# Leaving for the Army



## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

Sorry, help clarify for me - you want to bring him there while you're in Basic? Or after the fact?


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## Ilovemelady (Apr 16, 2010)

I think you need to bring him to Texas. Horses needs their owners and you need your horse


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

no a cant have him at basic (MO) but a can have him while i am at AIT(texas) the problem is i have NO idea where ill be stationed after AIT. my parents are fine keeping him at the ranch but it would be really nice to have Him with me. ive had him since he was born and ive trained him but then theres the possibility that i would be shipped out of country and would have NO time to find someone to care for him.

regular shipment is 1yr so he would have to go back to my parents ranch during that time.

its caotic i know


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## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

I'd say take him in this situation, for sure. Will you have time for him?


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## justsambam08 (Sep 26, 2009)

I think if you can find a nice place to board him near you, why not? 34 weeks is a loooong time to go without being ridden, and without riding!


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

I'd take him with you. I have friend that recently went through this (except she's in the Air Force) and she sold her horse. She said it was the worst mistake of her life.


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## shmurmer4 (Dec 27, 2008)

Honestly, it depends on your job. Some AIT's are no walk in the park..Some are!
-prior service.


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

A 34 week AIT makes me thing you have selected a fairly intensive MOS. My suggestion would be to report and give yourself a good six weeks (if not more) to get a real feel for the lay of the land, so to speak, and then decide. What you have been told it will be like and what it will actually end up being like for you are likely to be two totally different things. Better to error on the side of caution than to find yourself in a horrible pickle and realize too late that the situation is not exactly what you expected. 
Also, factor moving him again at the end of AIT when you go on to your first duty station. Is he a horse that does well with changes? What if your first duty station is not one to which you can reasonably take him? Will you be comfortable leaving him in the place you move him to for AIT or want to ship him back to where he is at at the moment?


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

thats what i was thinking. i would love to have him there. and he really needs to be there. i am the only one that has ever really ridden him. ive deen the only one training him. but its mandatory to have one year of overseas shipment so i have NO idea what i would do with him when i had to leave. i probably wont have very much time to make quick arrangements so if i had to leave the same day for somewhere i would have to find someone to come pick him up and take care of him for that time. hes going with me to AIT for sure. im gonna get settled for a couple weeks then my parents will bring him down but i have no idea what to do during the rest of my enlistment.


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## CecilliaB (Jan 21, 2010)

Just in case you are ever interested in boarding at a military barn MilitaryStables.com is a wonderful resource and the lady who runs the website is very helpful.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

Thanks Cecillia that sites great!


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## goldilockz (Aug 1, 2008)

Just stumbled across this thread. It sounds to me like you're going to AIT for exactly what I was in the Army as... intel. 

You can't rely on the timing nor the possibility of having time off. Delays happen every day in the Army which can result in a longer stint at Leonardwood. 

At Goodfellow, the first few months of your time there will be spent in the barracks with authorization to only go to the BX (base exchange) in your uniform. After that time, you'll be able to wear civvies, and eventually you will be permitted to go other places, even off base. That is IF your drills don't decide to put you or your whole company on C-Pass which is essentially you being grounded to your barracks. You won't even be allowed a vehicle until a few months into your stint at GF.

I would absolutely advise you NOT to bring your horse with you to Goodfellow. Reason being, if you get put on C-Pass (which you can be put on that for something as simple as a failed test or your class acted like fools), you will not be able to go take care of your horse. You would have to pay to have him taken care of/ridden. 

You need to spend those months focusing on the workload, and trust me, you will need extra study time (everyone needed it!) and you will be stressed to the max. Adding the burden of taking care of your horse will not help at all, and can hinder your training. It is a distraction that is simply not worth it at the time.

Wait until you get to your permanent duty station, and then get your horse out there. 

I don't mean to be a downer, but I absolutely know how basic and AIT goes, especially at Leonardwood and Goodfellow. Those are the locations I attended training. If you have any questions, I am here to answer them as best I can!!


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## goldilockz (Aug 1, 2008)

Roperchick said:


> thats what i was thinking. i would love to have him there. and he really needs to be there. i am the only one that has ever really ridden him. ive deen the only one training him. but its mandatory to have one year of overseas shipment so i have NO idea what i would do with him when i had to leave. i probably wont have very much time to make quick arrangements so if i had to leave the same day for somewhere i would have to find someone to come pick him up and take care of him for that time. *hes going with me to AIT for sure. im gonna get settled for a couple weeks then my parents will bring him down* but i have no idea what to do during the rest of my enlistment.


I am urging you to rethink this decision. You will have him with you for maybe a couple of months. You will not be allowed to ride or even go see him during the first couple of months. 

I really hate saying that, because I know you want to ride and be with him, but it will be so much more stressful for both of you (and your parents who have to bring him to you AND pick him back up when you ship out) if you take him along. Also, you can not guarantee your first overseas assignment is only one year. If you get assigned to Germany or Italy, it's a three year change of station. I really, really think you should wait until you know where you will be stationed before making any decisions to move your horse. :?


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## coastal123 (Apr 25, 2009)

Sorry, but I would agree that it would not be a good idea to take him with you right now. I know you will miss him terribly, but your future is too much up in the air. What if you are unable to move him again(for many reasons, including$) at just the right moment in the future? Do you want to take the chance that he will be left in the care of others for a period of time that you cannot chek on him? At least at the ranch, you KNOW how he will be cared for and that he is okay, until circustances let you be together long term again. The sure thing for him is to keep him at the ranch for now.


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