Karine who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Beautiful Romanian meadows, forward horses and excellent guides | The staff went to great lengths to match the horses with the riders. Halfway the week the horses could rest and other, equally divine horses were given to us. The rides go through meadows, forests, mountains and little picturesque villages. The canters were fast, but under control. The local people were friendly and authentic. There was enough time to really enjoy the surroundings.

Bianca who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. It definitely exceeded all our expectations, both in terms of accommodation and horses.
What a truly beautiful place to ride, and what wonderful, wonderful people work there. Nothing is too much trouble for them. The camping trip was fantastic. You hardly sleep, but the joy of spending time under the stars is something you'll never forget. I would recommend everyone to go there sometime.

Bridget who has been on 16 In The Saddle rides. Equus Silvania | Excellent

Julia who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Due to the substantial rainfall in the preceding weeks the terrain was not suitable for fast work, certainly in the first 1/2 of the week on the stunning meadows. The horses unfortunately weren’t aware of that - so the few canters we did have were quite challenging! The lack of fast canters (dare I say gallops) was very disappointing as that’s what we love to do and the horses were super fit! But understandable in the circumstances.
There were a lot of steep hills requiring standing forward in the saddles, which was a strain on ankles but worth it for the amazing views over Transylvania!

Deborah who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Super holiday, riding, conservation, culture and cuisine. | I rode the same horse (Rubin - great horse) all week, but others did change their mount. The riding did largely meet expectations. In walk we could ride side by side but trot & canter in line. We had a couple of extended faster canters both in forest and on open hillside. The mountain scenery we rode to be able to see really was spectacular.
The horses clearly enjoyed their jobs.
It was great to untack horses at lunch time to allow them to roll and graze.

Whilst I was prepared to dismount to lead my horse where needed, these walks were on pretty uneven ground and in one case about 25 minutes duration so it’s not just a short walk.

Juliette who has been on 20 In The Saddle rides. Stunning countryside to ride | I arrived thinking the ribs I broke 10 weeks earlier were healed but it became quickly apparent they weren’t!
The team at Equis were brilliant and took me out on small rides independant of the main group,luckily walk and canter less excruciating!
The small routes we took were in wonderful pastures and forest tracks on a great Arab pony and Helena and Ana took great care of me

Jen who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Fun riding in the Romanian countryside | Fun riding on lovely horses. They were very forward going so the riding was more on the lively side than the relaxing side. I had a strong horse for one of the rides, very sweet and friendly horse but I struggled to hold her during canter! The horses are all very well loved and cared for exceptionally well. Good mix of riding, on forest tracks and in the meadows. The Carpathians are big though, so on a centre based ride there isnt so much variety. I will try the trail ride next! There are some quite long stretches walking with the horses, which wasnt so fun on the slippery muddy bits.

Nina who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. A pleasant riding holiday with lovely food. | The riding was nice, a good pace, happy horses keen for a good canter. The horses were excellent on the roads despite the poor driving skills (no reduction of speed by some drivers passing the horses) but there isn't much road work really. The scenery was pretty. The cultural day was fantastic, I loved our guide Marius, he was so funny and informative. The bear hide trip was good too. It was lovely to see 11 bears! Regarding the virgin forest trip, do bear in mind its very steep and you come down the same way. Long pants and good boots are important.

The only downside, which is why I wouldn't recommend this ride, is the huge packs of very aggressive farm dogs we encountered a few times. I have ridden places with farm dogs such as Macedonia which was fine, but these dogs were far more aggressive and I couldn't help think what would happen if I fell off due to a spook. That said, the horses appeared very accustomed to the dogs and stayed calm.

The guides are very friendly, professional and know their stuff. Great girls.

Lavinia (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Centre based riding week | Yes

Philip who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Spectacular Romania | During the stay at Equus Silvania the weather was very hot, with an average of 32 degrees C, therefore the riding took this into account by trying to ride in the shade of the forests as much as possible, with saddle bags provided to carry water bottles, and the horse were able to stop to drink from natural water sources during the ride. The forest ridges are very undulating and with the heat you need to be fit, to not only ride, but sometimes lead the horses down steep slopes.
In The Saddle replies - We are so glad that you enjoyed this great holiday in Romania.]

Jess who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous holiday | The horses were responsive, capable and fit. The varied terrain and routes taken were lovely and there were lots of opportunities for canters and gallops.

Lisa who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Lovely horses and great terrain | Good

Karen (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) nice place with nice people and horses, good trips into the beautiful mountains and surroundings. Great flexibility and friendliness.

Amber (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic riding in beautiful countryside | The horses were exactly as described in the trip description, very forward going and fun to ride but wonderfully well behaved and sensible at all times, even when the shepherd dogs came barking! The two horses I rode on this trip were very good-natured but always ready for a canter. They all had such unique personalities that made riding in a group a really fun experience.