# Anyone take a horse to college/university?



## MeLikesUke (Apr 9, 2012)

I've been looking into the pros and cons of buying the horse I'm leasing and taking her to college with me. In my mind, the pros FAR outweigh the cons, especially considering the fact that if I don't buy her ASAP, she will be sold, I will never see her again, and I WILL go crazy. But, I don't want to be selfish about anything and risk neglecting her or my studies in some way. So I want to know how you guys did with it so I have more of an idea about how it may be for me. 

If you took a horse to college/university with you, or currently have one there, what was your experience like? Please answer as many of the following questions as you can 

1) What was your major?

2) What were your grades like?

3) How often did you ride? How often did you get out just to see your horse?

4) Were you involved in any other clubs/activities?

5) Do you feel like you missed out on any part of the "college experience?" (Making close friends, joining clubs, studying as much as you should have, etc.) 

6) Did you feel more stressed/busy than most of your friends and classmates?

And of course, do you think it was worth it? 


Thanks so much to anyone who's still reading or responding, I know that this was a lot! I appreciate any replies you can give me


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

MeLikesUke said:


> I've been looking into the pros and cons of buying the horse I'm leasing and taking her to college with me. In my mind, the pros FAR outweigh the cons, especially considering the fact that if I don't buy her ASAP, she will be sold, I will never see her again, and I WILL go crazy. But, I don't want to be selfish about anything and risk neglecting her or my studies in some way. So I want to know how you guys did with it so I have more of an idea about how it may be for me.
> 
> If you took a horse to college/university with you, or currently have one there, what was your experience like? Please answer as many of the following questions as you can
> 
> ...



Firstly, I haven't actually got my horse at uni... I'm bringing him down next year, but I've had him at home so far. However, I have been at uni with friends who have their horses here, and their experiences helped me decide what to do with my horse, so I can answer some of your questions if you like.

1) What was your major? 

Mine, and the one of the friends whose horses are here, is veterinary medicine. It's an undergraduate course in the UK. Also, we're at Oxbridge, so it's a six day week and very intensive periods of study (short terms instead of semesters).

2) What were your grades like?

Mixed bag: one girl nearly failed both years she had her horse here, and ended up sending her home this year to focus and get them up, another got a first both years.

3) How often did you ride? How often did you get out just to see your horse?

Both were on DIY livery, so at least once a day to see the horse, riding 3-4 times a week depending on workload.

4) Were you involved in any other clubs/activities?

One of them was: the one that failed. The other didn't.

5) Do you feel like you missed out on any part of the "college experience?" (Making close friends, joining clubs, studying as much as you should have, etc.) 

Again, the first didn't, she was out with us all the time partying, meeting people, and doing all the spontaneous things like going for lunch or to the pub or to the cinema or shopping, whatever, plus all the sports and societies things. But, she found she had no time for extra work, and after two years of that decided she needed to focus on her studies, so sent the horse home. She still rides this year, competitively for the uni, but doesn;t have the very day time commitments her horse needed.

The other says she missed out on a lot having her horse here: wasn't as sociable, couldn't go out late and get drunk because she had to be up early to feed and turn out her horse before lectures, and would often have too much work or be too tired to ride, even without all the socialising.

6) Did you feel more stressed/busy than most of your friends and classmates?

Both said they felt much busier, but both said that they felt more stressed about work, even though actually riding calmed them down.



Personally, I didn't have my horse here the first two years, and it meant I got to try new things, meet people and generally have the time to fully experience being at uni. But I found that I really missed horses, ended up getting the horse I have now last year, and rode him at home. Next year I'm brining him down, but by then I will be a fourth year, and into the clinical part of my course when a lot of my friends doing other subjects will have graduated, so I feel that the emphasis will move from going out, and I will be able to enjoy having my horse here without worrying about missing out. I'm also settled, know the area and the horse people/scene from riding other people's horses here, so I'm prepared for it.

This isn't to say that it's not doable and enjoyable, but it will change your experience and is worth thinking over. I would always recommend going and seeing what uni is like before committing to a horse: I know two other friends who have done the same as me, and left the horse at home first, and it has worked out so much better for them that way.

Good luck either way, and whether you do buy this horse or not, stay horsy, and get involved in riding while you're away!!


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## Ne0n Zero (Dec 25, 2008)

I was going to Midway College for a few months, majoring in Equine Management, but left due to personal reasons.

I did take Beau down there with me and boarded him at a stable nearby. Mine was also self care so I saw him just about every day, minus weekends when my friends would handle feeding him for me when I went out of town. 

I think I probably would have gone crazy if I hadn't had him down there with me. While yes, I was at college for horses, Beau was still my escape and seeing him just brightened my day no matter what kind of mood I happened to be in. I wouldn't have had it any other way. 

My grades were just fine, also.


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## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

MeLikesUke said:


> I've been looking into the pros and cons of buying the horse I'm leasing and taking her to college with me. In my mind, the pros FAR outweigh the cons, especially considering the fact that if I don't buy her ASAP, she will be sold, I will never see her again, and I WILL go crazy. But, I don't want to be selfish about anything and risk neglecting her or my studies in some way. So I want to know how you guys did with it so I have more of an idea about how it may be for me.
> 
> If you took a horse to college/university with you, or currently have one there, what was your experience like? Please answer as many of the following questions as you can
> 
> ...


1. I majored in psychology for my undergraduate degree. Then got a masters in history of science and a PhD in geography. Not all at the same institution.

2. My undergraduate grades were reasonable. All As and Bs. 

3. My horse was on campus so I rode five or six days per week.

4. When I was an undergrad, I was in the freshmen choir. The sophomore/junior/senior choir required more commitment, however, and I suppose having the horse made me feel I wasn't able to commit to it so I bailed on that after my first year. I didn't do much else with clubs and societies as I'm not a big club and society person. As a PhD student, I joined the mountaineering club and make the time to go on meets with them. 

5. Everybody's college experience is different anyway. As the uni had its own stable, that was part of the college experience and lot of my friends were fellow horsey folk. It has, to a degree, stopped me from traveling as much as I'd like, doing a semester abroad, that sort of thing (then I moved abroad anyway to get my graduate degrees). Since I went to uni out of state, about 2000 miles from my home state, I found that searching out stuff to do over the summer required what seemed to be an immense amount of resourcefulness. A lot of my friends went home or gallivanted off wherever, but I wasn't prepared to ship the horse back and forth over that kind of distance. Having a horse still places that kind of restriction on me. Right now, I'd love to spend a few weeks wandering around the Highlands hiking and climbing, as the weather isn't half bad for a change, but can't ditch the horse for that long. 

6. I was probably less stressed because I had something that forced me to leave the flat/dorm, do something outside, get exercise, etc. You can't study 24/7. 

I'd say it was worth it but I don't know if it's worth it for you. There were other girls who had horses at the college stable who I never once saw because they got so involved in other aspects of college life that they had no time for their horses. It depends on what you want to do while at uni.


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## Sophie19 (Apr 13, 2009)

1) What was your major?
1st Theatre, then Early Childhood Education

2) What were your grades like?
Mostly A's some B's, an occasionally C in a harder class

3) How often did you ride? How often did you get out just to see your horse?
I rode about three times a week, unless school was crazy(internship for early childhood, production in theatre) I saw my horse every day because it was a full care facility.

4) Were you involved in any other clubs/activities?
I played Rugby for a while.

5) Do you feel like you missed out on any part of the "college experience?" (Making close friends, joining clubs, studying as much as you should have, etc.) 
Absolutely not. I fit my rides into my class schedule fairly easily. There were usually days that I had only one or no classes and those were the days I chose to ride. 

6) Did you feel more stressed/busy than most of your friends and classmates?
No, I am good at managing my time. I did have to occasionally leave social functions to feed the horse. Or miss class or social events because he was sick or injured. But if you manage your time well it shouldn't be a problem


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

1. My majors are Sociology and Gender Studies, so it's not as much as a time sink as other courses. 

2. My grades are pretty decent, I'll be doing Honours next semester and the hopefully going onto more post-grad studies. 

3. I see my horse every morning and every night. I ride a couple times a week. My horse is actually closer to my uni than my house so I go out there in the morning, unrug her, go to the uni library to study or go to class, and then around 3pm head back out to the horse, ride if I feel like it, feed and rug her. 

4. No, not really but my uni isn't big on organisations and such. 

5. Yes to an extent but I don't feel sad about it. Even in my first year I couldn't afford to live in the "full care college" so I lived in a self care one that was far cheaper. I made friends but not as close as the college kids did, and many of the colleges had more organisations etc. Although, in retrospect I am happy for this. After the first semester I moved out and into town and am happy, there is a fairly big divide between the townies and college kids but I'm glad I'm not one of them. I'm not into drinking and partying and that is a major part of that lifestyle. 

I don't study as much as I should, but that has nothing to do with having a horse. 

Even out of college though, a horse can complicate things. It's somewhere I always have to go no matter what. I'll always have a smelly car and dirty finger nails, I'm not always available for functions. I also am always broke - I don't have money for spare clothes, take out food, even if I drank alcohol I couldn't afford to etc. 

6. No. Most people have something, whether it be partying, horse riding, church or some other hobby. 

To be honest, I would wait if I were you. There is an incredibly high drop out rate in first year, I think it's close to 30%. This is because the way you have to learn to study, the things you have to study, living out of home etc is a huge change to what you're used to. Everyone says it won't be them, but so many people have so much difficulty. With a horse on top of that... I don't think it's a good idea. This is especially important if you're studying something with a lot of assessments/contact hours. Many students also go a bit crazy into the whole scene, freedom, parties, organisations, friends. 

Give yourself a chance to do all this. Don't buy a horse now. Wait until end of first semester or the end of first year and if you still want one get it then. I really think this is the best option. 

I know you like this horse but there are so many good horses out there, I don't believe in the perfect horse, or the once in a lifetime horse. It will be sad not to get a horse you like but you can always find something else.


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## stingerscricket (Oct 3, 2011)

subbing


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## MeLikesUke (Apr 9, 2012)

Saskia said:


> I know you like this horse but there are so many good horses out there, I don't believe in the perfect horse, or the once in a lifetime horse. It will be sad not to get a horse you like but you can always find something else.


Gah. I keep trying to tell myself this, but the truth is, I love her with all of my heart and every horse I ever ride or eventually own will be compared in some way to her. I've known her since she was born, and I've ridden her grandmother and leased her mother. Her mother was put down last year after a bad bought of colic, so she is pretty much the last of this wonderful line after the grandmother dies (she's 30). She's honestly the sweetest horse I've ever met, so willing to learn, so excited to work, and always full of love and cuddles. I've known her for her whole life and the thought of never seeing her again is almost unreal  


That being said, again, I would never, ever want to neglect her in any way. However, when you crunch numbers, is owning and riding a horse a HUGELY different time commitment from playing a varsity sport in college? With time management, I can spend 2 hours or less at the barn, including travel time. Sports practices and games are 2-3 hours or more 6 days a week. Athletes make it work. Why can't I? I'm well aware that a horse is a LIVING creature for which I'm responsible, but given that she's at a full-care facility and I can see her every day, the TYPICAL day/week/month should see a fairly even schedule, barring any major emergencies. Right? Or am I just kidding myself here? :?


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

Stalking this thread because DD is totally convinced that Aero must go to school with her.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Subbing also..


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

MeLikesUke said:


> Gah. I keep trying to tell myself this, but the truth is, I love her with all of my heart and every horse I ever ride or eventually own will be compared in some way to her. I've known her since she was born, and I've ridden her grandmother and leased her mother. Her mother was put down last year after a bad bought of colic, so she is pretty much the last of this wonderful line after the grandmother dies (she's 30). She's honestly the sweetest horse I've ever met, so willing to learn, so excited to work, and always full of love and cuddles. I've known her for her whole life and the thought of never seeing her again is almost unreal
> 
> 
> That being said, again, I would never, ever want to neglect her in any way. However, when you crunch numbers, is owning and riding a horse a HUGELY different time commitment from playing a varsity sport in college? With time management, I can spend 2 hours or less at the barn, including travel time. Sports practices and games are 2-3 hours or more 6 days a week. Athletes make it work. Why can't I? I'm well aware that a horse is a LIVING creature for which I'm responsible, but given that she's at a full-care facility and I can see her every day, the TYPICAL day/week/month should see a fairly even schedule, barring any major emergencies. Right? Or am I just kidding myself here? :?


Don't get me wrong, it's doable - you're right, the time commitment is manageable if you manage your time. However, think about the comparison you make to an athlete: what do they give up of their uni experience to make that work? That kind of time commitment means that they miss out on a lot of the typical spontaneous social stuff, and it restricts when and what they can do in their free time. The main difference between an athlete and yourself would be that, instead of being on a team and at least sharing in that social team atmosphere to make up for that, it's just you and your horse.

This isn't designed to put you off completely, it works for some people and it may be right up your street: lets face it, I don't know you from Adam. But you have to seriously consider that it will majorly affect your uni experience, and at the end of the day you don't want to look back later in life and say that you missed out because of an animal that will only live 25 years or so. And yes, you love her to bits now: I loved my horse to bits that I sold before going to uni, and yet I now have one that I love even more and is even better for me. You do a lot of growing up and changing at uni, and whilst your love of horses probably won't go away, having that responsibility and time constraint there whilst you're trying to have the experience could end up making you resent it.

Just my tuppence. Don't be offended!


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## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

Would the horse be on self or full care? That may make a difference. Mine was on full care and I spent about two hours per day, five or six days per week, at the barn. While I did not have time to do any other committing team sports (but then, I didn't have much inclination to) or try out being in a zillion different uni clubs, I still had time for socializing, spontaneous and planned, and plenty of wild partying. I was happy with this arrangement and don't feel as if I missed out on anything. I wasn't out getting panelled every night, as some students seem to manage, but then, why would you want to? 

As I said in my earlier post, it depends on what you want at uni. There are people who feel the need to really try and change themselves and join every vaguely interesting club and society and drink like fish every weekend. Others don't. In the uni mountaineering club, we get a cohort of first-years every year who have never been on a mountain before and figure out pretty quickly that being cold and wet on a Scottish mountain isn't for them. They're the "try everything" type, who soon realize that mountaineering requires a certain level of commitment, like investing in gear that prevents hypothermia. Eventually everyone becomes more settled into just doing the things they like anyway.

My current university also has a riding club, which I'm not at all involved in, but I know that it's there. They get discounted lessons at one of the local yards. I think many UK unis have such arrangements. My undergrad (US) uni had its own barn, and all the other boarders were students and a couple staff. So the barn was very much tied into the social experience. Riders were known for their particularly drunk and wild parties.


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## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

So to put it more succinctly, do you think there is a good chance you will find something else you'd rather be doing?


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