Taking a Horse to School?

[kdonalds]

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Hey Guys just had a quick question for any of you that have taken your horse to school.

Did you find you had time to ride/see your horse at least a few times a week?

I left my girls at home during my undergrad as none of them were rideable, however my youngest is now 3 and while I'm not going to take her this year, I am thinking I'd like to take her for 2nd, 3rd and 4th years.
My only concern is that I will take her with me and pay for board but never have time to go see her or ride her. Do you guys find time to go enjoy your horses even with the busy schedule of a vet student?
Thanks in advance!

 

[that redhead]

Hey Guys just had a quick question for any of you that have taken your horse to school.

Did you find you had time to ride/see your horse at least a few times a week?

I left my girls at home during my undergrad as none of them were rideable, however my youngest is now 3 and while I'm not going to take her this year, I am thinking I'd like to take her for 2nd, 3rd and 4th years.
My only concern is that I will take her with me and pay for board but never have time to go see her or ride her. Do you guys find time to go enjoy your horses even with the busy schedule of a vet student?
Thanks in advance!

You can make time for just about anything during vet school. That being said, the always-changing nature of the schedule might not be the greatest for a green horse who needs a more consistent training/working schedule.

 

[Glammyre]

I don't have a horse and never had, so I can't make suggestions on a training schedule. That being said, there were at least a few students in my class (OKstate) who had time to ride their horses. I'd see rent listings that included a stable pretty frequently, so it's something that students do.

 

[Felixor90]

A better question would be if hiking up your cost of living and total debt is worth it (assuming leaving it back home with your parents is an option, of course).

 

[LuckySpartan]

Hey Guys just had a quick question for any of you that have taken your horse to school.

Did you find you had time to ride/see your horse at least a few times a week?

I left my girls at home during my undergrad as none of them were rideable, however my youngest is now 3 and while I'm not going to take her this year, I am thinking I'd like to take her for 2nd, 3rd and 4th years.
My only concern is that I will take her with me and pay for board but never have time to go see her or ride her. Do you guys find time to go enjoy your horses even with the busy schedule of a vet student?
Thanks in advance!

I know a few vet students that have taken their horses with them to vet school but for the most part they were their show horses not a green 4 yr old. Assuming you are doing your own training, I would be concerned with the available time to offer consistent riding.

 

[LetItSnow]

Hey Guys just had a quick question for any of you that have taken your horse to school.

Did you find you had time to ride/see your horse at least a few times a week?

I left my girls at home during my undergrad as none of them were rideable, however my youngest is now 3 and while I'm not going to take her this year, I am thinking I'd like to take her for 2nd, 3rd and 4th years.
My only concern is that I will take her with me and pay for board but never have time to go see her or ride her. Do you guys find time to go enjoy your horses even with the busy schedule of a vet student?
Thanks in advance!

Sure, students do it all the time. But..........

I had a friend who had her horse nearby and it was a HUGE benefit to her. It relaxed her, it gave her a break .... clearly a Very Good Thing. It kept her sane in vet school.

I knew another person who struggled with school and insisted on going and riding her horse every day, regardless of the big exam tomorrow or whatever. It was clear to me her priorities were probably inappropriate when we had a big parasit exam the next day and she wanted to study together, but she couldn't start until around 7-8pm because she "had to" go ride first. That's B.S. - you need to pass vet school first and if you lose a day or two of riding that's the price you pay for being a vet student. This person didn't stay with our class.

So - it can be a really, really good thing to have your horse there and it's a big benefit for most people that do it (at least, from what I saw) - just make sure you keep your priorities straight.

 

[yogapony]

We have a lot of horse people. I think what makes or breaks it as a morale-booster vs. time drain is your boarding situation. I have a mature horse that is pasture boarded. I don't have to be there every day, so going there a few times a week is a major mental break. But I have classmates who have to clean stalls every day in barn co-ops, or pay to have their horse turned out, ride every day/pay for training, etc. and that seems stressful.

 

[kdonalds]

Thanks for all the responses guys 🙂 I'm trying to think of this from both sides as I do want to make the right choice. She could stay home with my parents if I don't have time to go see her or work with her, she stayed home throughout my undergrad (she was born at my house). My only issue with this is she's now at the age where I'd like to start working her and while my horses are able to stay home they get nothing done with them, they get fed twice a day but otherwise don't get touched except for farrier day and while that works just fine for my retirees I don't really want to let Luxury sit until she's 7 (when I graduate).

Next summer she will be sent for a few months of professional training, my goal in taking her to school after would be to continue riding her to make sure we keep her going rather then send her for training then putting her back in the paddock for 8 more months.

I have 4 horses in total but all are retirees due to age or unsoundness except for Lux and I will admit I'm just anticipating being able to actually ride again (my last girl forever injured herself 2 years ago and I've only been able to ride intermittently ever since). However I have worked my butt off to get to vet school and it will come first no matter what. I would definitely be the student who will finish my work before I get my fun time.

 

[JayBird1625]

Thanks for all the responses guys 🙂 I'm trying to think of this from both sides as I do want to make the right choice. She could stay home with my parents if I don't have time to go see her or work with her, she stayed home throughout my undergrad (she was born at my house). My only issue with this is she's now at the age where I'd like to start working her and while my horses are able to stay home they get nothing done with them, they get fed twice a day but otherwise don't get touched except for farrier day and while that works just fine for my retirees I don't really want to let Luxury sit until she's 7 (when I graduate).

Next summer she will be sent for a few months of professional training, my goal in taking her to school after would be to continue riding her to make sure we keep her going rather then send her for training then putting her back in the paddock for 8 more months.

I have 4 horses in total but all are retirees due to age or unsoundness except for Lux and I will admit I'm just anticipating being able to actually ride again (my last girl forever injured herself 2 years ago and I've only been able to ride intermittently ever since). However I have worked my butt off to get to vet school and it will come first no matter what. I would definitely be the student who will finish my work before I get my fun time.

It sounds like you already have your mind made up and your options are get her trained and then leave her home with nothing being done and risking her reverting to pre-training stage or get her trained and take her with you for continued intermittent training.

 

[Squeaksmom]

There are a lot of horse people in my class. One girl rides almost every day, often in the early morning before school, and is showing at Spruce Meadows this summer. The rest of us have no idea how she does it lol. That's not to say that the rest of us never ride (well, I don't because I only have a yearling) but it definitely takes prioritizing and schedule juggling, and it's hard to be consistent about it. As has been said, you can make time for almost anything and it can be a good mental break, but many of the horses owned by my classmates get a lighter or more inconsistent schedule during the term and are legged back up again on breaks.

 

[bunnity]

It depends where you go to school. At Penn since the main campus is in the middle of a large city about 45 minutes from anywhere horse-appropriate, keeping a horse would be a major challenge. At a rural school it would be much simpler.

 

[HorsesRLife]

I have 3, but I live about 30 min from campus with them. During the school year they are more pasture ornaments than anything else, but I have to factor in that I spend an hour driving every day as well as spending time with the husband. If I had less priorities I'm sure I could ride at least one a day on the weekends and once or twice during the week. Like everyone else said, is just a matter of priorities. 4th year is very unpredictable though, so you may not be able to ride for an entire rotation, but that is a long way off for you and maybe your horse will be able to handle a long break without riding by then.

 

[deleted498041]

I did not take mine. I have four horses. Two are in consistent work and I showed them all up and down the east coast and in multiple finals while I was in high school and undergrad. One is a very fancy baby (now four years old), and one is a pasture ornament. I chose to leave them behind for a couple reasons. They were used to more consistent and harder work than I could provide while in school. I didn't know anyone in California -- if I couldn't make it out to the barn, how could I be sure they were taken care of? I knew and trusted people in Florida that would take care of my guys if I couldn't make it out to the barn.

I was lucky enough to have an amazing junior and young adult career with my horses, and I didn't think horses that nice deserved to be pasture ornaments while I spent all day studying.

 

[Hollista]

I'm starting this fall....and I'm living my boy in California. (Going to Ohio State), he's 21 and retired (although I could get him under saddle again), but he's very happy in his home. And I figured if I move him all the way across the country (very dramatic for him) into a new home, and I only have a chance to see him 1-2 times a week, that's a huge scary change for him. Not really fair to the big guy. So here I go, and I will see him at Christmas. It's breaking my heart, (because I see him 2x a day now for feeding/cleaning), but I think it's best for him to stay with his best buddy/pasture mate, because they're very attached. And a friend will be caring for him, soI have to put my big girl pants on and hope for the best!