Simone who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Winter fun and laughter | Absolutely fell in love with the little iceland horses. We were all questioned and I was well matched with a mare who needed to be ridden but nothing complicated or tricky. She loved a good burst of speed across the frozen landscape.
Jimmy was not going to ride but after a chat with Hannes joined us for a very fast short ride on the farm where he got his first gallop in an open field on an angel of a horse, who I stole the next day as he looked so comfortable to tolt (and he was compared to my mare who was a little more bouncy).
Saddle was lovely and comfortable and looked in good condition.
Great care was taken to check our tacking up, girths etc before we set off.
[In The Saddle - we are so glad that you enjoyed your riding adventure in the snow.]

Emma who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Iceland winter riding and northern lights | It surpassed expectations.. I was expecting to feel rather “under horsed” as I am tall and used to 16.2 rides. They are diddy, but absolutely don’t ride as little as they look. They are willing but mannerly, unbelievably sure footed and I felt like I was floating in Tolt. Hannes and his family are so welcoming and the food is delicious.

Lise who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. It was a great experience to ride the cool Icelandic horses. Exciting to try many different horses and explore a new way of riding.
[In The Saddle replies - We are so glad you enjoyed the exciting riding in Iceland]

Nina who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Incredibly beautiful and joyful | This was a once-in-a-lifetime holiday for me, riding my favourite horses through the breathtaking landscape of my favourite country. The trail takes you from the lower lands of the farms through lava fields and craters right up to the velvety green mountains and, eventually, to the colourful area of Langmannalaugur.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback, it's wonderful to hear that you had such a fantastic holiday in Iceland.]

On the six-day trip I rode 11 horses (I had one a few times), and all were confident and fit. There was not a single horse on our trail that I thought they shouldn't be here. The herd gets on so well, and no matter if we rode in front or behind the herd, I always felt safe and in control of the ride. Corinna, who led our tour, was always at hand to help if anyone had concerns, as were Lisa and Christin.

Riding is only one part of this trip, and I was really lucky with my group of 18 guests. Like me, many of them were solo travellers, so getting to know each other was important. The shared accommodation ensured that we got to know each other quickly, and Sophie's wonderful dinners ensured that we went to bed happy every night.

Raja (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Very healthy, capable, well-schooled horses.
Very skilled, sympathetic and top professional team with great hospitality ... and understanding of people.
Good sense of humour
Good mood
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback.]

Elsebeth who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. All the horses were really lovely and well handled. They were different, and some of them suited me better than others, but it was exciting and educational for me to try 10 different ones. The tack was tip-top in order. The terrain was challenging and the pace quite fast, and I would point out that you really need to be fit and be an experienced rider with good balance. It was a fantastic experience and very intense, so I almost felt like I had been away for a whole month. The nature is also quite special and really exciting.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and it's wonderful to hear that you enjoyed your holiday to Iceland. This itinerary is certainly one of the more challenging highland rides.]

Judy (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Lovely | I don’t think this holiday would be suitable for people who are inexperienced hacking over different ground. The terrain was uneven. I enjoyed every moment but I spend most of my time hacking.

Michelle who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic horses and people but be prepared for basic | So different to what used to but got in to it eventually. Great variety of routes although a lot were road side but I guess nothing can be done about that to get to where we needed to get to

Gaynor who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A different riding experience | The riding and the horses were good. I found on some horses I was bumpy and bouncy as not sure if they were tolting or trotting, the saddles were comfortable.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback. It's great to hear that you enjoyed the riding but I'm sorry to hear that a few of the horses weren't that comfortable.]

Nina who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. Scenery and riding, absolutely outstanding! | I had high expectations to begin with but the riding and scenery exceeded them. I was blown away! Every day is so different for what you see and it's incredibly beautiful. I felt like I was on a movie set every day. I loved the riding. It was fast, just how I like it. I loved how we could ride as we wished. Riding side by side and overtaking was completely ok. The horses all get on so well. [In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your feedback. We are pleased to hear the riding and scenery exceeded your expectations.]

Nina who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. A dream come true | This was one of the best riding holidays and riding experiences I've ever had. It was my first time riding an Icelandic horse and after doing so they are now my favourite breed. The way they move feels amazing and they have incredible personalities.
The rides out we did were short but we experienced something different each time. The scenery is stunning and the type of ground we rode on changed all the time. Where many horses would have a difficult time, the Icelandic horses skipped over it like mountain goats.
We tolted lots! I loved the pace of the ride which was quick, as did the horses. My horse was perfectly matched to me. The best horse I've ever ridden!
The log cabin accomodation was beautiful, with an outdoor hot tub you could look at the stars from. The food was plenty and excellent. The hosts and guides was just fabulous. Super friendly and caring, making sure we had the best experience possible, and they succeeded!
Everything about this holiday was perfection. I also loved the trip to the Golden Circle. Way better being taken by our host Sophie, than on a big bus full of people! She taught us so much about Iceland and their way of life. We also met the family and was able to buy Icelandic jumpers the ladies had knitted. The holiday also felt like a wonderful cultural experience too.
We didn't see the Northern Lights, but that was fine as the horses made me as happy as I could be anyway.
I can't wait to return to Iceland and ride again! [In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your wonderful feedback, it is great to hear how much of a great time you had. The horses are certainly unique and many people do love them.]

Hester who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Based to the itinerary I expected the rides to be longer and more diverse. Riding was a lot of fun, but rides were short and basically the same.

Karena who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Amazing adventure | Riding was superb the horses were loved and part of the Icelandic family as were we. The guide made an extra effort to suit me to each horse and the riding was awesome. Would recommend to anyone and would certainly go back!

We rode in beaches and across lava fields some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve ever seen. Strong sturdy and sure footed speedy horses !

Love loved it!

Dag (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A perfect vacation | Excellent

Katrine who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. We changed horses twice a day, and not all of them were equally good, but mostly the horse fit perfectly, and the horses were of different levels, and everyone had to be allowed to try different horses.
In addition, all horses were friendly and well handled, most quite contact-seeking and curious.

Katie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fabulous riding, horses, scenery and hosts | Riding the Kjolur trail was an amazing experience. The landscapes are beautiful and the horses are fantastic. We rode north to south and at the end I would have happily joined the next group to do it all again and ride south to north and that was even with getting drenched on two of our riding days.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback, we are so happy you enjoyed riding in Iceland :-)]

Sarah who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Very good | Met expectations. Accommodation and food relatively basic, but pretty much as expected. Don't choose this for a fast ride- walk and tolt only, really.

Ros (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Breathtaking | What a fabulous experience! Such a hardy & willing breed of horse, a joy to ride.
Very much enjoyed learning the Tolt and Pace!
The team at Islandshestar were brilliant with people and clearly loved their horses.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and we are so pleased you enjoyed your holiday in Iceland.]

Joely (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing Experience | The riding was fast and exciting, covering a huge variety of terrain. The horses were all so willing, and excited to get going each morning. Sophie the team leader put a lot of effort in matching horses to riders, and always wanted to hear feedback in order to improve her pairings.

Rochelle (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Magically Enchanting | There were plenty of helmets - of varying sizes - for everyone to use. At least for this specific riding operator -IslandsHestar - run by Sophie and Hanes, helmets are NOT necessary to bring. I would have liked knowing that, as helmets take space in a suitcase. I also think that it needs to be strongly stressed that the Northern Lights are very unpredictable, even during March. We had very extreme winter weather during our 3 day ride, so the Northern Lights were not visible. That’s normal, as we have no control over the weather, but I think this ride needs to say it several times, that the chances of seeing them are never assured.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and I'm sorry to hear the weather was extreme during your holiday and you didn’t see the Northern Lights. We will review the ride information and make sure it is very clear that the lights are subject to the correct weather conditions.
Our 'recommended packing list' mentions that hats are available to borrow locally but we would always recommend riders take their own to ensure fit and quality.]

Maddy who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A really fun experience! | We rode Icelandic Horses at a mixture of walk and tolt. These horses are so smooth to ride and lovely to handle. A really fun experience I would definitely recommend!
[Becky from ITS replies: It's great to hear that you had such fun riding the Icelandic horses!]