When would you buy a horse?

sally87

sally87

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Hi

I am currently horse-less and want to correct this sometime in the future.

I cannot ride at the moment due to illness. I am hoping to get the all clear to ride again shortly after xmas but still will be in and out of hospital a lot at this time so would only be able to ride 2-4 times a week. Over time the amount of time I would be in hospital would decrease and opportunities to ride would increase. However come June I will be returning to uni to do the final year of my course and so I would only be able to ride at weekends most weeks.

I want to get a horse when I get the all clear to ride again. I think it would really benefit me in my recovery and help me get my confidence with life back again. I am not after a world-beater of a horse, just a friend who could help me see that life can be better than what I have been experiencing recently with this illness. Also having something to aim for could really help me fight through.

I would consider getting a sharer to help exercise the horse when I cant ride and there is also a horse walker should the horse need more exercise. Money isn’t really an issue as I have savings which would buy the horse and pay for upkeep until I finish uni and get a job. Also although I would never ask my parents for money, I know they would not stand by and see an animal suffer should things go terribly wrong, I would just owe them a lot later! Horse care would also not be compromised by hospital/ uni as he would be kept on full livery at a very trusted yard.

So if you were me would you follow your heart and buy a horse when I can ride again, or listen to reason and get uni done first?

Thanks for reading and all opinions appreciated!

Sally
 
Hi Sally,

Why don't you look for a share? That way the horse still has its owner and you could help out when you feel up to it as opposed to relaying on someone to help you out? (If you get what I mean)

I would look in to getting your own horse after uni and you've given yourself a good recovery period :) x
 
I don't see why not, I think life is short and when something is perfectly possible then why not, sounds like you have it all organised and ready to go. Plenty pf people have horses while in Uni.
I have for the last 3 years worked full time, gone to night school for 3 hours a night twice a week and managed to keep my horse on DIY, so you can do it.
Some may suggest otherwise but I think sometimes you just have to jump in

ETS: As long as it does not hinder your recovery of course
 
i have thought about sharing but really i want a "friend for life" that i can commit to. its just not the same when it is someone elses. i have been waiting (what seems like) a long time to get my own again & without wanting to sound selfish, i want it to be mine! i dont have a problem with someone else sharing though, but in the long term i want the horse to be mine so i can decide its future etc.
 
Having done final year of uni it came as a bit of a shock just how much more work there was. I would consider a share until uni is out the way. Then once you've got a stable job think about getting a horse. I never had my "own" horse until I left uni, even now I struggle with paying for her, she's out at grass livery and I have savings, they take alot more money than you think, esp starting out with tack and rugs to buy etc.

Horses don't care if they are ridden or not so that's not the issue her, the issue is the time, money and stress they can cause you along with final year exams.
 
hi,

im at uni (going into 2nd year) and bought a horse this summer. the way i see it - lifes too short - if you have the time and £... make it work :)

for me - if i don have the time for her i will put her on livery... if i coudnt afford her i turn her away in a field... :)

it can be done :)
 
Ella19 is right, It is not the buying but the upkeep that costs we are both in well paid jobs and can afford our two but the costs keep rising, unless you are insured vets are expensive, we are lucky to have ours at home so don't have livery costs added to that is your health problems, which will seem much worse knee deep in mud with freezing winds during the winter.
When you are fit and finished uni then look for your forever friend, I love ours to bits, but being arthritic, suffer in the cold and wet and if I'm honest sometimes wonder if it is worth it. (course it is) I am at the stables at 5am on work days seeing to ours, not home till 8pm, so everything is done in the dark and it is depressing not being able to spend the time with them, we work 4 on 4 off but I worry that they are missing out somehow.
I know how you feel wanting your own, but surely its worth waiting till the time is right.
Good luck
 
Hey Sally,

glad to her your on the road to recovery. Im at uni myself, just about to go into 4th year -eek! it is really hard work but it really is all worth it, i know exactly what you mean about wanting your 'own' horse- its just not the same when its not yours! I also agree with 'moggy-in-manolos' above - sometimes you do just have to take the chance. The way i see it, life is short and if having your own horse is what makes you happy- go for it. I did and even on days when im stressed or not feeling too great, i see my horse and i feel so greatful, im like a kid at xmas! .....sounds like you have been through a rough time and theres no-one who listens to all your problems like a horse.....i think you owe it to yourself :-)
 
Glad your getting better, i did after several lessons and as a middle aged woman couldnt stop thinking about owning one 24/7 so had to take the plunge everyone thought i was mad tbh after such a massive break and not much time but lifes to short and i have time i never thought id have and no regrets
 
Buying a horse when you are in and out of hospital and still at uni is totaly mad - but then that is a pre-requisite for being a horse owner. If something is easy its probably not worth doing - good luck
 
Sorry to be dull but I'd def think sharing/loaning is the way forward for now. I don't know what kind of job you'll be looking to get when you leave uni and how that will likely be affected by your illness/recovery *but* please bear in mind

- you'll likely be graduating at a time when there are fewer jobs around
- you might have to move away from your parents to get a job/the kind of job you want
- that means renting, which is expensive
- you'll be very tired adapting to 'proper' work, especially if you're recovering from illness
- so that might well mean livery, which is expensive.

Basically unless you're pretty much guaranteed a (very) well-paid role in a relatively cheap area/near your parents and you want to live with them it is a big risk.

I lost my share because his owner was struggling to afford him on her first 'proper' salary and she was still living at home and being partly supported by her parents.

If your parents agree to fund the horse for its life upfront by all means go for it. But do bear in mind that whilst owning seems very important now when you're struggling to finance a home/car/potential kids it might all seem very different.

Happy riding as soon as you can though!
 
Look at sharing from another angle - what about getting your own horse, but then find a sharer to help out in the short term? I was ill a few years back, and already had a sharer luckily. She was fantastic, and helped me out whenever I needed, almost full-time for a while. My boy is still my boy, but she loved him too. It worked really well for all concerned.
 
Buy a horse when you get the all clear, ESPECIALLY if you think it will help you psychologically. I am 100% sure if you are happy with life in general your studies will also benefit!!

I really would not wait until you finish Uni, as after that you'd then wait until you are settled in a permanent job etc and you'll just keep postponing it more and more.

I firmly believe in the therapeutical value of having your own horse :D

For what it's worth when I was at Uni I was riding a lot but did not have my own horse and was suffering terribly because of this. I won a scholarship for a PhD and within the first year of my PhD, I had invested all of that year's money into my horse. It worked brilliantly and six years on he is my dream horse (and my situation was far more difficult than yours, logistically speaking). Ah, I completed my PhD within the allocated time too (which was a rare feat in my Department, sadly) so don't listen to those who say that you can't do both :p :p
 
if you can manage have support while hospital/ off days go for it horses are really excellent therapy ive had a n op and have a ongoing illness, he makes me feel soooo much better and relaxed and a outlet from stressful life
 
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