Essential Information

RIDING EXPERIENCE

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.
If you have overstated your ability the guide may refuse to take you on the ride if he/she considers it would be unsafe to do so.

WEIGHT LIMITS
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.

FLIGHTS
If you are making your own flight arrangements you must not confirm a flight booking until your riding holiday has been confirmed by us in writing. You must also ensure the flight times will coincide with the transfer times for the rides, which may be at a set time.
If you have asked us to book flights, please note that we are not always in a position to confirm the airline, aircraft type and destination airport which is to be used. 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 by the airlines. The actual flight times will be shown on your tickets which will be sent 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 sent 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.

HOLIDAY INSURANCE
Travel insurance is obligatory 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.

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 on these you will be expected
to share.

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 fulfil 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.

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 ten 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 have not yet obtained a passport, our recommendation is that you should apply for one at least six weeks before your holiday.

VISAS AND PERMITS
If you are a British Citizen you will need to obtain a visa in advance of travel for Australia, India, Mongolia and Mozambique. Visas are issued on arrival for Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius and Zambia. Other countries featured in this brochure do not currently require British Citizens to purchase a Visa; however regulations can change so you should check with the relevant consulate or embassy prior to travel. 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 two to three 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 THE 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 - 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-travel-health.com.

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 carrycorrect 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.
Any medical or physical condition that is not disclosed at the time of booking but which, in the opinion of the guide, could affect your ability to ride safely, will result in you being refused to ride.

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 are in the Dates and Prices Leaflet or on our website at www.inthesaddle.com which sets out our policy on
how we manage the personal information you provide us with when we arrange your holiday.