you and your horse will live, and whether you are dedicated enough to be going to bed at 1am because your horse was a bugger schooling that night and you had to finish an assignment to hand in the next day!
 
Im half way through my first year at uni & I sold my horse last August primarily because I felt it was unfair to keep him waiting for me, he was the sort that needed a lot of work & care & I felt it would have been selfish of me to keep him.

As it stands Im at uni, still riding at least weekly & im still in contact with my horses new owners who love him to death. Im so glad I could let him go!
 
I was planning to take mine with me if I went to warwick, I stayed with my friend for a week there and although theres was a big social life, there was also a lot of free time where I could have spent a few hours at the yard. As it is I'm going to UCL now in London, so horse can stay where he is (just outside of London) and will probably go on either part livery or weekly-loan If I can find someone. If I can't then he will go out on full loan for a year whilst I'm living in central london and then come home when I move home again!
 
Im off in october and i plan to take my mare with me. Ive had a look at the yards etc in the area and think i know where i will keep her. She will be on Part livery as i dont want to have to go up twice a day.

Tbh ive kept my mare on DIY throughout all of school and ive always done her (parents totally non-horsey) and maintained a social life. I think if you really want to keep a horse you can make it happen but be prepared to put the hard work in.

My horse is such an 'escape' from life for me i think i would go mad if i couldnt go and see her. Also ive put so much work into her (backing her etc) i dont just want to sell her to someone else to enjoy! PLUS she has so many quirks she is worth alot more to me than she would be anyone else. Im thinking that i may put her into foal in my last year and she can go home to our yard if it all gets too busy.
 
I live at home - 80 miles away from my Uni - and travel in each day, so that I can do my horse before and after I've been in. I'm in my second year now and it has worked perfectly for me - I've actually saved money by doing it! It means I spend about 5 hrs a day travelling, but I could never have sold my girl! I would seriously recommend thinking about it if you're not the sort of person to want to go out and get p1ssed every night!
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I put mine out on loan and then sold him to the lady in my third year. I was not aloud a car at Uni so it would have been tooo difficult. Also money would have been really tight, particularly as he needed to be out competing regularly
 
I'm starting in September, and TBH it has been a bit of a headache.

Now I've decided to keep him at his current yard and have him on full livery, and get a sharer/loaner to exercise him. (I call 'part livery' 'full livery' BTW.)

I looked into bringing him with me, but I want to put loads of effort into uni and I want a social life, plus he's happy where he is, I know he'll get an excellent standard of care and I can come back and visit.

I have always paid for everything for him myself, but my lovely mum and step dad have offered to pay for half to ease money worries.

I did think about selling but he really is the ideal horse for me and I want him there at the end of it all
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