Riding/boarding your horse while in college

[NC001]

My kid is off to college in the fall. She is taking her horse and we are looking at barns near the school (the horse is going with her to college that is a done deal so no need to comment on that part).

For those of you who took your horse to college with you, what ended up being the biggest challenges and what boarding situation was/is a good match for a college student? DId you show at all with a trainer (not with the school team- there is a club IHSA team she will show with)? Were regular lessons possible?

I am willing to provide financially for whatever the horse needs including ‘some’ training rides or lessons to stay in shape if she cant ride as much as she should, but that may also mean it’s not working out and he comes back to board near home.

Thanks!

[endlessclimb]

Some colleges (Purdue, for example) do not allow freshman to have cars on campus. Hard to get to the barn.

School work load.

New friends, out from under parent’s thumb, too many parties, not enough time for horse.

For me, I tried for the first year to have him there. My school load was nuts, leaving me only able to go out on weekends. Couple that with the million other things I’d rather be, or need to be, doing on the weekends, it was too hard. My horse went back north, and he was leased out.

ETA: I was on the hook for his finances, even while in school. If your kid can find a part lease situation, that would probably be best. So if kid has too much schoolwork (cough hungover cough) , the horse isn’t sitting there squandering.

[mmeqcenter]

@NC001

For those of you who took your horse to college with you, what ended up being the biggest challenges

Well for me, it was the finances. I worked 1-2 full time jobs while in college because I had an apartment and a horse, I didn’t live on campus. So, you’ve got that covered! What a lucky kid!

Depending on your kid’s choice of major and degree, their biggest issue is probably going to be time and dedication. But that will be largely dependent on if the horse remains a priority for her or not. It’s totally normal and okay if not. Kids get to meet all kinds of new people, experience new things, in college, and new experiences are super important, so it’s okay if those take priority over riding for a little while, or even indefinitely.

But, if she’s a super-dedicated equestrian who makes her horse #1 priority, and fits in those new experiences around the horse, she should have plenty of time to ride 2-4 times a week, including a lesson. This was me, I had none cares about partying or joining any activity clubs or anything. Again, I didn’t even live on campus! My twin sister always says I “missed out on the real college experience.” Having visited her at her college frequently and seeing friends “real college experience…” I’m good. No regrets at all.

Will she be able to have a car with her on campus? As endless said, a lot of colleges don’t allow freshman living on campus to have a car.
If not, you’ll need to choose a barn close enough that she can perhaps walk and/or bike to. Or take a bus. Or, if you can afford an Uber for her to get there multiple times a week, that works.
Or, you’ll need to choose a barn with other students that she can carpool with.
I knew someone who went to a college that had off-campus parking you could pay for, for freshman that weren’t allowed a car on-campus. So you paid for a quarterly parking pass to keep the car wherever the off-campus parking was, and you just had to walk 2-3 miles to get to your car when you wanted to drive somewhere.
If she can have a car, well, it’s still a good idea to find a barn that’s as close as possible for sake of time constraints.

Since you’ll be paying for this luxury for your kiddo, I think it’d be a good idea to set up a monthly or quarterly check in specifically regarding the horse. Ask her how often she’s gotten to ride (a weekly average) or gone to the barn to see the horse even if didn’t ride. Did she miss any scheduled lessons? How is she feeling mentally - okay or does she feel like she has way too much to do? If the latter, would sending the horse back home help her from feeling overwhelmed? Or, does the horse give her a sense of stability and happiness, and some workload should be taken off elsewhere (such as class load)?
Everyone is so different, but most parents first thought upon hearing that their kid has “too much to do” is to be to take the horse back home. But that horse could be her one saving grace in her stressed out college-kid life and taking it away might really hurt her mentally and emotionally. You won’t know until she’s there. Also, keep in mind, most horses really don’t care if they’re working or not. If she’s only riding twice a week, and he gets a little out of shape, so what?

[chestnuthuntergelding]

I had a horse with me throughout my entire time at college, I would bring him down at the start of the school year, and bring him home for the summer. My biggest issue was the lack of care on what I was used to (moved from a very horsey area to one with a very small horse population). I found I had enough time to manage my course load, my horse (4-5 days a week, two of those lessons), and a social life - but I was fortunate to not need to work during college. It provided me with an excellent social circle, and the trainer I rode with was knowledgeable to take me to some local schooling shows.

[clanter]

our oldest daughter went to a private college in Virginia where she took Riding as a elective PE class each semester, youngest daughter took her horse to Texas A&M College Station where it was actually cheaper to keep him there than at home.

Both rode OFTEN as a break in their studies (one was a Chemistry major the other majored in Biology)

[NC001]

She can have a car and we are considering a barn 5 minutes from the freshman dorms so hopefully that will help! If it doesnt work out that okay, he can come home (I not so secretly have been waiting for the day I get to have him to ride regularly).

Thanks for the reminder- we could do a partial lease on him maybe to another student. He is super leasable luckily. I kind of forgot about that possibility.

[NC001]

good food for thought!

From my point of view, while this is a luxury for the kid of course, it’s the horse that I’m supporting. I want to make sure he gets good care. I would not forgive myself if he went downhill because she couldn’t afford to give him proper care. I committed to caring for him the day we bought him regardless of what my kid does.

He is her emotional support for sure so maybe first year she needs him, after that she may decide she doesnt. Either way is good with me. Luckily her college is in a good horse area- lots of nice barns around.

[LilDunFilly]

While I did own/board a horse during college, which I bought in college, my horse was not rideable and then Covid happened. That threw any normal plan out the window.

However my good friend did bring her horses with her when we were freshmen. She had her show horse the first semester, but he was injured so she sent him home. Second semester she brought her two others down. There was boarding available on campus (incredibly expensive and limited) as we had a riding program, which we were both majoring in. She later got a 3rd horse whom she kept boarded nearby. She kept him in training with a trainer there and showed over the weekends. Our school had long weekends every week due to school workload (homework was primarily projects so we needed the time). She did have a car so driving to and from the barn wasn’t an issue.

Overall, I wouldn’t say it worked for her. Her focus was more on riding than school. Her studies were not the priority. She realized that college wasn’t for her and went a different path.

[trubandloki]

A reminder for both her and you, just because others could/did do it, does not mean everyone can.

Every time there is a thread about a horse at college there are some posters who insist it is easy to ride three horses daily, do a full course load, work two full time jobs and have a full social life (made up exaggerated example).
It is great if you are one of those people who somehow manages to live on two hours of sleep and the college work load comes easy, etc.
Not being that person who can do those things does not make you (or your daughter in this case) less in any way. It just makes them different. Admitting your limitations and figuring out how to work within them is a good skill to have.

I think having the horse near the college will make it far easier for her to enjoy her horse whenever she wants. Another benefit of having the horse there is that if she needs an out from a peer pressure social engagement she can always use having to take care of her horse as a reason to not be able to go.

[furlong47]

Scheduling and time management are a big deal. If I were her I would talk to my advisor and try to plan out as much of my college career as possible in order to make sure everything will fit in to the desired number of years and keep the credit load spread out evenly. Then when scheduling each semester aim for creating big blocks of free time when possible. For example, I was able to schedule my classes so that I had Fridays off for all but one semester. I would schedule classes all in a row in the morning or take an evening class that met once a week so afternoons could be free. (I didn’t have a horse or even ride in school except for summers, but I used those big blocks of open time to get my work done so my weekends could be completely free for relaxing and fun.) Or if she likes riding in the morning, put all classes into the afternoon. Be flexible on things like electives that don’t matter much in the long run. I took some things that wouldn’t be my first choice just because they fit into the schedule well.

[Jarpur]

I took three horses with me when I went to college. I didn’t remain in a formal lesson program, but had some during my freshman year, as part of an equestrian-related club recognized by the college. Through that organization, my horses were boarded at a facility with other student members’ horses.

I didn’t have a car at first, and rode a bike 12 miles round trip (not on completely level ground) daily to care for my horses – they had a lot of turn out time, and members helped each other out (guess this could be called a co-op situation), and I only made the trip once a day. My daddy took pity on me, and provided a car after a few months of this.

By sophomore year, I dropped the club affiliation, and moved my horses to a great pasture board with run-in situation (club facility was stalls with more dirt paddock-type turn-outs), which was similar to how my family’s horses were kept at home. In that part of the country, there’s a lot of good grass, and my horses thrived, with good care provided by the grad students who leased the place and lived there. It was closer, too, and would have been an easier ride (not hilly), if I wanted to do take my bike.

I loved having my horses at school, even though it was a lot of work, an expense (I had a four year scholarship, worked summers, and my parents helped), and required dedication. I no longer showed during this time, but the horses were there for me, a real respite. I mainly rode down the rural highways, perhaps ponying a horse, sometimes with a friend riding alongside on one of my horses – usually rode pretty briskly. Life would have been a lot easier without the responsibility, but getting on (or even just hanging out with) a horse was very good for my soul.

I’m not a hard-partying person and it’s not as though I missed anything – my time outside of horses and studies were spent volunteering in art related organizations, and I had friends. I’d say, give it a try.

[LCDR]

My DD was able to finagle PE credit for foxhunting. This at a college with no equestrian programs at all.

[exvet]

Though it’s been almost half a century, well 40 years, I took my horses to college. We weren’t allowed cars on campus as freshmen; so, I rented a parking space right off campus. Time to ride was an issue but that varied with each semester. I went to school all year round and worked; so, it really was the only way I could get to see my horses. My greatest challenge was the type of care - at times subpar. Over 4 years of college and 4 years of vet school, I boarded at 3 different barns. I had one horse get kicked in turn out due to ignorance on the part of a person who was farm sitting while the owners (regular management) were out-of-town. I had another horse in training only to find out that the trainer had leased the horse to a ‘working student’ so was getting money from me and money for the lease. If I had been asked if it was okay I might have considered it but this was a 3 year green bean and I specifically made it clear to the trainer that she was to be the only one riding my horse other than myself. It became a bit of an issue for the trainer when I moved the horse. The limited time I had to get out to see my horse gave her the opportunity to lease the horse out without my permission.

[Scribbler]

I went to community college a 5 minute drive from home and on the route to the barn. I had done self board all through high school. In college I made new friends and got involved in campus activities that helped shape my adult career and I could not ride nearly as much despite everything being organized same as in high school.

When o transferred to university after 2 years I put my horse on pasture board out in the countryside. I always thought I’d go back and start up again but it basically became retirement as I traveled and went to grad school.

I don’t regret at all freeing up time to really get into university life.

These days I watch girls at my barn grow up go to university nearby and keep their horses, and it feels to me a little like that can keep them in a high school mindset. But I might be projecting. It was very good for me to break with my high school crowd and our low end horse world. The girls in my peer group who continued with horses figured out how to find quality barns and instruction in their late teens and early 20s and got out of our little suburb too. If I had had bandwidth for that it might have felt different.

[AllSport]

I went to a very horse-centric university but didn’t bring a horse with me. I was the one that filled in for friends. While this was way to long ago now, finances aside, I think the big take aways would be having a back up plan for everything and flexibility. Once you settle on a barn, have a second lined up. If you settle on a trainer or instructor (university or private) have a back up. And, like my friends, she should find a knowledgeable friend who can help her exercise and care for her horse when needed! There are a boat load of factors in college that can interfere with getting to the barn or having a regular routine. We all thought at first we were lined up at the right barns, instructors, etc but found out we were wrong. No different than moving areas I suppose. *Oh and make sure the barn allows people to show up really, really late at night. That’s usually when we were best able to fit in our barn time!

[RMJacobs]

I was given a horse right before my sophomore year at UCLA. I lived about 25 miles from campus on two acres in the middle of suburban homes. I had a heavy course load and worked long hours, plus had a terrible commute to school, and somehow found time to ride. I never had a college social life, so that helped me find the time for the horse. Also, I was living with my then-fiance, so horse care wasn’t all on me.

We were pretty poor, so we took in a boarder who paid just enough to cover our feed bills. She had a cute pony mare, would throw a bridle on her, jump on bareback, and ride all over the place. I only rode in my pasture because my horse terrified me.

The LA police were not fond of me because my horse kept breaking out and standing in the middle of a major intersection.

Rebecca

[moonlitoaksranch]

Can you adopt me?

Oh yeah. I’m too old.

No, seriously, I took my horse to college. I paid her board by working but the tuition now makes that impossible. Dorm life is great for boarding as long as the college dorms are cheaper than out in town (they used to be). So many colleges have privatized their housing that it really depends on the university.

Was it distracting? Only when I helped with care. The best boarding facility had outside board in paddocks with pasture available. I did help with cleaning my horse’s paddock, but it sounds like you’re going to hook her up as far as full care. If the horse is stalled, she’ll be pressured to ride. If she needs to study, rough board would be better for the horse. As a parent, I wouldn’t worry about her developing her riding skills while she’s in college unless she was lining up a horse career (trainer). It would be much better if college were the main focus and the horse was for stress relief. Trail rides, etc…. I did know other people that brought their horses and continued to compete. Their grades suffered. Eventually, they leased their horse out, but that was stressful, too. Lots of people brought their horses because the state university was surrounded by rural areas and it was a Ag college. The happiest students with horses had them out on rough board and we just trail rode when we had time. We didn’t have trouble keeping our grades up even though we were mostly in heavy science majors.

[Festivity]

I took a horse with me to college, but I lucked out in that a friend of my grandmother had empty corrals in her backyard. Her kids had taken the horses with them when they moved out and she liked to travel so she hadn’t gotten around to getting more horses, though she missed having them. It worked out well having mine there, I did most of the work, but she was there as backup and I would house sit when she traveled. I had a car and it was less than 10 miles from campus so twice a day trips to feed weren’t too bad. I grew up with horses at home so it wasn’t a huge change. The saving grace was having horses that could sit for a month and still pick back up right where you left off. I didn’t show at all in college but the horses were my sanity. I majored in chemistry so having something completely different to do to balance things was awesome. Also having a saintly gelding let me drag all sorts of people out to play with the horses and let them hop up bareback to ride. My youngster definitely took longer to train but he also turned out to be one that could be left for long periods and counted on to have a brain. I actually introduced my now husband to horses and taught him to ride in college as we started dating. Being able to go hug my horse when things got tough or frustrating was awesome. I also took them with me for grad school. I’m also not a partier so that helped free up some time. Having a backup plan helps, as does being flexible in how things go. I wish you and your daughter the best of luck with college!

[Jarpur]

@Festivity

Also having a saintly gelding let me drag all sorts of people out to play with the horses and let them hop up bareback to ride. My youngster definitely took longer to train but he also turned out to be one that could be left for long periods and counted on to have a brain

Those qualities are very important, IMO.

All of mine were the same horse day in and day out, whether they’d been ridden consistently or not, and two of the three (especially my mare, she was born an old soul) were the type where I could put pretty much any reasonable person up, and they would have a fun, safe experience.

Having my horses at college would have been a far different experience if they’d needed to be in professional training, or worked frequently, to stay sane and safe.

[Punkie]

I rode/competed all throughout college and actually graduated with several more horses than I started with, so it can be done! What I gave up personally was a college social life. I’m an introvert who hates parties and big crowds, so it wasn’t hard for me to say that I couldn’t do (insert activity here) because I had a lesson or a show in the morning. I also went to Florida during my junior and senior years and still found time to get my work done. Like your daughter, I was lucky enough to have complete financial support from my parents, so I didn’t have to worry about a job on top of school though I did start working in a research lab my sophomore year. I made it out to the barn 4-5 days a week and would ride at least 2 horses a day. I was also fortunate to be at full service barns, so that saved me quite a bit of time. My horses stayed in full training throughout my college years.