Nicky who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing! | My lessons with Teresa were outstanding - I wish I could access her every week. I was lucky enough to have her for 6 of my 7 lessons, which was fantastic, and the horse she paired me with for 4 of those was a great match for me, and we were able to work progressively throughout the week.
My other lesson was with Guilherme - he is an enthusiastic trainer, but I found it difficult to understand what he was trying to achieve during the lesson, maybe because he struggles to convey what he is trying to work on with you in terms that are easy for the rider to understand.
For my next visit I will certainly be requesting Teresa again!

Veronica who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A truly amazing dressage experience!! | We had the most amazing time at Monte Velho! This was my second visit and it lived up to every memory and wish for it to be as good as the first time - in fact it surpassed them! It was fantastic to come back to Monte Velho and share the experience with friends, who I'd told all about it the first time. The thing I love most about Monte Velho is that it caters to everyone and everything. The horses are wonderful, as are the staff who look after them and teach the riders with such incredible patience and skill. The food is delicious and served in such a friendly, sociable environment. The riding is by far the best I have ever experienced - the technical side of it, the challenge of new exercises and the feeling of doing them on these beautiful horses is something I will never forget. And if you needed a break from the riding (as if!) there are so many other ways to relax - by the poolside, walking or cycling in the stunning grounds, or just curled up in the lounge area with a good book! My only wish - that we could have stayed longer!

who has been on In The Saddle rides. Best week of my life! | These horse have the most amazing temperament, it’s so special to be able to ride such advanced dressage horses, I’m a good rider but not at the level of these horses so they’re tolerance of me was incredible, I learnt so much and really felt I advanced my Riding skills.

Mark (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) One of the best riding experiences ever!! | The horses were superb and the instruction was top class,

Jo who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Dream Dressage Experience | The riding experience was excellent. The horses were beautifully trained, varied and a pleasure to ride, and the instruction was of a very high standard. Bernardo, in particular, was outstanding! I may have developed a holiday romance for a chestnut stallion - THE best lesson I’ve ever had!

I had 6 lessons on 6 different horses and worked on flying changes, travers, leg yield, shoulder-in, passage, piaffe, tempi changes and more!

There are just a few suggestions that I think could make the experience even better. It would have been nice if the lessons had been split more evenly between the covered arena and the outdoor school. Five of my six lessons took place in the covered arena, and it wasn’t until I specifically asked that I had the opportunity to ride outdoors, while some other guests had already been using it.

On a couple of occasions, one rider in the group understandably required considerably more support from the instructor. This meant there were periods of around 20–25 minutes where I was waiting with little or no instruction, and by the time the lesson returned to me it was quite difficult to pick up where I’d left off. As a result, I felt I only received around 15–20 minutes of meaningful tuition in those sessions. We mentioned this to the team at Monte Velho during the trip, and they were absolutely fantastic—very understanding, accommodating and keen to improve the experience.

One additional suggestion would be to have a short consultation with each rider at the beginning of the week. Discussing individual goals, strengths and areas for development before the first lesson would help tailor the training from the outset and make the experience even more personalised.

[Olwen from In The Saddle replies - we are so pleased that you enjoyed the instruction at Monte Velho. We have also forwarded your very constructive comments to the team at Monte Velho. I know they already try to do everything you suggest but it is good that they are reminded. Thank you].

Zoe who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous!! | It was fabulous to fulfill my dream of riding a Lusitano stallion! I had an hour lesson every morning, with one lovely hack as extra on one of days.. then I could explore surrounding area with non riding husband and hire car, or relax in afternoons!
The instructors were very knowledgeable and all the horses were amazing! It was also great to see their Olympic dressage rider ride and train! Horsey heaven!

[Abbie from ITS replies: We are so pleased that you both enjoyed your time at lovely Monte Velho. Thank you for your super feedback].

Annabelle (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Dressage dream | The trail rides were a little monotonous so I would opt for more lessons next time.
The dressage horses were fantastic and so were the 2 instructors, Bernardo and Guilherme. Very realistic lessons in that it wasn’t always easy and we had to work hard but once we asked correctly, the horses were very responsive. Hero was my absolute favourite, a very talented schoolmaster in Grand Prix movements. I definitely learnt a lot so was a dream as a dressage rider. [ITS note - We are happy to hear you enjoyed your lessons so much]

Tracey (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Luxury spa dressage indulgence | The instructor quickly assessed my ability and matched my horse partner perfectly.
My bucket list was to do a flying changes, I did lines of them in each lesson. Beautifully schooled horse made it easy to experience this dream.
(ITS comment: We are so delighted to hear that you had a great holiday and really enjoyed your lessons).

Jan who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Great Holiday | Did not ride this time just went to recharge.

Laima who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing holiday | Great facilities and excellent training, I learned loads.

Jane (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic and Unforgettable | We had the most amazing time. The riding and instruction were excellent. I learned so much from Bernardo who made the lessons fun but strict. I was given very well schooled horses who worked so hard even when the temperature reached 33 degrees. I was honoured to be given their top horses. One afternoon I booked a trail ride which was great fun over fabulous terrain with gorgeous wild flowers amidst the cork trees, we even saw wild boar and rode through pasture where the mares and foals grazed.
[Olwen from In The Saddle - thank you for your feedback. Monte Velho is such a wonderful place.]

Grainne (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Brilliant | Monte velho have excellent horses and trainers. And very friendly

Anonymous who has been on In The Saddle rides. Unforgettable Dressage & Luxury at Monte Velho | I recently returned from a six-day riding holiday at Monte Velho in Portugal, booked through In The Saddle, and I can honestly say it was a 5-star experience from start to finish.

I chose this specific holiday based on the promise of a stunning location, high-quality horses, and luxurious accommodation. I am thrilled to say that the reality exceeded the description in every way.

The horses were simply the best I have ever ridden. They were exceptionally schooled in dressage, responsive, and a pure joy to ride.

The instructors were not only highly professional but clearly very capable dressage riders themselves. Their guidance was top-tier.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your wonderful feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday at Monte Velho and look forward to arranging your return visit].

Elisabeth (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A paradise for Lusitanians lovers | The horses were brilliant school masters.
Always cooperative and in great shape.
The instructors were very passionate about their work and cared that every lesson made a difference for us in our technical improvement journey

Helen (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fabulous | For an experienced rider, this was a great holiday. Lessons challenged us. Instruction was very good and horses were well schooled and responsive. The accommodation, facilities and meals were all excellent too. My only criticism, and I shall be writing to MV directly on this, was the safety aspect out on trails. They permitted non-riders and novices on the trails which resulted on our last day in a fall. There was clearly no procedure in place and it took half an hour for someone from the centre to get to us. If the girl had been seriously hurt, this could have been fatal as there was no-one with medical training or even a first aid kit! The poor young girl who was our trail leader was an intern of no more than 20 years old who didn't have a clue. I was the only one on the ride with any experience and I could see an accident happening on more than one occasion. They need to get a proper procedure in place immediately and also, ban novices from trail rides completely as even if it's billed as a slow ride, horses are unpredictable creatures and they could have different ideas!
Otherwise it was great!
[Olwen from In The Saddle - we are glad you had a good holiday. Thank you for raising the problems which arose on your trail ride. These are serious matters and we have also discussed them with Monte Velho. They say that they will do a better rider assessment prior to going out on the trail rides. They have told me they do follow first-aid guidelines but clearly these need to be strengthened and we will be following this up with them to ensure they are.]

Nicky who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Brilliant first visit to Monte Velho! | The horses I rode were on the whole really great and I learnt something from each of them. I think it was slightly unfortunate that some visitors seemed to be able to request specific horses/trainers, which may have resulted in others not getting the opportunity to ride these horses or work with the trainers.

Having said all of this, I trained mainly with Teresa, and greatly appreciated her patience, insight and sense of humour!

Maddy who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. My third visit, another really lovely experience | Bernardo was excellent as a trainer - really went the extra mile, I can’t commend him enough
I didn't have Teresa this time
The young male trainer - I had two lessons and I think he needs more experience and better English.
Unfortunately they had a lot of lame horses (and some of the new ones are struggling to adjust to the school) so the range of horses available was reduced. However they did their best to match you with horses to improve your riding.
I loved my last two lessons on El Rei - with Bernardo absolutely excellent.
They are missing the leadership from Anne-Sylvie I feel.

Charlotte (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing | I was a bit disappointed with the trails, as we didn’t really get to encounter much — it was a real pity. The dressage lessons were really nice but it would deserve to last 1h30 as we are working one by one so 1h is a little bit short .

Katie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Dressage paradise in Portugal | The dressage lessons were excellent. I was lucky enough to have Teresa all three days. She was a very good communicator and asked up front what my goals were. My goal was generally to improve my riding and she honed in on a few position changes quickly. The horses were extremely safe and perhaps quieter than I might pick, but I do appreciate the safety factor! They were very well schooled.

The trail ride was also lovely and again my horse for that was fantastic. I heard from riders that did multiple trail rides that the route is very similar day to day. The trail rides are probably 95% walking which worked great for me.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your super feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay at Monte Velho].

Sarah who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Can I retire here? | Excellent

Clare who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Amazing | Had such an amazing time on my first trip, had to return with my daughter. All in instructors are very knowledgeable, kind and encouraging. The horses are so well looked after and a pleasure to ride. Cant wait to return in February.

Fiona who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Perfect riding holiday | Fantastic tuition. I improved so much in a week. Horses are so well trained and they have such nice temperaments.

Sarah who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Monte Velho Equo resort | The lessons are taken with two people per hour , it works well as you have a break in between and the horses have some down time . sometimes it is difficult especially in the small school to anticipate where the other rider is going .

Vicki (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fabulous | From the most beautiful location to the most stunning horses! We really couldn’t have asked for more!
It was incredible to ride the advanced dressage moves and be put on the best horses. I was like a little girl with excitement and awe! Absolutely wonderful experience!
Our room was lovely, very comfortable with a view to die for! The sunrise was breath taking!
We had the pleasure of meeting all the mares and foals all living naturally in a herd, lovely to know they grow up like that until they naturally wean themselves. If I was 20 years younger I would have stayed on as an intern!
Thank you to In the Saddle and Monte Velho for a dream holiday. We will be back!

Katie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) You did not disappoint | The teaching was first rate and the horses so well cared for. I only ride up to Medium and thought the horses good for my level. However I think perhaps if you were at a higher level, you may not be able to practice one time changes for instance.
The horses were so well cared for and obviously loved by everyone. So lovely to be part of this.
Hacking-perhaps be easier on horses if less on track and more on the grass.

Jane (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A Wonderful Resort. Can’t wait to return.

Jenny who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. A week of fabulous riding and relaxation | My third visit to Monte Vehlo and it lived up to my previous great experiences.
The horses were better than ever with some favourites still feeling lovely to ride and a range of more recent equine recruits offering great variety.
Our group of 4 were consistently well matched to horses.
We were so lucky to arrive to beautiful weather off a wet spring which made the wild flowers and landscape truly memorable.
The ethos of Monte Vehlo is a pleasure to experience.

Mary who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Great Dressage Experience | Very well schooled horses in great condition match well to the riders.
They did everything they could to meet our individual needs and wants.

Amanda who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Lovely time in Portugal | The riding exceeded expectations as someone with no prior dressage knowledge/experience.
[Olwen from In The Saddle - I am so glad you enjoyed your holiday at Monte Velho.]

Robin who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Amazing | This is an amazing place, bathing with the youngsters in their herd and natural environment was almost as amazing as the riding lessons. The food is great, it feels like a home from home.... We will be going back again soon.

Erica (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Surpassed all expectations | Absolutely loved everything about the 5 lessons I had. The trainers are gently challenging and push you in a safe and supportive way. My riding improved through the week and by my last lesson I was riding some movements for the very first time. The horses are so lovely, beautifully schooled and with a lovely temperament.

Sheila (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Superb experience | The welfare and care for their horses was excellent. The level of teaching was exceptional and reached beyond my expectations. The instructors were super and really wanted you to do well. I learned so much from them. I would return in a heartbeat!