Dru who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Lovely holiday in northern Portugal | Good

Tess who has been on 17 In The Saddle rides. Amazing place, wonderful people, lovely horses! | The riding was as described on the website - lots of walk with occasional trots and faster canters. It's a small herd and each horse is very well known and understood by Pedro and Mariana. They were all kind and genuine horses - but not at all ploddy! The landscape is beautiful and felt very remote - and could be challenging when we needed to climb on foot. An excellent balance of riding and down-time meant that we all finished the week in good shape and with a real appreciation of the history and culture of the area.

Paula (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Absolutely Incredible Holiday! | Pedro loves his horses massively and respects them hugely. He, Lissa and Marianna were the most incredible hosts. My horse Famosa was a stunning Lusitano, how l would have loved to bring her home. The riding was breathtaking, amazing views, wild horses, wild boar and we had stunning weather. Lovely friendly dogs that came with us on rides! Horses are so well cared for and are sensitive, forward going animals. Couldnt fault it at all.

Dawn (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing experience | The setting was out of this world, trails straight out from the stables. Horses were extremely well cared for and their welfare was put above all else. They were responsive fit horses. Pedro and Marianna went above and beyond to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves.

Carole who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous weeks holiday with lovely owners. | Excellent

Tessa who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. A Fantastic riding Experience | The riding was excellent and the ability of all party members was taken into account.
Both horses and clients are well looked after with safety the primary concern

Claudia who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. beautiful horses and stunning scenery | This was a more relaxing holiday riding very well trained, well cared for horses with tack in very good condition. You are required to groom and tack up/untack your horse which I prefer as it leads to a sense of familiarity with your horse. There is not a huge amount of time in the saddle realistically it was three days of about two hours in the saddle and three days of about four hours in the saddle plus lunch whilst out. This was fine as we chose this as a more chilled holiday so we're not really disappointed. The pace is usually a walk due to the ground with probably about 2 or 3 canters on the long days more than likely catered to group ability, all under the overly watchful eyes of Pedro and Marianna!
The scenery is outstanding though we had all the wild flowers and whilst the weather was progressively more overcast as the week went on it didn't spoil it and we saw many herds of wild horses.

Michele (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Exceptional experience | This holiday exceeded my expectations. The service provided by Pedro and Marianna was exceptional. We wanted for nothing during our holiday and nothing was too much trouble. The horses were in fantastic condition and also wanted for nothing. Truly loved sharing meals with the family.

Christina who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Private holiday! | Fantastic riding in a special part of Portugal! Hosts were so friendly and passionate about their horses and the area! The horses were well schooled and sure-footed. The terrain was extremely varied and the views were breathtaking! As other clients cancelled, it was just my daughter and me on the ride so we felt we had a private riding holiday!

Cathy (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Highly recommended | We went out every day and our guides were informative and knowledgeable. The horses were responsive and willing. The countryside was beautiful.

Cynthia (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Excellent | Great people, great food. And we saw wild horses. The highlight of my holiday..

Catharine (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) What an amazing experience! Pedro and Marianna provide a complete service from gourmet meals to site seeing and horseback riding ! | We had limited cantering and trotting but that was due to our group's limitations.
Pedros is completely dedicated to safety for the group over all else which I appreciate.

Rachael who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Wolves and Wild Horses - Exceeded expectations | The holiday was exactly as described. The hosts ensured we all got horses suited to our preferences and I loved my horse for the week, Inca. The scenery was stunning, the rides were varied, and our lunch stops were always in beautiful locations.

[Abbie from ITS replies: It was a real pleasure to arrange your holiday. Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your time in Portugal].

Tessa who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. An Amazing riding Holiday | This is a small family run stables where the care of the horses is paramount.
The horses were a delight to ride and Pedro match horse to rider so well.
The riding routes were different every day and both Pedro and Mariana were knowledgeable about local wildlife, plants and customs. They were both happy to answer our questions which were many

Fiona who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Beautifully cared for horses in wild national park | Each day we explored different areas-all trails beginning from the stables designed by Pedro. We prepared our own horses, riding the same horse each day enabled a real partnership and bond. Thoroughly enjoyed the wilderness experience of being out all day and hardly seeing another soul. Sightings of vultures and harrier overhead were an added bonus. The terrain was rocky and steep in places - the moorland plateau wild and perfect for cantering - the valleys wooded, peaceful and sheltered. We encountered wild Garrano horses every day along with the majestic long horn cattle. Wonderful to see them living so wild and free.

Angela who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Wolves and Wild Horses Portugal | Our hosts were very helpful with my two nieces as this was their first riding holiday, advice re riding their horses and giving them confidence to cope with the terrain and improve their ability.

Emma who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic time | The riding was great. The horses were well cared for by Pedro and Marianna, they were clearly part of the family.

Barak who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Perfect, wonderful holiday! | Everything was just perfect!
Pedro, Mariana and Lisa were just wonderful, took care of every little detail with kindness and professionalism.
The horses were wonderful, the rides were just beautiful, adapted to our desires, abilities and preferences.
Green hills, amazing scenery, herds of wild horses, streams of clear water, fun rides and canters - what can be better?

Suzanne who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. North Portugal Adventure | The horses were easy to ride, forward going and very comfortable.
More relaxed than a trail ride as had time to relax and do other activities.
When my first horse got a sore , was given another horse to ride .
The scenery was stunning best was the Valley of the Wolves.

Diane who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Wonderfully remote | The riding was on willing horses who loved to have a gallop. Fab and varied scenery.
It is their style but to British riders the horses did look a bit thin.

Heather who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Such a special holiday | The horses are really part of this lovely family. They are loved, cuddled and yes live in/ under the family home. Although calm & gentle they are forward and very enthusiastic for bursts of speed. They are very sure-footed on the mountain terrain and comfortable to ride. It did meet my expectations & the wonderful Mariana did everything to ensure we had a great time adjusted to our wishes. There are some trots & gallops where the terrain is good but even the walking in the reserve is beautiful & peaceful.

Emma Hvidtfeldt (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) It was great riding. The horses were well looked after, and I never doubted that Pedro and Mariana had the welfare of the horses as their highest priority. They could also politely correct our riding when it didn't match how they would like their horses to be ridden, and that was completely fair.
The horses were all willing and forwardgoing, but also cautious and controllable. I felt safe on the back of both Zula and Dede no matter what terrain we came through. We had to tack the the horses ourselves, and here there were no oddities to be found either, they stood perfectly still and were easy to get along with.
We rode in small groups (3-5 people incl. guide) and mostly at a walk with a few trot and canters every day. It was absolutely perfect to both enjoy the landscape and the horse, and to listen to Pedro and Mariana's vast knowledge of the area. We rode among herds of wild horses and cattle and it was amazing to be able to get so close and see natural behavior without any conflict.

Amanda (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) The Perfect Holiday | Marianna and Pedro spent lots of time getting to know us and chatting about our riding experience and the type of horse we like to ride. We were all matched very well.
The riding was set at just the right level to make this trip feel like a holiday and not a challenging riding experience. The day lengths were varied which was great.

We were picked up from the villa at 10am each day which meant the day started in a lovely relaxed way.

We rode in beautiful and varied mountains, our guides were very knowledgable and clearly enjoyed showing us their backyard 🙂
We enjoyed seeing lots of wild herds, watching the horses in their natural environment was fascinating. [ITS replies: We are so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed your holiday. Thank you for taking the time to let us know.]

Lise (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Good, strong and well-trained horses for everyone in the group. Beautiful and varied rides in all directions from the stables. No stress.

Ray who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Wonderfully enjoyable riding holiday in a lesser known corner of Portugal | Yes it did within the limits imposed by the route and terrain in terms of the amount of faster riding you can do but this is no criticism as we enjoyed every minute and loved our horses ( and dogs!)
We learnt a lot from Pedro and would want to compliment him, Annabel and Mariana for the tremendous hard work they put in to make it so good.
A wonderful part of the world to get the opportunity to visit.

Vikki (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing landscape and nature, enthralling and exhilarating and wonderful hosts | Pedro is one of the most experienced horseman I have met and makes sound judgement of matching riders to his horses. I was matched to Didi who is an endurance horse and was kind whilst forward going, gave me ample confidence and really felt a bond during the week.

Rosemary who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Wild landscape, well-schooled horses | The pace was generally walk due to the very beautiful but rough terrain. Canters were very speedy in contrast.

Ideally I would have more change of pace but that's no complaint, just an explanation of the score above.

Pedro kindly lent me gloves when the weather got cold. I hadn't realised I would need them. We rode in double socks that day.

The family were great hosts, especially regarding the riding and our needs / happiness with our mounts.

Ella-Louise who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. If you expect to come to a top tuned stable where everything is posh and is about prestige, then I would recommend that you choose another travel destination.
At Pedro, Anabela and Mariana, the horse's welfare is top priority, and you are matched with the horse you will ride during the week, among other things on the basis of chemistry with the individual horse.

Ed (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic | OMG what a ride. The scenery and pace of the ride was perfect. Thank you Mariana for being a tremendous guide, and to Pedro for having such outstanding horses.

Liz who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Great trip | It was lovely to be up on the plateau with cool breezes and wonderful views.

Linda who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Special | Rocky ground, two canters a day

Wendy who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Portugal-Wolves and wild horses | The pace of the ride is leisurely as it is in the mountains which gives you time to take in the beautiful and varied surroundings. We were able to canter two times each day with the canters being long ,fast and fabulous!
The horses are all schooled by Pedro and are ridden with a loose rein and a light squeeze ,no kicking needed ( or allowed ). The horses are very sensitive to the human on board but if you are confident with them they are confident with you and are a joy to ride !
We saw lots of groups of the wild garrano horses on our rides out .
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your great feedback and we are so pleased that you had a lovely time in Portugal.]