Ruth (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Beautiful country | The horses were turned out all together after their working day, there were some displays of animosity resulting in several injuries plus old injuries from this style of management. It was upsetting to ride horses that were cut from these fights. The horses could have rested and would have relaxed better in single pens.

Paola (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Absolutely amazing | The riding was really good! Our lead guide Ugne was absolutely amazing. She was super fun, knowledgeable and did her job flawlessly. The horses were really well taken care of and all had their own personalities.
The views were breathtaking!!
The only thing I missed was full galloping and a little race but I understand why the don’t do that anymore.

Debbie who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Lovely country, fabulous horses and company with some great memories | Beautiful fit, responsive horses. Exceptionally well cared for. They live out as a herd and appear to be very content. Although we were expected to groom and tack up our own horses the guides always picked up if something wasn't quite how they like things done. They also carefully checked over every horse at the end of every day and swapped horses in and out if they had any concerns at all. Both Clive and I were very well matched with our horses - 2 for me and 3 for Clive. The pace was great. Lots of walking to take in the scenery and chat but also plenty of trotting, canters and gallops. They like the horses kept in a line which means it all felt very safe and horses that don't get on so well were separated. Special thanks the Ugne and Nora our guides and Simon the logistics manager. They managed everything so well. We were so impressed with how smoothly everything ran! True professionals.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your super feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your return visit to Romania].

Katie who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Best riding country ever | The riding was incredible. It was a like a perfect dreamlike landscape designed for riding. The country was open, no fields or gates, the wildflowers and butterflies were beautiful. The forests were perfect for riding. I was given a beautiful Arab mare who was perfectly suited to me. She was fast and responsive.

Anon (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Trail riding | Brilliant fun

Katerina who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Beautiful scenic trail and a real step back in time. | I enjoyed that we got to ride through all the gaits. There were lots of canters and these got longer throughout the week. The ground was too soft at the start of the week which did slow down our first day or two, but couldn't be helped. I would have enjoyed more galloping and not always in an orderly line. Sometimes the horses want to have more fun too!
The route had to be changed from that of the itinerary due to them having some sick horses. We missed day one and did an extra centre based ride instead. It didn't really affect anything and there was genuine reasons behind it. Personally, I preferred the days which were point to point.
I loved seeing some of the old towns in Transylvania.
When we were riding in nature, we didn't once see a single sole. The feeling of remoteness was lovely.

Anna Katharina (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic Transylvanian Adventure | Lots of long, fast canters, some gallops, riding was exhilarating and safe. Absolutely stunning and varied terrain. We had brilliant guides who were amazing matchmakers and found the perfect horse for everyone. [ITS replies: Thank you Anna It is great to hear that you had such a good time and the trip was everything that you had hoped for.]

Cecilia who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Challenger | The only problem was the weather: very hot.

Niall who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Great experience | My horse was very fit and forward going. He had to be as we were doing 6-7 hours a day and he lasted the week. Plenty of canters and gallops. Only problem was that you had to stay in the right order, which could give rise to problems on starting off with very keen horses. I would prefer to ride a Western saddle, as I think they are more comfortable for long distance riding.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and it's great to hear that you enjoyed your holiday in Romania. The guides do keep horses in a set order for the faster riding but this is mostly for safety.]

Svenja who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful active vacation | We were both matched to lovely horses. The trail is fast and the horses are all very eager, especially when getting closer to areas where they are used to gallop. There are many canters, on the last day also very long ones; there was some trotting at the start of each day; and from day 3 there were several gallops uphill or through meadows in the midst of beautiful spring flowers. One day has the option to jump fallen logs on the path, but the riders could also chose to go around.

Requiring a high level of both rider fitness and riding experience is definitely not misplaced here. Being in shape (half-marathon running) definitely made us enjoy the ride more.

Still being in the beginning of the season most horses where exchanged after the 3rd day, while my horse Zaphir was my faithful companion throughout the whole ride.

Donna who has been on 43 In The Saddle rides. Great fun holiday | Great holiday. Lots of fun with lots of canters and gallops across lovely countryside with amazing scenery.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you very much for your feedback. We are really pleased you enjoyed your trail ride through Transylvania].

Mia who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. So far, this is the ride where I think the horses have been taken care of the best, and that makes me extremely happy.
The saddlebags weren't the best though. Small and so worn that there were holes and straps that broke etc.
I had the 3rd fastest horse, but unfortunately I was not allowed to feel her full speed as we were not allowed to break the order in which we rode and there was no possibility of a race, due to the ground being too dry and hard. But it sounded like it would have been an option otherwise?

Rachel who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful! | What a memorable holiday - stunning scenery, well schooled but forward going horses, and knowledgeable and friendly guides. The countryside provided the best riding I have ever experienced, with few gates, open pastures, hilltop gallops and pretty villages. The accommodation was simple, but charming and always clean. A wonderful week!

Gilva who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Transylvania Adventure | I had the most amazing experience .The guides ,logistic manager and horses were excellent. Time was taken to match horses to rider and when we were on the trail care was taken to ensure that we were comfortable and we were very well looked after as were the horses. The terrain was beautiful- through forests ,meadows and up onto the hills with far stretching views. For me the pace was perfect-trots ,canters some gallops but time also to take in what was around me. It was also fascinating to learn about the area and having time in Viscri was very special .I was a bit concerned prior to the ride that I would find it too physically challenging being a woman of more mature years although a regular rider. Yes, my legs did ache a bit after a long day in the saddle but I was very pleased to have challenged myself .I would highly recommend this trip and am are very grateful to the dream team of Catherine ,Jacqui and Marius from Equus Silvania and my riding companions.

Bertie who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Magnificent Autumnal Trail Ride | Excellent