Posted on May 30, 2013
With our In The Saddle clients jetting off all around the world we often receive details of amazing sights, exciting trips and fabulous hints for other travellers. We hope that these fabulous snippets of real experiences and useful advice will give you valuable insight into some of the trips available, and help you make the decision of ‘where next’ that little bit simpler…
Sheena Barnett recently travelled across the very eastern part of Spain on the Mediterranean Trails ride. Full of diversity, this region offers the chance to see medieval fishing villages, rocky coves, pine covered hills and long sandy beaches – all set against the beautiful backdrop of the Pyrenees. “This was my fourth riding holiday with In The Saddle and definitely the best,” Sheena said. “We crossed deep rivers and cantered for miles on a deserted beach and weaved between pine trees at a crazily fast canter. We had wonderful picnics under the trees followed by lazy siestas and delicious three course meals with lashings of wine in the evenings. If you like beautifully behaved forward going horses and long hours in the saddle with varied terrain and challenging riding then this is the holiday for you.”
As one of our best selling holidays, we weren’t surprised to hear what a wonderful time some recent clients had when visiting Los Alamos in Spain. Riding out whilst viewing the beaches of Cape Trafalgar, across to the coast of Africa, this trip offers the tranquility needed to escape from everyday life, together with some of the best beach riding in Europe! “The holiday superseded our expectations,” commented Janine Sharpless. “Fellow guests became friends. To top it off the locals had a Feria (Fair), which our hosts took us too – what a bonus!”
Mrs Pawley was impressed with the quality of horses and of course the riding, “The horses were extremely well trained and looked after,” she says. “They were forward and responsive yet calm and collected. It amazed me that they would stand calmly waiting for instructions from the lead guide before a long gallop and not get fizzy but when the time came to go they were spectacular. I will never forget the horses or the experiences that I was able to have. A true inspirational holiday, did not want it to end.”
And of course meal times are a priority when you have spent all day in the saddle, as Jo Atkins confirms. “Every meal was superb,” she states. “We were treated like royalty when out – nothing was too much trouble and the ‘wobbly chocolate’ (Hot chocolate and Baileys) lead to wonderfully relaxed strolls home!”
Meanwhile on the breathtakingly beautiful Island of São Miguel in the Azores, Janice Hill was embarking on the Green Island Trail which offers six days of exploration around the lush green volcanic countryside viewing glistening blue lakes, black cliffs, rugged mountains and hot mineral springs. “I think the amount of riding was just right – any more might have been too much but equally I go on a riding holiday to do lots of riding so did not want too much time just to chill out,” Janice explains. “Plenty of canters although most of them were uphill rather than on the flat – very fit horses – the ones I know at home wouldn’t have managed the number of uphill canters. The food was incredibly good, the picnics were fab too and they took us out Thursday evening to a lovely restaurant in Ponta Delgada all included in the price.”
For something “out of this world” as Sarah Le Fevre described it as, Tour Israel shows you some of the most breathtaking sights of this relatively undiscovered country. Explore from Nazareth, through the hills of Galilee to the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee. “Spectacular location and some of the best vegetarian food I have ever eaten,” says Sarah. “All the Arab food – which is the overwhelming majority of food on this trip was utterly excellent. Great care and thought has gone into the trips planning: there is downtime as well as riding time and other sight/experience time. The Tzefira Pool, Masada and the sun rising in the Judean Desert will stay with me for a very, very long time.”
Brazil isn’t the first place you think of when picturing a riding holiday but Tracey Campbell is pleased to have discovered two of the most beautiful rides in the world. Canyons and Waterfalls provides trail riding through spectacular mountain scenery in Rio do Sul, while the Bahia Beach Ride is known for its golden sands and emerald seas, so provides travellers with possibly the best beach riding on the planet! “I was lucky enough to do both rides,” Tracey told us. “I was amazed at how much I enjoyed Brazil, the place has a good vibe. Paulo and the other guides all do an excellent job and because of the expanse of the place in most areas it is not necessary to ride in a long line. I will definitely return to Brazil to do the other rides. The people of Brazil are very friendly and welcoming.”
