Philip who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. An amazing journey into the wildest parts of Sicily | The horses were absolutely amazing - real endurance athletes. I was put on a young horse on the first day, who was fine, but appeared to getting tired towards the end of the day. I then moved to a slightly older mare for the rest of the week. She had some character, but I really enjoyed riding her, and we had some amazing canters / gallops. There are long days in the saddle (sometimes up to 8 hours) so you need to be fit.

Caroline who has been on 17 In The Saddle rides. Coast to Coast - Adventurous and relaxing exploration of Sicily | This ride does something which few others do, I think, which is to cross a territory across a wide variety of different terrains and landscapes, from busy mountain villages to deserted beaches, agricultural fields to snowy mountain forests. We got a strong sense, on this ride, that you could take a horse anywhere. So it was a great way to explore Sicily, as well as do the kind of riding we could never do in the UK. My horse (Zeus) was very adaptable and a joy to ride for the whole week. Alex and Liz were exemplary guides, open to exploring where a new route might lead, but keeping everyone very safe and also happy. Obviously, the food was amazing 🙂

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your feedback, we're so pleased that you had such a great time.]

Ray who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. An absolute treat in Sicily on and off the horses | This was an oustanding trail riding experience.
We felt huge admiration and affection for our wonderful horses who would do anything for you and yet have you feeling ultrasafe in their charge.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your holiday in Sicily.]

Christine (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) The horses were fresh and well schooled, and they were really well looked after by the guides. I asked for a forwardgoing horse that was responsive for light helpers. I was very happy with the horse I was allocated, which suited me very well and lived up to my expectations. It was long days in the saddle with an average of 8 hours of riding, but my experience was that everyone on the ride enjoyed every moment.

Jo who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Perfect Sicilian Adventure | Excellent

Charlotte who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Deep Sicily Trail - Stunning long trail ride crossing Sicily north to south | The days were longer than I had expected - two days of 8 hours in the saddle and one of 9 hours - so it was very tiring and we were not always able to make the most of the places we stayed in. But that said, it was a fantastic ride and I would definitely do it again! Amazing scenery and lovely forward going and obliging horses who coped better with the long days in the heat than their riders!

Donna who has been on 35 In The Saddle rides. Deep Sicily - Long days in the saddle | Excellent way to see deepest Sicily - long days in the saddle though, circa 7-8 hours most days so not everyone’s cup of tea.

Leslie who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Sicilian Trails - Fantastic! | The riding far exceeded my expectations - beautiful & varied scenery, athletic & safe horses, wonderful guides that made it fun, educational, and thoroughly enjoyable from the start to end of every day!

Naja who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Everything is in order. It's all just running smoothly. Good horses, good guides, totally delicious dinner, great places to visit, accommodations, views: EVERYTHING!

Sarah who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Best trail ride yet | The riding was varied according to terrain
and was as I expected

Sophie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Quite an adventure | 'Wild Sicily' would be great for charities looking for a challenge ride, such as BHS or the Injured Jockeys Fund. Huge distances are covered each day with a range of forest and montane environments involving steep gradients. The guides take ancient tracks - which makes for both interest and safety - but there is not much soft going. Riders need to be fit, taking boots with thick rubber soles. The final day, riding up Mount Etna and around some of the lateral craters was a unique experience.

The guides, Alessandro and Lizzie, are charming and organised everything beautifully. They obviously have a deep love for trail riding and we felt confident that they had chosen the very best for us. I felt we were in safe hands and would be happy to recommend their trail rides to others.

I did not expect to encounter so many wild flowers in September. There was not much bird life in the mountains but we spotted griffon vultures and quite a few wild pigs. We were enchanted by herds of cattle, sheep and goats with traditional bells hanging around their necks and rode past a variety of traditional farms.

I found myself comparing this trip to riding in Georgia and Romania, countries which lack rural fences and so enable faster going, but don't offer such good food or accommodation. Our final day on Sicily, climbing Mt Etna and riding through vineyards into the historic town of Castiglione offered a world class climax that rivals other European rides.

Len who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. At home in the wild | Horses were well mannered, safe, fit and forward going. We covered a huge variety of terrain and had a lot of opportunities for relaxed riding between vineyards, challenging mountain climbs, trotting through medieval towns and long fun woodland canters. Everyone was well matched to their horse and each day's ride was interesting, different and thoroughly enjoyable.

Sue who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. All round amazing experience | Exceeded expectations - extremely fit, well behaved, horses that were incredibly sure footed and suitable for job. I was amazed at the terrain that they went over with seeming ease! Being in a mountainous area, the ascents (seemingly vertical at times) and descents were very much a part of the ride, which naturally offered different types of countryside, vegetation, scenery and far reaching views - it seemed that every day the afternoon was different from the morning and each day different. Alex the guide kept us informed of places and things of interest. Very comfortable sheepskin saddle covers and rain covers - not seen rain covers before, they were such a good idea!

If I have a niggling criticism it’s that I’m not a fan of riding in a crocodile line in a set order, I completely understand why they do it ( they know their horses very well) and fully appreciate that majority of the tracks can only be ridden one behind the other, but when the opportunity arose and seeing that we were all competent and in control of our horses, I would have liked to ride alongside someone else - not that I didn’t enjoy their company, far from it - but long days were spent in the saddle and I felt there were a few in the group who I hadn’t had the chance to chat to except in the evening.

Jill who has been on 13 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful- just the break I needed | This was the first exploratory ride that I have done with In The saddle, so was not sure what to expect, but I loved it! The horses were amazing, you have to admire how tough and fit they were and although we covered over 200km they did not lose any condition at all. Alex was really knowledgeable about the areas we were riding through and the pace was just right. I had wondered if I was going to be fit enough to ride for up to 8 hours a day, I usually get bored after 6, but I found it fairly easy, although going downhill for 2 1/2 hours on one day did make my knees ache!

Bregje who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Great trail!!!! | I think Lizzie and Alex did a great job finding the right horse for each rider. I really enjoyed riding mine. Very forward but good to control , sure footed, reliable, and comfortable in all gates

Jane who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful | Excellent