Any college kids pay for their own horse?

[Sakey]

It’s my junior year, I have to start thinking about my future. I have ZERO clue what I want to do, but I really really would like to take a gap year and move to florida (i’m in michigan) to become a working student. i’ve seen quite a few amazing deals where they give you living, meals, board, and sometimes even shows. My parents would like to sell my horse after college, but I just can’t. he is my heart horse, i’ve put SO much work into this horse and am going to be taking him to his first shows this summer.

so, my question is, is there any way i can keep my horse after my parents stop paying for him?

TIA!!

[furlong47]

That’s going to depend on a ton of factors. Certainly there are people who make it work. It comes down to your financial situation and your choices. You may just need to sit down, put it all on paper, and make some tough decisions. Things to consider:

Are your parents paying for school, or are you (and will you have loans?)

What kind of job do you expect to have after you graduate? Will it be enough to support both you and a horse (plus possibly paying off loans?)

Are you willing to possibly go to a cheaper (but still good) school? A state school vs an expensive private university? Start out with community college and then transfer? Graduate early to save money? Or at least on time? (Lots of people take more than 4 years these days.) Continue living with your parents and commute to college daily?

If you have zero clue what you want to do, you may be able to enter college with an undecided major, but that often results in taking longer and spending more money. So can changing majors, especially if they are vastly different. Now is a really good time to start researching different career fields, talking to people in them, possibly seeing if you can get some tours, etc (although that may be difficult with covid, but perhaps virtually.)

Will you be able to work while in college? Are you able to work now and start saving? Will you have a car at college to get to a job and a barn?

Are you willing to lower your standards in order to keep your horse if necessary (for example, pasture boarding and not showing). Would you be able to lease your horse out for a few years while you’re at school or getting established in a career, if that made it more possible to keep him long term?

[Weezer]

Furlong47 gave great advice! I was able to keep my two horses through college but I worked like crazy to do it. I had two jobs - one mucking stalls and teaching lessons. My horses were also used as lesson horses to drop the board. I also relied on support from my parents for the occasional vet bill.

Think hard about the working student opportunity. Will you earn as much money through it as a non showing job? Those positions often result in the student only breaking even financially but getting some great horse experience. The cold hard truth is that it is REALLY hard to make a decent living working with horses. If your priority is keeping this horse, I think you’ll have to put showing on hold and bust your butt studying and working. You need to do well in college to get a well paying job to support your horse. Even out of college I worked two jobs for about 5 years before I was somewhat financially comfortable. Not much riding during those years but now my two horses live in my backyard and I recently celebrated 20 years with these horses. It was really hard work and my focus was always on supporting the horses rather than riding or showing. I didn’t ride at all for about a year because I couldn’t afford corrective shoeing. But it was worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. BUT I also missed out on some of the best riding years because I was working while my horses were at their peak and now that I have time to ride, they are semi-retired.

[ClassyJumper]

Its possible, but its really really hard. At 18 I was on my own for everything tuition, horse, etc. Luckily my parents let me live at home while I went to a commuter college but it wasn’t the best experience. I ended up selling my gelding in junior year of college because I couldn’t keep up even after taking a gap year to work (as a groom, but for actual $$ not working student).

If your parents are willing to pay for college, I would not rock that boat. Student loans are no fun.

If you can find a good leaser I think that would be the best situation for you.

I also met my husband when I was horseless. I don’t think I would have ever had the opportunity to even date/socialize if I didn’t make the tough choice to take a break from ownership.

I was always able to ride. Found a couple free rides, did chores a couple days a week at a local barn, took lessons occasionally. There are ways to stay involved.

If you buckle down you will be done by 22! (I would find a 4+1 and get your masters while your at it). I muddled around and wasn’t able to get another horse until 28.

Good luck!

[2tempe]

Here’s what I would suggest: Sit down and figure out just how much your horse cost in 2020. EVERYTHING; lay it out by month. You need to have a full, clear understanding of what kind of money you need to keep him. Then figure out how to pay for it.
I read your post as you are a college junior - ?? The hard reality is that it is not easy to keep a horse without a steady and decent income unless you have few other living expenses. Living at home after college can help.

[wsmoak]

Are you a junior in college or in high school? You mention a gap year, which is usually between high school and college, but then say your parents want to sell the horse after college.

My advice is to read some books in the “Financial Independence” genre. Dave Ramsey, etc.

Stay out of debt except for a house at some point in the future. You can make an argument for a car loan or student loans, but DO NOT start racking up credit card debt.

As a young person I wasn’t able to afford a horse until after I was married and we budgeted aggressively to afford one expensive hobby per person. Unfortunately we made some bad decisions related to retirement savings along the way and it took a while to recover from that.

Living expenses, debt repayment, long term savings… THEN expensive hobbies like horses.

[Sakey]

junior in high school!!

[Sakey]

i am a junior in high school! i luckily have a college fund which my parents have been quite a bit into. i plan on going to a community college for my four years. the thing is i just have no clue what to major in, nothing but horses interests me. i was thinking of taking that gap year to get my life together and figure out what my next step of life is. i’m just not sure what to do

[Shagyas_Rock]

It’s terribly hard to go to college if you don’t go right after high school. Very few find their way back.
And when they do they are often juggling work, maybe kids - and studying. The easiest way to go to
college is RIGHT AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
If you can get a college degree, with maybe the help of your parents, grants, scholarships and perhaps
a part time job, DO IT. A college degree increases your income potential for the future exponentially.
Look it up on google- the average life time earnings of a college graduate vs some with only a high school education.
You might be able to hang onto your horse if you can lease him out or maybe let him have some time off while you’re in school and resume riding in the spring when school’s out for the summer. He’ll lose some condition but you won’t lose him, if your parents don’t mind feeding him over the winter.
If you want to be able to afford to ride as an adult, you will need a good job. and for that you need
a good education.

[wsmoak]

Okay… first, you’re completely normal. Very few of us knew 100% what we wanted to be when we grew up at 15 or 16. (And some of those who did know… are doing something very different now.)

It doesn’t sound like you definitely want to study one of the things that has a very specific path like accounting or medicine or law, so… good news! You don’t need to make any big decisions.

Community college is a great idea. (Just make sure that you can transfer the credits, community colleges typically only award 2-year associate’s degrees, and then you transfer to a university for a bachelors.)

If your parents are going to pay for college, and the idea of four more years of school isn’t completely abhorrent to you, then take the free money and get a degree. Any degree. English, philosophy, anything that increases your ability to think critically and communicate. That will never be wasted.

Do they still give aptitude tests these days? Sometimes those can help you figure out what you like to do and what you are good at. Because the intersection of those two plus “what someone will pay me to do” can make for an excellent career in something you may not even know exists.

[furlong47]

If you don’t come up with anything more specific, I think you can’t go wrong with a business or marketing degree. If you decide to work with horses, especially if starting your own boarding, training, or lesson business, it will be very useful. And if you decide to look for a different type of job (or end up needing to because, say, you have a horse-career ending injury or just burn out on that life) it will give you options.

If your HS has guidance or career counselors, it would be good to meet with one of them to start your exploration.

Definitely take the advantage of getting a 4 year degree if your parents will be paying for a large portion or all of it.

[kaya842]

I agree with the others about going straight into school and avoiding student loans at all costs. Some states have aid programs that will pay for 2 years at a community college and then you transfer to a university for the final 2 years. If your parents will pay LET THEM. I literally could not fathom how much student loans will get in the way of the other things I want to do in life (showing, traveling, moving out/ buying my own house). Before making any big decisions, read up on finance - how debt like student loans will effect you, how to invest now (even if only $10/ a month) to grow that money for the future, etc. I wish so badly someone had told me this at your age.

While any degree is better than no degree, I would suggest getting a “multi-purpose” degree such as business admin. It’s very non specific which keeps it from limiting you in the future (and gives you some knowledge should you ever choose to run your own horse business whether a training barn, boarding barn, massage therapy, whatever).

To answer your question though, yes I did pay for my own horse(s) through college. However, that meant taking about $30K in student loans, which now keep me from showing or breeding or traveling like I want to. It was a short sighted decision, and I should have leased my mare out OR stayed at home and gone to school for free via the aid program.

[joiedevie99]

There is nothing wrong with taking a gap year. If you want to do it, figure out how you plan to use that time productively to decide what you want to do with your life and make a real proposal to your parents. It might include a few different 3 month stints - working student, intern at a vet clinic, sales rep at the horse show, etc. Some working student jobs will allow you to bring a horse, but you still have to fund all the vet, farrier, shows, etc. yourself. It’s doable with planning - especially if you have a secondary marketable skill like braiding or clipping, but not easy.

Whatever you do, apply to college and get accepted as a high school senior. Then talk to the school about your plans and ask to defer a year. Do not wait to apply while you are on gap year.

And to answer your question, I’ve kept my horses throughout life. My parents paid board in college. After that, they were on me.

[S1969]

@Sakey

i am a junior in high school! i luckily have a college fund which my parents have been quite a bit into. i plan on going to a community college for my four years. the thing is i just have no clue what to major in, nothing but horses interests me. i was thinking of taking that gap year to get my life together and figure out what my next step of life is. i’m just not sure what to do

A gap year where you do something specific might be worthwhile - e.g. spend a year as a working student. A gap year where you just live at home and don’t go to school…is a waste of a year.

The vast majority of people do not know what they want to do in life when they begin college. That’s fine. A degree in anything will be better than a degree in nothing - so long as you don’t go into significant debt to get it.

I do a fair amount of recruitment, and most of our positions require an advanced degree. We really don’t care what someone’s bachelor’s is in, other than to say “hey did you know that Scott has a B.A. in history?” or “She took Spanish in college - let’s see if she can translate this.”

So - don’t worry about what to go to school for yet - part of college is figuring it out. And, especially at a community college - the risk of changing your mind is lower. My daughter was like you - and instead of a summer job one summer at the end of HS she took an accounting class at the local community college. And she liked it. So she got her degree in Business Administration.

As for horses - they are expensive. It might be possible for you to afford to keep your horse, but it will be tough. And, remember - they are just as expensive if you can’t ride them - because they are too old, injured, or you are too busy. You need to understand how much it costs as a first step.

[endlessclimb]

I started out college bringing my horse with me. I had a full ride scholarship, so that changes the equation a bit financially. I worked my absolute a$$ off during the summer (on top of taking summer classes) to save enough money to pay my board in a lump sum and have enough for farrier/vet/emergency.

After my first year in college, I realized money wasn’t the issue - it was time. So, my horse was leased for the next two years, with me visiting often to check in and make sure everything was okay. I still busted my buns every summer to put money in the bank, just in case.

Horse had medical issues my last year of college, so he came back to me. At that point, in my senior year, I had a little bit more free time to devote to his rehab, which worked out well.

[2tempe]

Ok, I’m partially more confused and also less confused: Age does this… So Sakey - you are in HS, horse expenses covered until you get OUT of college. So we are talking at 3-5 years away depending on two year college or 4?
But back to the simple reality - if parents stop paying for the horse, you have to start paying. Thus my original advice to sit down with them and understand every penny that has gone into his care over a 12 month period. I dont know what your horse arrangements are, so will consider something that’s easy math: Suppose the horse costs range from $800 - 1,000 per month depending on periodic things like dental, vaccinations, coggins test etc. That means an annual expense in the neighborhood of $10,000 or more. You need to understand this, and also if you have not had a horse emergency or bad event, understand that too. Colic, major lameness, etc - can run $$$ if they happen.
So while you are figuring out a career, you have several years to get a part time job, any job that fits your schedule and start saving that money. With luck you can have a ‘horse fund’ set up by college graduation time that will cover you for a while. But in the end, in order to pay for the horse you need to work. And yes, you can work, go to school and still have some horse time. It may be less than now but its possible.

[buck22]

Oh, it’s possible, I did it. But it requires extraordinary commitment and stamina.

I put myself through college at the premier school in my field in NYC, I doubled my majors and left with a BFA and gpa of 3.92 after 5 years. I lived in a shoebox apartment on the upper west side, and boarded my horse 40 minutes outside the city. I took 4 lessons a week; twice on my lunch break on schoolies near a job I had in NJ, and one evening and one weekend on my own horse in NY. I also showed locally, and had a truck and trailer for the occasional outing. Every dime I spent was a dime I earned, I received no gifts from family, no scholarships.

BUT, this wasn’t easy and I was in a unique position to pull it off:

1. Thanks to vocational high school, I had already been working in my field for a couple of years, and had a good full-time well-paying job where I had advanced past a junior position AND was offered time and half overtime pay – as much as I wanted whenever I wanted it. I routinely put in 55 hours a week, sometimes much more if I needed the cash.

2. I matriculated at night, which cut the cost of my education by 60% and allowed me to have a full-time day job. It also meant my teachers too were coming to class directly from the office, as well as the students, so there was an air of forgiveness for having a tough day. My classmates were much older than me, which was good because everyone took the coursework very seriously. Because of this, my classes advanced through the coursework faster than day-students, rewarding us with a higher quality class experience – making it easier for me to juggle two majors and maintain a high GPA. I was also immersed with other like-minded already-working-in-their-fields individuals – this enhanced my focus and kept me driven.

3. I took out a boat-load of loans, including housing assistance that covered 80% of my living fees, so I could afford to live in NYC and get home from class with enough time to do my homework.

4. All I did was work, school work, commute, sleep, and ride. My days were planned out in 15-minute increments. Everything I did in life was maximized for speed and efficiency, I literally would not waste 5 minutes and I never took a day off. My only ‘downtime’ was horse time and my only social life was at the barn, that was it. Commuting time counted towards sleeping time.

I had extremely forgiving friends and family. I pretty much abandoned my boyfriend – and no surprise, it didn’t work out in the end. I didn’t socialize at all at school, I didn’t party, I didn’t go to clubs. I think in all the years I lived in the city I might have gone to 10 bars or so and I made like 2 friends.

I would see my close friends and family for the holidays and then tell them I’d see them again in the summer, and I wasn’t kidding.

It took me 15 years to pay off my student loans.

I look back and sometimes can’t believe I accomplished what I did. It was an INSANE schedule, for YEARS. That sustained level of intensity would kill me inside a month now, but back then, I had the drive, the stamina, and the sheer will.

It was worth it. The horse was my first horse, my heart horse, my best friend. He passed away a few months ago at the age of 40, and I loved every day he was in my life.

Developing an ultra-high level of commitment and the organizational abilities required to survive those years served me very well in my career since – I can operate at a super high productivity level for an extended period of time and run circles around most others. This developed skill has always landed me in top positions. I’ve been able to balance work and life because I can plow through my tasks faster than anticipated, and create more free time to enjoy serious battery-recharging.

[candyappy]

I paid for my own horse since I was 16 so it is possible if you really want to do it. It might mean your horse is on the cheapest boarding option possible for you, or maybe you can find someone to share expenses when you start college.

[Scribbler]

The kind of focus Buck22 describes is possible if you enter a college already knowing what you want to do.

The OP sounds young, and without much focus as of yet. Students like that really benefit from having room to socialize, join clubs, change majors, and in general use the college years to grow up and out into the world.

I put my childhood horse on pasture when I moved from community college to university because there was just no time. Also it was clear to me that my recreational riding was at that point kind of a throwback to being a somewhat isolated and bored teenager, and I wanted to be immersed in young adulthood. There was no option for moving forward in riding in my environment , though the couple of girls in my high school that did continue on to be instru tirs and trainers sought that out instead of going to college.

Anyhow in youth there are two options.

Come to an agreement with your parents and let them pay your way.

Go your own way and pay your own way.

If you think you need the latter, junior year in high school is not too early to start holding part time jobs and learning how to budget.

[luvmyhackney]

I let me daughter take a gap year due to Covid, but she has to choose military/college/ FT job at the end of this summer. She wants to go into the air force so I support that. Currently she is working with the contractor that is remodeling our home and learning about plumbing, electrical. HVAS, and drywall/painting work. Its actually given her time to decide what she wants to do and its not college. She prefers more hands on things, so is choosing between military or trade school.

There is no way she would have time to take care of a horse much less ride on a regular basis. She works with the contractor from 7:30 AM - 6 PM and loves it. I vote sell or lease the horse out and suck it up for 4 years and be able to have the ability to afford the fun stuff later down the road. Short term pain for a long term gain.