Unsure what to do with my horse...help!

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I am hopefully (!!) starting uni (better late than never!) in september and I am at a loss as to what to do with my horse. I am definatly NOT going to sell, she is a bit of a funny character that could easily end up in the wrong hands getting passed from pillar to post.

I have applied to five unis two of which I could live at home and commute every day and the other three are all at least an hour and a halfs drive away so I would be living in halls.
I am trying to weigh up my options and pick the best one for my horse and not for me...I will obviously have very limited funds.
I thought I should start thinking about this now as I want to get it sorted before I go.

I thought about loaning her to college, part sharing her, full loaning her private (but would have to be at my yard), loaning her to stud as nanny for yearlings (shes done this job before)..........

Any ideas, thoughts, experiences much appritiated
 
If you're moving away, could you take her with you? Either keeping her at uni yard (depending on the uni) or a local yard?
Good luck whatever you decide :)
 
I think you've thought of all the best options, only you can chose as only you know your horse and what she would cope with.

The only other things to consider would be very cheap grass livery so you can keep her yourself but drop her work down to a level that is manageable.

As well as colleges for loans, consider GOOD riding schools or where to train centres. She could perhaps go on working livery so you could continue to ride when you are around but she would be cared for the rest of the time.
 
I really dont think I could afford it as all I will have is my student loan and maybe a bit of pocket money if I get a part time job and it would mean her moving back for the summer and then back again. :confused:
 
Hey, I kept my horse while at uni and she came to uni with me. I was however fortunate to have financial help from my parents for her livery and also through my student loan. Which i appreciated so much.

I would never consider loaning to the college because there will be all sorts of people riding her, good, bad and people who will not understand her ways. Things won't be done the way you like to do things etc.

Is there any way you can find a small livery yard near the uni?
I was at Hartpury and some of my friends in second year moved to livery yards near by which worked out really well for them and A LOT cheaper.

Definately put your education first, it would be such a shame to spend money on tuition fees and then not be happy with what you came out with because you chose a uni to suit your horse and not yourself...or you didnt get the grades you wanted because your horse took up too much time and worry.

Think carefully about what would be best for you and your horse.
Some lectures start at 8.30am and some finish a 6/7pm so early starts and late finishes means it's hard work but if you can juggle all those things it's very rewarding come the end of 3/4 years.
 
I think if it was me my first choice would be a part loan or share......

Although if there was a yard that I trusted I'd consider working livery.

But if you want the full uni experience without the financial and time drain of a horse (and I wouldn't blame you) I'd look for a suitable person to full loan her.
 
katt - I agree I think if I moved away it would be difficult to do everything and having her there would mean I'd have to get a part time job to pay, leaving me with even less time.
I know if I can stay at home I can keep her where she is as get a part loaner but everyone knows how over subscribed uni is this year and I'm going for a popular course aswel so want to keep options open.
 
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If you need to keep her in work then a well vetted full loan would be my choice. If she doesn't need to stay in work then I'd give her a nice long holiday nannying on loan at the stud. You say she's done this before so you know she's suitable and I'm assuming you'll alreday have contacts you are happy to send her to (?) :)

If I had my undergrad days again I'd def live away and I wouldn't want the time and finicial restraints of having a horse along with me.
 
Full loaning at your yard sounds like the best option, although obviously could be very tricky to find a loaner.

If you have a good college near you that you trust, then I would loan her to them. It will keep her in work and it will mean much less stress for you money-wise. However, really make sure that it's a good one, visit her lots and make sure that she isn't being ridden by complete numpties - you don't want a ruined horse!

If you can't find one you like, sending her to nanny yearlings sounds like a really good idea. She will have a nice break and will be very well looked after. The yearlings will keep her young too :)
 
Seriously think about about good working livery.

I had a horse on loan, on DIY livery while at uni. Was hard both in terms of time (mucking out at 3 am because your driving back from placement and there's a crash on the motorway, and you have to get back to your placement for 8 the next morning is NO fun) and money (amazing how many relatively inexpensive bits and pieces you end up buying on DIY which make a real dent in a tiny student loan). (And I had the benefit of her owner doing half the week - sharing is still a big commitment around finals!)

I'm now qualified and have my current (also loaned) boy on working livery. It works really well - because he's working my livery bills really low, all his basic care is included I don't buy all the odds and ends I did previously. More importantly he looks happy and is working well. When I do have time off I can ride without worrying about over doing it as he's kept fit.

Good yards value good horses- its in their intreast to keep them sound and happy in work so they give clients a good ride.
Obviously it depends on the quality of the yards around home/uni but definitely worth considering.
 
I took my horse to uni with me. I kept him at a DIY yard 15 mins away from where I was living.
Put it this way looking after a horse at uni is 100% easier than looking after a horse with a full-time job! You usually have 2-4 hours of lectures a day for a full time degree so plenty of time to do your horse! Yes you should spend 3/4 hours studying as well (I didn't , I managed to get away with much, much less but I did only get a 2.2) but the libary is open to 9pm and when you study is flexible so can be fitted in around horse easily, much easier than working in a full time job from 9-5.30 a day.

I also didn't have a problem bringing him home during holidays, I just brought him back to my local DIY yard at home, you have really long summer holidays. I did leave him behind one Christmas though as I was only home for 2 weeks as I wanted to go back ;).

Lots of my friends took their horses too, some of them never went home after uni but set up their lives where we were at uni and still live in the area :)

The only thing is because you will only be able to have a part time job finance could be an issue. My parents helped me with the livery for my horse which was very generous. However there is bound to be someone at uni with you who is horsey and may be dying to share your horse with you?

Another option is to put your mare on working livery at a yard near your uni. My friends sister has done that and all she pays is for his shoes. The yard pay everything else and look after him, she just goes up to ride when she wants. However it does mean lots of people riding your horse.

To me having a horse at uni was a good thing, it gave me exercise and a nice hack can really help with exam pressure. I fitted in my friends easily, I went out most nights! Getting up in the morn to do my horse before a lecture helped to get me out of bed lol!
 
Not sure where you are but some of the equine colleges take horses on for the students studying for their exams. I think it depends on how good your horse is but the one I went to took different sorts. You have to sign their care over to them but they cover everything and you can normally have them back during the hols. Maybe worth enquiring:confused:
 
First year i was on campus early mornings so had to be on the yard for 7.30 at the latest. I lived in a hall with 3 other girls who had horses so we'd knock on each others door to get us up. Evenings we'd all go and ride together or go on hack in the afternoon. We'd all help each other along and make ourselves go out in the freezing snow to ride, luckily the indoor is heated. We would do each others horses if someone wanted to go home for the w/e.
First year was a bit of a 40% job and just got through with too much socialising.

2nd year I moved off campus but kept Bambee onsite. I stopped drinking and never went out in my 2nd year at all. I had a couple of good friends on the yard who would do bambee for me when i went home which was a lot as had a bf at home by this time. I worked so hard spent all my free time in the library doing work, which paid off and am really happy with my results.

I would ride at 6.30 in the mornings and find myself getting back to my little annex at about 9pm and crashing. There were days where i could ride in the middle of the day which was nice. Also competed when i could as they held lots of shows at hartpury.

I'm now in my 3rd year and have bambee at home in somerset and im driving up to lectures, still very hard work and tiring. I also have a part time job at home working on a livery yard and riding for someone too. Somehow i still find time to ride my two and study and see the bf.lol.
 
"If you need to keep her in work then a well vetted full loan would be my choice. If she doesn't need to stay in work then I'd give her a nice long holiday nannying on loan at the stud. You say she's done this before so you know she's suitable and I'm assuming you'll alreday have contacts you are happy to send her to (?)"

She doesn't really NEED to stay in work, shes not one that will blow it's brains if she's not worked for weeks, in fact she's the same behaviour wise as where I left her! I actually dont have any stud contacts....maybe I should ring a few? :S


I want to keep her in my home town if I dont take her coz I'll be back most weekends and there really are hardly any riding achools and not any I would describe as good lol.
Do you think someone would full loan with the restraint of having to stay at my current yard?

Also, I'm not doing a horsey course, so how likely is it they'll be other horsey folk around?!
 
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