Lyndsey who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Amazing riding experience! | There was a wide range of well cared for, nice natured horses to ride. I was paired with a forward going mare named Zoi, who was an excellent match for me. There were differing abilities on the ride- if you don't like to canter then do not go as you will spoil some of the riding for more capable people. The terrain is tough at points but this makes it all the more fun, none of it was unsafe and I felt secure at all times. The horses are trained so well in their environment. We loved every second and will be back!

Kate (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Wonderful family riding holiday! | Our instructors were great, very knowledgable and very hard working. They matched our lessons and hacks to our experience which was varied, and were happy to accommodate any requests to switch horses or add on extra lessons or hacks throughout the week.

Sally (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Awesome | I had the most enjoyable time at the Velani. My room was spotless and beautiful, the owners, Manolis and Sabine, were very hospitable and accommodating, along with the staff, servers, guides, and the food was incredibly good.

The horses were so well behaved and the riding trails in the mountains were simply gorgeous.

I just can't say enough about what a great time I had during my stay there.

Tammy who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Very good | Excellent

Jess (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Good

Holly (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing! | The riding was brilliant. Personally for our first riding holiday the amount of hours were great. 2.5 - 4 hours was ideal. The terrain was very different to what we are used to In UK (which we were told) so it made for a very different riding experience. We had more canters than we were expecting which was great. There were some very long fast canters which involved lots of turns and tree ducking which was absolutely thrilling.

Tine (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) It has generally been a fantastic holiday, with good horses, good experiences and nice people - both the hosts and the other guests.
However, there was a lack of information from the hosts about which rides we were going on the different days and which horse you had on the days (I have had 5 different horses in 6 days). You only got the information when you stood in the stable in the morning - so it was difficult to plan accordingly.

Helen (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Mountain tracks and Olive Groves | My hosts catered for my request to mix longer and shorter rides which meant I was able to enjoy my holiday without getting too sore.

Barak (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Perfect! | Everything was perfect - the scenic location, the clean and elegant rooms, the gourmet meals by the amazing chef Manolis, and of course - the rides, which were suited to our preferences, with beautiful views and fun canters with good-natured and forward-going horses!

Even more, I would like to thank the people that made this vacation so enjoyable: starting from the professional organisation and detailed communication by Louis, through Sabine at Velani, who did her best to answer every need and fit the rides (and the horses) to our desires, kind Nikko at the gourmet restaurant of Manolis, and finally - dear Andrea, my and my daughter's guide at all the rides, who was extremely kind and professional, and led us safely to rides that were exciting and fun!
My daughter and I are already checking the calendar to book the next vacation with In the Saddle!

Penny (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Best holiday ever !!! | Brilliant two hour rides and a great 30 min lesson.

Great to learn about our surroundings as we rode and to be surrounded with such a lush and beautiful place.

I had imagined there would be more kids and there wasn’t much of the mounted games etc. but that didn’t matter as T came out on the two hour rides with me which was great 🙂

Jane (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Relaxed and excellent | Excellent

Sophie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Brilliant memorable week of riding in the Cretan mountains | I had a wonderful week at Velani and everything was as I'd hoped for. Amazing scenery, sunny weather, and a sure-footed and responsive horse which was a pleasure to ride. We got some good stretches of canter in most of the rides, although the terrain is very hard and rocky so there was a lot of walking too - good opportunity to look around and take photos though. The horses know their job and I enjoyed the riding a lot. [ITS replies: thank you for lovely feedback. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay!]

Liz who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. A great time - again! | I was able to ride the lovely Mangas - as I did last year. Sabine was very accommodating in arranging four lessons for me as well as the Sunny rides.

Verne who has been on 29 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful return trip | we knew what to expect as this was a return trip
Liz was happy to be reunited with the same horse from last year (Olympia), I was happy on Poseidon...

Sophie who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Lovely relaxing countryside break | Great fun, loved the new horse Zoi

Sally who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful riding oasis in the Crete mountains | I think the riding experience exceeded my expectations, the main reason being the spectacular countryside. I hadn't expected us to climb so high and each ride managed to have it's own identity. I loved my horse, truly Spanish and fun to ride. I also liked that we were a smaller group, between 4 and 6 people. It was a good group dynamic.

Sophie who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. The perfect relaxing break | Excellent

Vanessa who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous location and excellent horses | We were extremely impressed with the equestrian centre at Velanie, the yard was organised, clean and with good facilities. The staff (Vladimir and Julia) were extremely helpful and patient. We were expected to help prepare our horses and, as it was some time since we have done this for ourselves, we needed some help. Both Vlad and Julia were happy to show us what to do and careful to check everything was in order before anyone mounted. They clearly loved all the horses and made sure their welfare was always the priority.

We were both very happy with our horses and when we were allocated less interesting horses on one of the days, the situation was quickly rectified following a chat with the team.

The riding was on fairly hard and narrow tracks which limited freedom a little but this had already been explained before we went so we knew what to expect. However, the scenery and the overall experience made up for these limitations and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Elisabeth who has been on 20 In The Saddle rides. Beautiful location and excellent service | The riding took place in small hill/mountain/field roads, with gravel or concrete or asphalt surface. Most of the riding was upwards or downwards with beautiful views and with short and some longer canters in the more relative smooth upward parts with gravel ground. The selection of horses is varied and will fit the unexperienced and the experienced rider. I got to ride 3 different horses and was very pleased with 2 of them. We were riding in one line with the same order within the same day. It was therefor a nice experience to change the horses some days to also get another place in the order, being in the back and also being in the front. It was difficult, some times, to get the information given by the guide when riding in the back. The guides were very helpful and nice in all respect.

Grethe who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful | A good selection of horses in a changing landscape.
Did different rides everyday and enjoyed the variety this offered.

Olaug who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. Ride, food, relax. Hospitality. Lovely hotel, room/food. | Excellent

Liz who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous - again! I’ll be back - again. | I rode the wonderful Mangas who suited me completely. Willing, able and with a great temperament. I also had three lessons on him in the open air ménage - with a great view down to mountain.

I am not able tack up the horses but this was done very willingly for me.

I was on the Sunny Rides programme which proved suitable and fun for an experienced rider of advancing (advanced!) years.

Joanna who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Great riding, great people, great accommodation and location | Riding was great, lovely horses - clearly well cared for. Enjoyed being able to help with grooming, tacking up etc.

Tessa (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) brilliant | great stable and very fun rides and guides

Charlotte (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Excellent

Louise who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous time in a beautiful setting | Excellent

Kate who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Velani Hotel, Crete - gentle riding and a beautiful view | The riding was very steady and the terrain was demanding on the horses. Very rough going and concrete roads. Cantering on hard road surfaces. Lots of walking up and down the steep hills. Fabulous views but very similar every day. The horses really knew their job but were rather bored and robotic. Good for the not-so-experienced.

[In The Saddle replies: Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your holiday. We appreciate your constructive comments].

Emma who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic riding | This holiday was great. We were all matched with horses that suited our needs and the guides we’re always willing to adapt the riding or horses to suit our needs. One member of our group was a novice rider and everyone went out of their way to accommodate her offering her lessons and hacks that involved a quieter pace. I would definitely return!

Penny who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Pretty amazing | The only thing that I was not happy about on this holiday is the horse trainers. I observed a very heavy handed approach to training that left the horses fearful of the trainer. Horses were disciplined while on the rides in a manner that I felt was not safe. On one occasion the trainer was attempting to school her horse who was afraid of the mounting stairs in the arena. He spooked and fled dragging the trainer while several of the riders were mounted in the arena and waiting to go on the ride. I know that Sabine cares deeply for her horses and do not understand why this type of training is allowed to occur.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for letting us know and we've followed this up with the owner, Sabine. The safety and welfare of the horses is very important to us.
Sabine explained that the horse in question was only recently backed and has a tendancy to bolt when spooked. He isn't easily mounted and so for now he remains a guide only horse until he becomes more confident.]

Caitlin (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A Perfect Week! | The riding and the horses all exceeded my expectations. No ride was the same and the variety on offer was great. They are wonderfully trained and cared for. [In The Saddle replies: we are pleased to hear that you had such a great time.]

Christel Shermer (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) We had a really nice experience at the Velani Country Hotel in Crete and a nice riding experience. The riding suited our level well and there was an opportunity for our 12-year-old daughter to get extra hours and enjoy herself in the stable with the horses. Both guides were competent, friendly and welcoming, and we felt in safe hands with both, especially the male guide. The female guide was super good at “nerding” horses with our daughter and was sweet and welcoming, which provided a wonderful experience for young and old ones. It works well with some in the family riding and others walking, there are good hiking trails right outside the hotel.

Helen (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fun and relaxing | Riding was brilliant. Really liked that there was only us with the guide. They look into account some of the difficulties my daughter was having mentally and made her feel comfortable.