Sophie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Excellent

Sarah (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) We were given a special treat. When it became clear that our riding skills and courage were probably a bit greater than our other teammates, we were assigned our very own personal guide. This resulted in long, beautiful rides where it was actually just the two of us - a surprising luxury.
It was great to see horses that were well looked after, and that older horses were appreciated and still well taken care of. It was great that the staff knew each horse and their personalities.

Emma who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Relaxed riding in glorious surroundings | As expected from the pre-booking information, the riding was generally steady due to the terrain, but we did get the opportunity for numerous short canters. I loved the varied and beautiful surroundings and Ailsa was a brilliant guide in all respects. The horses were very well schooled and obviously really well looked after. The skills of Western riding were taken seriously and my level of competence here really improved over the week. We did experience some rain which meant we couldn’t ride out some of the time, but we took lessons in the school and were offered alternative activities. We were glad we had rented a car as we could easily visit a range of wonderful places as well as riding. The countryside is just stunning.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are so happy that you enjoyed your trip to Tuscany].

Bob who has been on 13 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful views, horses and wine! | Western riding is not for everyone as it is very different to English riding. I thought I had ridden Western previously but obviously not properly! Ailsa was an excellent teacher.
The horses and tack were in excellent condition and very comfortable.

Tracy (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A wonderful Italian riding experience!! | Wonderful, kind horse for my trail ride (Rosa), with a switch to a more responsive quarter horse for my lessons…. Which perfectly matched my needs.

Nicky (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A fabulous week learning to ride in the beautiful Tuscan hills | I had previously ridden as a child many years ago so was for all intents and purposes a beginner and my husband had never ridden, We were immediately put at ease as we were matched with two very steady horses who we fell in love with and Consetta was a marvellous teacher, so patient and knowledgeable. Within a few lessons we had gained the confidence to really enjoy the experience and by the end of the week we were trotting and ready to go out on a ride in the estate with Ailsa, Concetta and other guests. The holiday more than exceeded our expectations and we are hoping to book another trip in the future.

Eric who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Beautifull and relaxing holidays in Tuscany | The riding was very good and the instructor friendly.

Gill who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Superb | Our host Ailsa could not have done better job. So much care and attention to detail in all aspects of the week; horse welfare, rider welfare, clear introduction to Western riding, well matched horse and rider, varied rides, lots of local history and information on the rides. We were given a demonstration by Franco of the young horses he is training and his passion and skill were clear to see. Picnics were beyond expectation. The pace was steady and often limited by the beautiful terrain, but we covered a lot of ground and there were plenty of canter opportunities

Flo (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Relaxing riding holiday in beautiful Tuscany | Fantastic guide: Ailsa.
It was nice to have the mini intro to Western riding before we got out to get acquainted with
our horses.
Great horse pairing - I really liked that we had the same horse through the stay.
Horses are super well cared for.
I was super happy it was a small group with only my 2 friends riding with me. It keeps the
level consistent.
Could have been a bit faster paced but with the sun and the terrain, I felt it was a sensible
ride.

Dan who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Tuscany Horseback tour | The Tour of Castellare De Tonda, the Heart of Tuscany tour was wonderful beyond words, The lodging and food was outstanding, The horses were wonderful and well kept, My horse was a saint. she obeyed all my commands, her canter was like riding in a big Cadillac, she was beautiful fast and strong, She did a wonderful job of carrying my Derriere. The whole time I was riding her and at the ranch I was able to leave all my fears, troubles and problems behind for the week. I highly recommend this tour. One afternoon I was able to attend a wine tasting.

Edith (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Wonderful acquaintance with western riding | We had a lovely stay in Castellare di Tonda. The horses were very well trained and the rides in the Italian landscape were stunning. Tuscany is beautiful. We were in October and we had perfect riding weather.
The lessons from Franco were inspiring and Aisla was a very good and pleasant guide on our trips.

Jill (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A wonderful week of horses and beautiful scenery | From start to finish everything was easy and a great service. The pre-holiday admin was easy and the company very efficiently made sure everything was in place.

All the horses were very well cared for and well trained. My horse was a sweetie and felt super safe and behaved beautifully in the group. Our guide Ailsa could not have been better. She worked tirelessly to make sure she found ways to satisfy our desire to canter about as much as possible.

The Tuscan countryside is absolutely stunning and our group had the best time. I can thoroughly recommend this holiday.

Pat who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Brilliant riding holiday | The riding covered a variety of terrain from shady dense hilly woodland to open rolling fields & tracks. In places the views were amazing. The horses were well schooled, responsive & sure- footed & plenty fit enough for the week's work. There were many opportunities for trotting & cantering as well as leisurely walks to admire the scenery.
Our weather was mixed but Ailsa was very flexible to swap times & days to give us the maximum riding time. On a rainy afternoon we were offered an indoor schooling session with Franco which was both enjoyable & informative.
Overall a very pleasant & relaxing week. Ailsa went out of her way to ensure we had a good time.

Ian (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Enjoyable and inspiring week | Many reviews mention Ailsa - with good reason. An absolutely genuine person who went out of her way to make the riding/holiday special.
Being new to Western riding I was a little apprehensive prior to my holiday. I needn't have been. A little research on You-Tube gave me adequate preparation. This coupled with responsive horses which instilled confidence meant I had a wonderful experience. Thoroughly enjoying the style of riding.
Although rain made some trails unusable at times, Ailsa always aimed to ensure we were able to ride as much and as long as possible. On one day the rain had made the trails unsafe so Ailsa arranged for us to have a lesson with Franco in the indoor school. He is an absolute Jedi. Quiet and unassuming Franco is an expert horseman who with just a few drills improved ones riding without being intimidating. Inspirational.
Franco and Ailsa have an indisputable passion for their horses. The horses are trained to a high standard and their care is paramount.
Overall I would certainly recommend this holiday and would readily repeat the experience.

Lisbeth (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A fantastic place, beautiful nature, wonderful people and lovely horses. Our guide and the whole group were the nicest people and we bonded perfectly from the start.

Deborah who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Excellent | Was excellent- staff lovely, horses beautifully trained & cared for. Rides very well planned - had an amazing time

Lucy who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic horses made the experience | Fabulous horses. Beautifully trained and in wonderful condition. The facilities were excellent and the respect and treatment of the horses was so good to see. The staff at the riding stables were very knowledgeable, professional and easy to get on with. They went out of their way to accommodate abilities and make the holiday a great experience.

Lene (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Insanely good guide (Ailsa), who immediately captured our interests, riding level, etc. Fantastic terrain and nature experiences. It was significantly better than we had expected from the description.

Cathrine (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Everything was very satisfactory. We were very happy with the place, the horses, the activities and not least Ailsa. So all in all, thank you so much for a fantastic planned trip.

Louise who has been on 18 In The Saddle rides. A Privilege | The trail riding met expectations with fabulous scenery and opportunities to canter on fantastic horses.
We horrified Franco on the first day as our riding skills were considered below par. For the first lesson it was agreed by us all that some basics needed work with one of us asking for tuition to sit in a trot. By the third lesson with Franco much had improved with Franco apparently thrilled with our progress. It was a great privilege to take lessons with this genius and ride horses that were so much better trained than we were. We had a great time.

Helen who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Idyllic Holiday - Amazing location, fabulous horses and instructors | The riding was varied. We spent some time in the school which was extremely useful and the rest riding through vineyards, tracks and country lanes. The instructors were very knowledgeable, patient and thoughtful of our requirements. Both Janet and I would love to go back.

Clare (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Great Riding, Great Scenery, Everything We Could've Asked For | The horses are sooooooooooo well trained and responsive we honestly couldn’t believe it. I cannot speak highly enough about the quality of the horses, how well they were cared for and how well we were matched to them. My horse Roomba was fast, which I'd asked for, but didn't have ANY of the qualities you sometimes get with a highly spirited horse, e.g. cheeky, misbehaving. She was perfect, and forward going. For my husband, who has slightly less experience, they paired him with Binoda who took great care of him without having any of the qualities of a traditionally reliable horse - she could go with the best of them, and was also incredibly responsive.

Franco, their trainer - this is clearly his passion and his life and he looks after and trains those horses better than anyone I've ever met. This is his craft and he's amazing at it - the guides would say you could always tell if a horse had recently worked with Franco because they were so soft on the reins, and to have access to horse with this kind of world class training is incredibly rare.

In terms of pace and terrain, there was lots of variety, a good amount of cantering, trotting and up and down hill work - despite there being weather conditions that slightly tempered the amount of terrain we could cover, they were amazing at making sure we got every last ounce of the riding that we could - without ever compromising our safety, of course.

And last but certainly not least - the guides!!!! Ailsa is the best guide I've ever had in my entire life, in any riding capacity. She made it so unique and personal and clearly cared about helping us improve our riding above and beyond just guiding us through the incredible hills and valleys. She even let us play with her German Shepherd and would give us a lift back to big house after a ride, which she absolutely did not have to do. It's cringe, but I would honestly say we made a new friend in Ailsa!!!

Debbie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic! | I have been fortunate to ride all over the world and am delighted to say that the horses at Castellare di Tonda were some of the best cared for and well mannered that I have ever experienced. Ailsa our guide was excellent. Her care and attention was second to none and nothing was too much trouble for her.

Rosie who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Short break western riding holiday was fantastic! | Ailsa and the team were just fabulous, very knowledgeable and helpful . I throughly enjoyed the lessons with Franco, I had very little experience with western riding and over the 3 days he taught me the basics for western riding. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was just what I needed !
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and it's wonderful to hear how much you enjoyed the riding at Castellare di Tonda.]

Julie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Well trained and cared for horses, a great guide, fabulous food and scenery! | Tuscany is green and beautiful in the spring! The rides out into the forests and vineyards were amazing with lots of significant ups and downs but many smooth spots as well. The picnic sites and food provided on the picnics were amazing. We had significant rain and were offered reining lessons in the covered arena in place of a couple rides. Great instruction on well trained horses.

Sharon (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Great Experience | The horses were magnificent. Well cared for and well trained. Ailsa and the team, headed by Franco took the time to assess us and make sure we were well matched with our horses and that we understood how to ride a reining trained horse, for their continuity and for us to get the best out of them. Caring for the horses was an underlying theme that we appreciated and understood.
The terrain was typical bucolic Tuscany and the sights were amazing wherever we looked.
We had three full days of riding with fantastic picnics for lunch and then the rain moved in. We still rode, but then moved into the large indoor arena and elected to have lessons. Ailsa and Franco were very flexible and accommodating to ensure we enjoyed our time.
Ailsa looked after us outside the riding as well, smoothing out any issues and making great recommendations for restaurants and sites to visit.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and I'm so pleased that you enjoyed your riding holiday in Tuscany.]

Louise who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. This holiday exceeded all expectations. | Our guide Alisa was excellent and very safety conscious and very informative. Although Franco didn’t speak English - Alisa translated his words of wisdom to us. The 4 of us in our group were very well matched with our horses. Riding and scenery was very varied with some beautiful scenery.

Margaret who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Castellare Di Tonda | Riding on very well trained easy going horses I loved Reida my lovely chestnut mare - wonderful to ride through the Tuscan countryside - olive groves, fields, vineyards and woods and see the Medieval villages and chapels. We had great canters and yes some loping up the hills. Ailsa and Franco are brilliant with true passion with training the horses and their well being. Ailsa was a fantastic guide and cared for us every step of the way.

Jane who has been on 17 In The Saddle rides. Girls on Top In Tuscany !! | The riding on this holiday more than met my expectations. Ailsa our guide took every care and left no stone unturned. Ailsa and Franco the horse trainer are passionate about their horses and they appreciated that we were eager to share their passion and learn their style of riding to get the best experience. I had ridden in a western saddle before but I hadn't realised how skilled and sensitive this form of riding is. I was also surprised at how comfortable I felt in the saddle all week. All four of us were perfectly matched with horses that were very well schooled, in fact some of the best schooled horses that I have experienced on a riding holiday and I have done quite a few! They could be ridden in any order. They have perfect manners. Riding in the Tuscan countryside was a joy as it is so beautiful, and our trails were interested and varied with little riding on roads necessary.
Tears were shed when we left as we had the most fantastic time and I am definitely planning to return.

Morna who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful week Western riding in sunny Tuscany | Before I went, I wasn't sure about Western riding but with a little tuition and a willingness to try and do as we were told, I soon found it to be relaxing and fun. I rode a wonderful horse and as the week went on the riding got better and better. It is not a fast ride, although we had some lovely canters, as there are a lot of hills, some of them very steep. Ailsa, our guide, was excellent.

Patricia (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Perfect Holiday | Excellent

Clare who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing | Exceeded expectations
Wonderful, well cared for horses
Varied terrain
Lots of canters
Beautiful views
Friendly hosts
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your lovely feedback, we are so pleased you had a wonderful time.]