What would you do? please read if you have a horse and are at uni!!

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superstar565

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I would really like to know what you would do in this situation.

I am 16 and have just done my GCSEs (got the results today, 6A*s and 4As so I was pretty
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). I have a 4yo mare who I have been backing. She seems to be coming on well but as you all know it is a slow process. I started quite late with her because of GCSE comitments.

My dilema is this...In 2 years times I will be off to uni (as I don't think I will be taking a gap year). At the moment I think that having a horse and going to uni may be a bit unrealistic..? That would mean that if I still have my mare then she will probably go out on loan...or maybe even sold. This leaves me 2 years to bring her on and get out with her because what I really love doing is competing/hunting/pc etc and I havent been doing any of that since the beginning of this year!
I did have a thought that I try and sell Suzie(my mare) or maybe even loan her to someone who has the time to spend with a youngster. I will also be doing my A-levels these coming 2 years so will be spending a lot of time studying. If I did sell her then I would probably get a horse with experience to go out and compete and hunt...something that I can get more expereince on and compete a higher levels.
Another thing, Suzie is just below 15hh and I'm 5'8 and quite leggy, I saw some pictures of me on her today and I do look big.

Sorry this has turned out so long...I just really am at a loss at what to do!!! Please ask me if anything doesn't seem that clear!!
 
I took my horse to uni with me, couldn't bare to part with her! I suppose with regards to education, it would be more beneficial for you not to have to worry about horses etc, however i know i couldn't even contemplate doing that!
 
Why the stress?? Two years is such a long time.

Keep your pony, enjoy bringing her on and then take her to uni.

It is all perfectly doable.
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im not at uni but am about to start my a-levels aswell. i have a horse but am lucky enough that my mum is very involved with her. if i was in your situation, i would loan her out to someone you know will look after her and treat her like a baby but make sure you or a parent regularly checks how shes doing. that way, when you finish uni, you will still have a horse to come home to and as shes young, you will hopefully have her along time.thats what id personaly do because i couldnt bear to sell my mare as ive had her 7 years!! Good luck with ur A-Levels!!no how stressful it is!

xxx
 
To Amymay..So ture...I'm just really thinkg about what I want to do.
I miss competeing so much and it's coming up to the hunting season too.

And the loaning sounds like a good idea.
 
A levels are really intense, i found them harder work than Uni, apart from the final term of course. 3 or 4 subjects in 2 years rather than 1 in 3 years. Uni was a doss by comparison.. and i didn't get a rubbish grade either! so, don't underestimate how much work you'll have to do for your A levels.
i think the main problem is really her size, if she's just not going to be big enough for you then long-term you prob do need to sell her. if you know someone who would buy her, and you can bear to part with her, i'd do that probably and get an older horse who won't need concentrated training, and who you can have fun on.
i took a horse to Uni too but it isn't a cheap option (obviously) and it depends hugely on what subject you are doing... my mates doing Engineering degrees had to do 9-5 every day, whereas i had 11 hours a week... plenty of time to visit horse every day!
 
Just going into 4th year at uni. I have had a horse from day 1 and had no problems. If you have help to finance, and you are prepared to accept that it will mean you can socialise a little less than the average uni student, then there's no problem. It's completely doable.
 
Well...in two years I will be finished at Moreton Morrell, not sure where Doug will be then, hopefully will still have him...but if she does come up for loan I will be VERY interested...
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I have just graduated from a top uni (St Andrews) and was a bit backwards, I took my horse to uni for the final year. I would loved to have had her at uni from day 1 but parents werent convinced.

It is definately do able, infact I had more time for her at uni than I did at school. But it does depend on what subject you do, which uni you go to and how far the yard is from where you will be living. Also how are you going to fund everything.

I am very lucky that my mum pays for my horse and also supplements my living costs on top of my part time job and student loan. I was still skint and am still in my overdraft.

I am off to uni again next year to do my MSc and was planning on taking her to uni again but my car has failed its MOT and too expensive to repair so she is staying at home. I will just come home as much as possible to ride her.

But you do have 2 years to decide what to do, alot can happen in that time.
 
I bought my horse whilst I was at Uni, loaned her before that, but I lived at home and communted to Uni cos it was only a 45 minute drive and I only had max 10 hours of lectures a week! I am anti-social so didn't miss the whole clubbing thing, plus I got to spend my student loan on livery fees, so now I have no overdraft, and got all my washing and food done for me, so it was fab!!
I found her a release from all my work, going for a hack helped me forget about my dissertation!! I graduated this year, fairly good results, only reason I could have done better was if I actually enjoyed my course (I hated it!) so nothing to do with spending too much time at the yard!!
 
MissBird (i've written this once and deleted
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) couldn't agree more. I did 5 yrs at uni. Flunked Alevels (hiccup
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) not horseys fault, so did 2 yr Hnd and 3yr BSc hons. Granted I was lucky, folks had a small holding at the time and Dad looked after him - he didn't know one end from another and he was up at 5am to do it (he's the best
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I came home every weekend, worked every hour god spared at the local and didn't do the 'uni' thing - thankfully I Hated Uni, so it wasn't a big deal. It is totally doable - woith financial support
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but I don't think you can live it up and do horse - unless you're loaded that is! You can do loads in the next 2 years and then....well uni fun time, or pony dedication - either which way you'll be skint
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Have fun whatever you decide tho!
 
Maybe I read this wrong but are you also worried that you cannot compete or hunt regularly for the next two years because shes a youngster? Shes four now, no reason why she wouldnt benefit from a few days hunting this year, and she should be ready to showjump/dressage/hunter trial by early next year giving you plenty of time to get in some competing before yu put the head down for exams.

If she is too small for you, why dont you consider doing a bit of hunting on her over the winter and a few training shows with a view to selling her in the new year?
 
I am now going into my fourth year at uni studying MPharm so 9-6 five days a week plus coursework/ placements etc and I have had a horse with me from day one on DIY. I also have managed to compete 2-3 times a month without a problem. Hasn't affected grades either so perfectly do-able!

And as other people have said, there is no reason why a four year old can't do the odd show and a bit of hunting over the winter. If she isn't a long term horse for you it atleast gets her some experience with a view to sell her next year?
 
I took my mare to Uni with me. It all depends on where you want to go (and i guess you have a while to decide that kind of thing yet).

If you find the uni you want to go to has facilities that allow you to keep a horse why not take her or even find facilities close enough and near by? Lets face it, at uni you do tend to have more time then when you're at school - dont tell your parents, but you will (apart from exam times)! I went to Aberystwyth (graduated 4 years ago) - it has a livery yard on campus, and another about a mile away from the main town centre. was a great uni & i kept my horse with me (which i loved having a 'friend from home' when i needed one). I'm not suggesting all universities offer this, but it would be worth checking out. (and if you want a great 'red brick' uni - have a look at Aber - its an absolutely fantastic place to be at uni)
 
I agree it's perfectly doable to keep a horse whilst you're at uni. I was lucky in that my uni had a yard on campus where I kept my horse for the first two years, I then got sick of their rubbish hacking so moved to a livery yard twenty minutes away where i kept him on DIY, this worked out really well as I also got a part time job there to help pay for horse and food etc. I am not a social person and didn't enjoy uni, if I hadn't had my horse I don't know how I'd have coped (I'm pretty sure i would have quit as I hated it that much). There were plenty of other students who did used to go out most nights and still manage to drag themselves down the yard to sort their horse out the morning after though too.

Also with regard missing competing, why not enter your girl in some in hand classes at local shows to give her some experience? Then do some walk and trot dressages over the winter and when she's up to it try some prelims. Don't know how fit she is now but would she be up to hound exercising? Lots of hunts hold childrens meets at various times of year, (eg half terms, christmas, easter etc), where they go a bit slower and jumps are optional or smaller, you could aim to take her to some of these over the winter to keep your eye in hunting. Find some clear round showjumping classes to take her in and once she's confident try some small courses (trailblazers is good for this). Then by next summer she'll be lovely and fit and ready to try some one day events or whatever you want to with her
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So even though she's young there's plenty of things you can do with her (obviously without pushing her too much). At 4 she'll hopefully grow another inch or so and she looks a well built girl so I'm sure she can carry you no problem. It all deoends on what you want really.
 
im way older than you, i am a mature uni student, wife,mother to 2 children and have 2 horses, i am struggling but it is do able i think [ hope lol ]
 
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I am now going into my fourth year at uni studying MPharm

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Me too!

Bought my mare last October and work part time (happily at the livery yard where she is) to fund her. Manage to compete/ take her out several times a month and keep up to date on uni. Before I bought her I rode teamchasers for friends (and still do) but figured that seeing as I had time to ride two or three a day I definitely had time for one of my own!

I won't deny it's tough, but it's certainly doable, unlike most students who drink their student loan I spend mine on the beast but I get a lot of pleasure out of it. Depends what your priorities are and it will limit your social time at uni, unless you go to do an equine/agricultural degree I guess.

I was lucky though in that I have an excellent uni only a 10-15min drive from home which has made the world of difference
 
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