Essential Information

This page should be read in conjunction with the Booking Conditions page.

The Riding
The grading of the rides throws up more questions than just about anything else. For each holiday we have tried to give you a guide to the level of riding ability required and the pace of the ride. There is however no substitute for discussing it with someone who has been there, so we urge you to call us before you book your holiday.
On most rides there is a weight limit of 15 stone (approx. 100 kgs) and on one or two rides it is less than this. Furthermore, there may only be one or two horses suitable for this weight but since it does depend on your experience and riding ability, you must check with us before booking. Please inform us if your weight changes significantly prior to your holiday since this may affect horse allocation.
When completing the booking form, please provide us with detailed information regarding your riding skills and experience to help us establish that you have the appropriate ability for the holiday. This information will be forwarded to our partners overseas to ensure that you are matched with the right horse.

Tailor-made holidays, Groups, Something Different
Many of our holidays have no set departures and the itinerary is tailor-made for you. So, if you do not see dates which suit, please call us to discuss what you want to do and we will try our best to suggest something. If you are looking for something different, whether for a group of friends or your riding club we will suggest an itinerary to suit your needs. We offer discounts for groups depending on the size of the group and the ride.

Child Rates and Family Groups
The ranch holidays generally offer the most variety for children and many have discounted child rates. Usually it is assumed that the family will wish to ride and enjoy their holiday together and so if you would like a child minding service for part or all of a day, this needs to be specially arranged.
Where a child rate is offered, then it is presumed that the child will be sharing the same accommodation as the parents. If there is no child rate offered, then we may be able to offer a group discount for your family.

Ranch Holidays
Ranch holidays are a highly personal affair. You may dream of being a cowboy and rounding up cattle, galloping across the prairies, camping out under the stars or riding into the mountains. We will do our best to help you choose a ranch to fulfill your dreams. However, it is important that you tell us what it is you really want to do. For example, if you want to meet other people and have quite a sociable holiday, then you will not wish to pick a ranch where you might be the only guests. If you want to work cattle, then it is important that you visit at certain times of the year. It is not possible to guarantee a specific activity, since ranch work is dependent on the weather and local conditions.
At many ranches you are a guest of the family. You may eat with the rancher and his family and spend most of the day with either the rancher or one of the wranglers. They welcome you into their lives and take great interest in sharing their lifestyle and knowledge of the mountains and ranch life. The vast majority of people find the ranchers totally charming; however, we cannot guarantee that you will find them so and occasionally there are personality clashes. We are confident that we offer excellent riding holidays; but we cannot guarantee that you will enjoy the rancher's company. The ranchers are characters and they may have different beliefs and attitudes to you.

Included in your Holiday Price
The prices in the brochure are per person based on two people sharing. Except where otherwise noted, your holiday price includes flights, transfers, accommodation, meals, a horse and tack, the facilities of a guide, transportation of personal belongings on trail rides, camping equipment (but generally not sleeping bags). Full board means three meals per day from dinner on day of arrival to breakfast on day of departure. Lunch may be a picnic or packed lunch. Half Board means breakfast and either lunch or dinner. Some holidays include drinks which means reasonable quantities of local wines, spirits, beers and canned soft drinks. Where not included, for instance at the ranches, you are welcome to bring your own drinks.

Price Guarantee
We believe that you should not pay more for your riding holiday than you need to. Our aim is to provide you with the best possible service and value for money, so that your holiday is a wonderful experience and a memory to treasure. Should you receive a lower quote from another tour operator, for exactly the same holiday, we undertake to match it.

Booking your Holiday
To book your holiday, please telephone us first on 01299 272 997 to check availability. When we have confirmed the dates and the price for your holiday we will hold a provisional booking for 10 days, to allow you time to complete and return a Booking Form. You should forward this together with your deposit and the relevant insurance premium to: In The Saddle, Reaside, Neen Savage, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire DY14 8ES. The normal deposit is 20% (minimum £200 per person), but some holidays require a deposit of 30%, or higher, and we will clarify this with you when you call to make a booking.
After receipt of your Booking Form, we will send you a Confirmation Invoice. Any outstanding balance shown on this and any amended invoice issued will be due for payment no later than 10 weeks before departure. If your booking is made within 10 weeks of departure, you should forward full payment for your holiday with your Booking Form.

Flights
We are not always in a position to confirm the airline, aircraft type and destination airport which is to be used in connection with any flight booked. When this information is provided at the time of booking or subsequently, it is subject to change. The flight times given on booking are for general guidance only and are subject to change. The actual flight times will be shown on your tickets which will be despatched to you approximately 2 weeks before your departure. You must accordingly check your tickets very carefully immediately upon receipt to check you have the correct flight times. It is possible that flight times may be changed even after tickets have been despatched and we will contact you as soon as possible if this occurs. You must also ensure you observe any instructions for reconfirming your return flight.
You may, of course, make your own flight arrangements, but you must not confirm a flight booking until your riding holiday has been confirmed by us in writing.

Holiday Insurance
Travel insurance is mandatory for all clients and you must confirm to us in writing that you have cover for the riding activities to be undertaken. In The Saddle reserves the right to cancel the booking, if you have not taken out appropriate insurance.

Transfers
Whether transfers from the nearest airport are included or not is noted alongside the price of each ride. The transfer may be at a specified time only. If you are making your own flight arrangements you must ensure that the flight times will coincide with the transfer times for the rides.

Service Charge and Gratuities
Where a service charge is obligatory this has been included in the holiday price and noted for your information. Where there is no service charge, tipping to guides, wranglers or other staff is at your discretion, although usually expected.

Accommodation
There is sometimes confusion over the terminology of bed arrangements. ‘Double’ is recognised as meaning a room with a double bed (this may be two beds pushed together); ‘Twin’ as having two separate beds. We will always pass on requirements for a double bed but we cannot guarantee this particularly as many of the hotels and lodges we use take only a small number of guests and choice of accommodation is limited. In Shared Accommodation, for example in Iceland and Finland, you may be sharing your room with several other people of both sexes.
A bathroom means a toilet and shower or bath tub. Bathrooms are shared unless specified as ‘en-suite’ or ‘private’. Private bathrooms may not be adjoining your room.

Single Accommodation and Supplements
This varies with the holiday chosen. At many of the ranches in the United States, a person travelling alone will have their own room or cabin with no supplement to pay. On some holidays, if you are prepared to share with another person of the same sex in your group, you will not be charged a single supplement although this may depend on whether there is another person to share with. Single accommodation is not possible on some holidays and you will be expected to share.

Passports
A full passport, valid for at least six months beyond the date of your return travel, is essential for all the holidays in this brochure. If you expect to need to renew your passport you should leave plenty of time for it to be processed. Information on how to apply for or renew a passport can be obtained by calling the UK Passport Office on 0870 521 0410 or online at www.passport.gov.uk. All children under 16 who are not already included on a valid 10 year passport will need to hold their own passport since it is not now possible to add children onto British passports. If you are 16 or over and haven't yet got a passport, our recommendation is that you should apply for one at least six weeks before your holiday. The UK Passport Service has to confirm your identity before issuing your first passport and from October 2006 you will have to attend an interview.

Visas and Permits
If you are a British Citizen you do not need a visa for any of the holidays in this brochure with the exception of Australia, India, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique and Zambia. The cost of the visa is not included in the price of the holiday but we will supply full details and the relevant application forms on request. Visas need to be applied for around 2 to 3 months prior to departure. It is important that non-British citizens check with the relevant consulate or embassy as visa requirements may differ.
We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any flight or into any country due to failure on your part to carry the correct passport, visa or other documents required by any airline or authority.

Travel to USA
All children need their own passports to travel to the USA. To travel under the Visa Waiver Scheme all British passport holders need a machine readable passport. For more information see www.usaembassy.org.uk.

Vaccinations
You should familiarize yourself before departure with the precautions recommended by health authorities. If travelling directly from the UK, no vaccinations are legally required for any of the countries featured in this brochure, but most medical experts will advise precautions against tetanus, hepatitis, typhoid and polio for travel to Africa, Latin America or Asia. Malarial protection is strongly recommended if visiting India or Africa, however, the following rides are in areas considered to be non-malarial - Malawi, Namibia and South Africa, except for Wait A Little.
Full information about health requirements for travellers is available from ‘MASTA’ (Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Tel: 0906 822 4100 or www.masta.org.

Your Responsibilities
It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. All costs incurred in obtaining such documentation must be paid by you. We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry correct documentation.
If you or any member of your party is not a British citizen or holds a non British passport, you must check passport and visa requirements with the Embassy or Consulate of the country(ies) to or through which you are intending to travel. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents results in fines, surcharges or other financial penalty being imposed on us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly.

Medical Problems/Disability
If you have any medical problem or disability which may affect your booked arrangements you must advise us in writing at the time of booking giving full details. If we feel unable to properly accommodate your particular needs, we must reserve the right to decline/cancel your booking.

Special Requests
Special requests should be noted on your booking form. It is unrealistic to expect special diets to be effectively catered for in many of the locations we feature; some cannot be accommodated and you must be prepared to compromise. While we will advise our suppliers of such requests, we can never guarantee their availability.

Safety when Riding
We recommend for your own safety that you wear a hard hat that meets current PAS and BSEN safety standards. Some establishments may have hats to hire but you must not rely on these hats and you should always take your own. It is important that your hat fits properly. Some riders choose to wear a lightweight endurance style hat, such as made by Troxel or Champion. Alternatively, wide brimmed covers in a range of materials which are designed to fit over a skull cap are available to purchase in the UK. We would be pleased to advise you on where to obtain either.
Whilst riding or in the vicinity of horses, you must comply with the instructions of your guide. It is a condition of your booking that you accept that the guide is entitled to require you to dismount or to refuse to allow you to ride if for any reason, such as ability, behaviour or health, they consider that you may endanger the safety or welfare of the horses or any person.
There are inherent risks involved in horse riding. At many of the riding holidays you may be required to sign a separate acknowledgement of this and acceptance of personal liability. If you are not allowed to ride because you refuse to sign this disclaimer or to wear a hard hat, you will have no claim against In The Saddle and will not be entitled to any refund or compensation.

Foreign Office Travel Advice
From time to time the British Foreign Office (0845 850 2829 or www.fco.gov.uk) issues Travel Advisory Notices giving advice regarding travel to a particular destination, which you should consult before making a booking. If the FCO advises against travel to the country, then following the advice of our insurers, we may have to cancel your holiday.

Photographs
We are always interested in seeing photographs of your holiday and the best may be printed in a future brochure. We also reserve the right to use in our brochure any photographs taken during your holiday which may include you.

Data Protection
Before you confirm your booking please read the booking conditions which sets out our policy on how we manage the personal information you provide us with when we arrange your holiday.