Hilary who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Relaxing holiday with amazing views. | There is a lot of road riding which includes steep metal roads. The horses are bullet-proof with the traffic and also the numerous barking dogs that are behind or on top of walls.

A couple of the rides require you to walk, partly because of the steep, down-hill terrain but one so that you can see a beautiful waterfall so appropriate footwear should be considered.

Brenda who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. Fastastic Riding Holiday | Exceeded my expectations. Loved the canters and gallops!

John who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. An outstanding riding experience from start to finish! | What was nice was that all paces were accommodated, the horses were very well trained, the food and accommodations were outstanding, and the hosts, Claude and Christine made you feel very welcome in their home.

Anky, who led our rides, was an outstanding guide and she would tailor your ride and preferences to suit. Fantastic staff, and let's not forget Rui !

Tina who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Perfect horse riding holiday in stunning location | I was very impressed by the variety and quality of the horses, all of whom were extremely well cared for. I rode three different horses during the week, and all of them were excellent and a good match for me.

Sara Fevre (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Good

Patricia who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful Scenery, beautiful accommodation and well looked after horses | The initial horse I was given was very lazy, so rather hard work. Then they gave me a more forward going horse, unfortunately he had girth galls so had to take time off. By the Thursday I was given a horse I enjoyed riding. Horses all well cared for, and obviously loved. Tintin (her nickname) our guide, always asked how we got on with our horses. She tended to do quite a fast ride but always asked what kind of ride we wanted. Christina was excellent in organising the riding and programme around the weather which was not that great during our week. Just a shame that the cloud was so low on the final ride around the rim of the extinct volcano that we were riding in fog!!! Very disappointing.

Jessica (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Atlantis and Green Island Trails | Excellent

Troels Vang (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Good, steady, fresh horses. Nice to try different horses and get your favorite horse on the last ride. The guides are very attentive to all riders, throughout the ride, they are in control of everything.

Maria (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Refreshing holiday | Riding was through beautiful scenery. Horses were well cared for, but not all the equipment best fit each horse.

Janet who has been on 14 In The Saddle rides. Well worth waiting for | This was my third attempt at going on this holiday and wow did it deliver. First the horses are perfectly cared for and know their job in a nice way. They are certainly not dull. The guides are very attentive to what is going on and we did have a riding lesson on Day 1! It is beautiful, lush with extremely different terrains...and no biting insects. The riding is very varied, plenty of change of pace and you do see all parts of the island. Christina and Claude have an amazingly beautiful place and organise everything perfectly nothing is too much trouble. Christina cooks the food and it is delicious....what more can I say other that this is a place you will meet people from everywhere.For us we had Americans and Danes all delightful. I will certainly go back
[Olwen from In The Saddle - we are so glad that you were eventually able to enjoy this wonderful holiday having deferred from 2020 and 2021.]

Barbara (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fabulous | The horses were beautiful, happy, responsive horses. We decided to bond further by doing the horse wash down at the end of each ride. Bruno was our guide for most of the week and his knowledge of the island's exstensive flora gave our rides an added dimension. We have to add that we had 2 half days of excursions to the tea plantation and botanical gardens and hot springs.As well as dolphin/whale watching boats from Porto Delgada. Rui our driver was a wealth of talents. He organized bookings, did airport pick ups, and helped in the stables.

who has been on In The Saddle rides. It is completely different conditions they have horses under than what we have in this country. The horses were in work and all balances with new and different riders. The tack was used but usable and under the conditions it gets dusty.

who has been on In The Saddle rides. Responsive, calm and good horses. The saddles were slightly not so good.

Katrine Hojfeldt who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Slightly worn saddles but there was seat saver which made it more comfortable.
The horses I rode were attentive to their rider, and although some of them were quite strong it still went fine.

Madeleine who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. A splendid week | Actually I was pleasantly surprised at how many good canters/gallops we managed to fit in given the terrain. Our brilliant guide, Bruno, went to great efforts to pair us up with horses that we might like and wanted us to have a good time.

Caroline who has been on 17 In The Saddle rides. Azores Green Island Trail - Fantastic ride in a beautiful island | The horses had interesting histories and unique characters, with several having been rescued from difficult circumstances. It was wonderful to see that they had become very good riding horses, highly sensitive and also sensible. They tackled steep hills with no hesitation and were enjoyably relaxed in canter. It's the kind of riding we cannot do in England - lots of climbs and descents and long canters along sand tracks. Bruno, our guide, was remarkably well informed about the local flora and a very entertaining person to spend the day with. He matched us very well to our different riding preferences and styles. It was lovely being able to ride a different horse every day, and also feel sure that each one was getting a good rest after lots of exercise.

Emma who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Amazing! | Really gorgeous trails, perfect range of well cared for and eager horses, and loads of fun and varied riding. Great opportunities for canter and gallop too.

Deborah who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Azores Green Island - Second time here and it was just as fabulous | Well loved and cared for horses. The grooms and guides were very accommodating and couldn't do enough for us. Nothing was too much trouble. The riding was varied and the scenery breath taking. Plenty of chances for a change in pace

Helle Marie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic place. The horses had a great life - most were rescue horses that were rescued from bad treatment etc.

Nicola who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Azores green island trail | It exceeded our expectations in all ways, the excellent condition of the horses and their tack, the wonderful staff, the home cooked food, everything.

Frans (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Everthing was so well organised. The day/s were well filled with riding, hiking, excursions and time to relax | Above expactation in every way. Well schooled horses. Indoor lessons were excelent. Guides were skilled, helpfull and friendly.

Vanessa who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Beautiful island views from the back of willing horses | I rode five different horses, each with their own unique character. All of them were extremely capable and willing and very well suited to the terrain. The owner, Christina, and the guides asked for feedback after every ride and took that into account when matching you up with a horse for the following day.

The riding was varied and fun. Walk where it was steep, but plenty of trots and canters were faster paces were possible. Also some really fun gallops where it was safe. They really look after their riders and check on the wellbeing of everyone regularly. The horses are well-loved and well looked after.

Very knowledgeable guides who shared detailed information about the local flora and fauna.

who has been on In The Saddle rides. Relaxing, fun, superbly organised | The week began with a lesson in the indoor school - very worthwhile. It gave us a chance to get a feel for the horses and the instructor/guides an opportunity to assess our riding. Quite a lot of the terrain is either uphill or downhill, but the horses are familiar with the routes, know their jobs and seem happy in their work. Pace was varied throughout the day. Trots and canters were plentiful. Significant advance planning by the team made sure we rode a variety of different routes - not always starting or ending in the same place.

I rode 4 different horses across the week and enjoyed being able to swap. If nothing else, it eases any saddle/stirrup pressures and gives welcome variety. We rode out with 3 different guides and this was also a good thing. Each guide had something different to tell us, a slightly different approach/attitude, new conversation, etc. Without fail every guide was incredibly cheerful, helpful and great at balancing safety with excitement.

Susan who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Horse riding in paradise | Thrilling riding on much loved ,well trained ,reliable ,forward going horses through varied, breath taking landscapes with well informed guides who told us all about the local environment, history and geology as we went. And so many fields of dairy cows! i loved every moment.

Pamela who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Refreshing | I loved all the horses I was given to ride. They each had their own personality and were all responsive, willing and relaxed about pretty much everything we encountered.

Hannah who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. "Will be Back" | Lovely mixture between long fast paced canters and relaxing walks where you wouldn't want to go to fast as the scenery is so beautiful. Our guide "Nelson" catered for all standards while making sure horses were content. He works extremely hard and never shows any crack of exhaustion! His care and attention to detail is exquisite.

Only hold back was one of the riders was a little weaker than the rest, so waiting was sometimes needed.

There are a lot of steep steep hills so if you are going on this ride - I would advise practising light seat if you can't already!

Horses themselves we almost all rescues - with journals of their back stories which Christina has so beautifully put together, are all perfectly suited to the tasks given. Whether you are more experienced, a bit nervous or not so sturdy on the saddle they have a horse for all!

Holly who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful! | I took some extra dressage lessons from the trainer, Nelson, and had a blast riding and learning on their beautiful and well trained Lusitanos.

Victor (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Horses could be more responsive.

Rida (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Good people but need more guides. | The horses were a bit hard in the mouth. I exclusively ride western. I am used to horses that pay attention to the reins. I had to constantly fight to hold the horses in an effort to prevent them from sticking their nose into the horse in front. Perhaps that's how the English snaffle bit works. That wasn't fun.

The horses had to be ridden nose to tail in a particular order; apparently they don't get along. On my first day I was the 9th guest rider out of 9. I did not hear a single thing that the guide said. On my second day I was 8th out of nine. I was aimlessly following the rider ahead without hearing anything that the guide had to state. I did not learn anything about the islands.

I then skipped a few rides. On my 3rd full day ride I was 4th in line and head some of what the guide had to say. On the last day I was second last again. Did not hear a thing.

Mie who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. The horses in the Quinta are wonderfully well-schooled and well-behaved. They have 49 horses, so if you want to try a little different, you can come up with your wishes. After each ride you are asked if you like that type of horse or if you want more/less of something. You never get the same horse two days in a row, as they always have a day off the day after a ride. This in turn means that the horses are always fresh for a ride.

I rode four different horses on the six rides I was on, and every one was beautiful in their own way!

Deborah who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Just Perfect | Excellent

Catherine (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fabulous riding & hospitality in The Azores | The riding exceeded my expectations. Information about riding ability had clearly been read and this was reflected in the horses chosen for the rides. Assessment lesson on arrival was thorough and Nelson (the instructor) quickly and accurately identified level of ability and (the many!!) areas needing work !
Guides out on the trails were helpful and gave clear instructions during the rides.
For the majority of the rides there were only 4 or 5 in the group which added to the enjoyment. We also had an extra ride!

The Quinta has a variety of horses catering for riders of all abilities. Some of the horses are rescues & the team have done a fabulous job of returning them to happy, healthy horses who enjoy their work.