Åse who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful experience | It vas very easy to get another horse if I wanted, so I ride mostly too of my favorite horses

Jackie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) The riding was wonderful. Our guide Hannah and volunteer Grace really looked after us. Horses were fit, forward going and calm amongst the wildlife. Perfect for my first time in SA.

June who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic holiday! | Horses were excellent, some wonderful long canters and they stood patiently while we viewed the wildlife.

Kelly who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Just Amazing | It was above and beyond , horses were well cared for and matched exactly to the rider , the riding was fun and relaxing at times

Pen who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful trip | The riding was great. Lots of canters (some really long), great terrain, mostly sandy. An optional jumping afternoon, swimming with/on the horses, polocrosse (best fun ever!). Splashy trots and canters, so prepare to get wet. About 90 horses to choose from, so if you don't get on with any steeds you are given, you can try another horse on the next ride. You can also request your favourite horse and ride it more often. All horses were bombproof, some more forward going than others, but all sensible. You can ride side-by-side a lot of the time, going nose-to-tail only for the canters. My semi-novice partner was well matched with a new horse every day so he had a great range of experiences. You do need to be able to trot and canter and gallop on this itinerary, so not suitable for complete novices.

Philip who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. An excellent balance of exciting riding and amazing wildlife, with lovely hosts | The horses I rode were all very sensible and I felt 100% safe. Some needed pushing on a bit to keep up with the others. The riding was generally straightforward, mostly walking with some canters. The main hazards were holes in the ground and thorny branches, which our guide warned us about every time. We had opportunities for some more adventurous riding such as scrambling up a steep rocky hill, splashy canters, jumping, horse swimming, and polocrosse. So lots of variety. We also helped out on an unplanned cattle drive. You get 8 days in the saddle (riding on both the first and last day), so it helps to be fit and used to the English style of riding. One of our group had to sit out a day because her back was hurting from the cantering. A number of our group had only done Western riding before, and I think they struggled a bit more. Horizon have a lot of horses to choose from (100+) so you will get to ride several over the week, which is quite fun.
The riding was broken up by a number of other activities, including star gazing, a driven safari, wine tasting, and sundowner drinks somewhere picturesque. And while there was plenty of riding, it was also really nice to have a break during the middle of the day (between 11.30 and 3.30) to relax, eat, and watch the wildlife on the lake opposite.