Ray who has been on 10 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.]

Judith who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Worth the second trip | Due to very wet weather we had to adapt the trail and therefore did not get to do the long beach gallop. This was an expected amendment but obviously disappointing.
[In The Saddle - you were very unlucky with the weather on your visit to the Wild Coast. I'm glad that overally you enjoyed your adventure. Olwen]

Paula who has been on 13 In The Saddle rides. Seventh In-The-Saddle Holiday and still different | Exceeded expectations.
Our guides Ingvar and Anton looked after us well, and we enjoyed their company.
The horses were all sound, fit and very well cared for.
I think the description of the riding we received before departure was accurate.
The horses are all quire forward going, and terrain can be challenging, but I don't think that was any different to what we expected.

A good tip would be taking a small light curry comb (brush that is) would be a good idea, as you have to brush off mud to tack them up, and that may be two horses a day - those who'd been before carried these, so we were able to borrow.

It is very weather dependent, and we were lucky on that front (but other guests told us of poor weather conditions last year.

Catherine who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A fabulous holiday | On the last trail ride, I felt a little out of my depth on the horse I was riding.

Susan who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Absolutely superb! | The riding exceeded my expectations. I learnt so much in just 3 days. The horses were just amazing - well trained and an absolute pleasure to ride. My instructor (Lorena) was very patient and helpful - I really benefitted from her guidance (and did want to bring her back to the UK with me!).

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your feedback. We are happy that you enjoyed your stay at lovely Monte Velho].

Fiona who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Amazing riding experience along Nile with fabulous hosts, Natalie and TJ | It is clear that Natalie is 100% committed to the welfare of the horses. All were beautifully trained and in great condition.

[In The Saddle - we are so glad that you enjoyed this wonderful holiday in Uganda]

Richard who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful, stimulating, memorable week. | The riding is frequently amongst villages and around cultivated land, so not open country gallops like other safari experiences. We were well aware of this beforehand. It is very special to ride so close to villagers and children, especially as there is no horse culture in the area. There are enough good canters to enjoy, and wonderful scenery all around. The guides made it very comfortable for all of us. Horses were fit, eager, well-schooled and had functioning brakes when needed. They know their job and were solid in all terrain. There are quite a few hours in the saddle, so best to be riding fit to enjoy the experience.
[In The Saddle - so pleased that you enjoyed this great riding holiday].

Debby (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic | Excellent

Lindsay (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing setting, brilliant hosts and superb riding | The horses were very well cared for. The riding was mainly at walk and steady canter, with a few gallops and jumping (optional). The riding exceeded expectations - it was really fun tracking animals and exploring the landscape.

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your feedback. I am delighted that you had such a memorable safari in Botswana.]

Berit who has been on 14 In The Saddle rides. Good | My horse had problems with the bridle, nodding his head constantly. On the last day the guide admitted that they needed to try with another bridle for him. Would have been nice if this was dealt with earlier.

In general , the Riding was great! Well aligned group of horses and felt safe all the time. Many long canters but always controlled.

The guide and the hosting family (with all services, lunches, dealing with horses etc) was great! Perfect english knowledge and did their best to please our needs:)

Charlie who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A beautiful life experience | I was matched well with the horses, however sometimes it was difficult for me to be placed constantly at the back as the result of a number of other strong personalities who complained a lot. Their riding ability was much poorer so I had to spend a lot of time focused on their erratic riding to keep my experience enjoyable. After 6 consecutive rides I asked to be placed in a different group however as it was change over day the following day was much more enjoyable. I particularly loved the safari and guided elements but unfortunately i couldn't always hear or engage due to the other strong personalities taking precedence. However because I was often at the back I was near the rear guide Texshaw who was always very happy to give me my own tour and I was very thankful for that! The riding itself was wonderful and to ride through the safari animals was incredible

Bethan who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. The riding was amazing and if we were ever unsure about certain things as we weren’t familiar with western everyone was keen to help and give advice to make things easier for us.

Shirley who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. The riding was much harder and faster than expected. If I’d been fit enough it would have been better.

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].

Halina who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Epic! | All the horses were fit for their job and well cared for. The riding was fast and technical at times (with obstacles to navigate such as steep up and down hills, rocks and low hanging trees - making the riding fun and challenging). My horse suited me well; Horizon had clearly listened to the type of horse I liked to ride and matched me to a suitable horse. There was also the opportunity for a test ride after which a horse could be swapped.

Angela (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Absolutely Fabulous Holiday!!! | I had the most fabulous holiday at Los Alamos from the 4-11 September.

From arriving at Gibraltar airport, everything went so smoothly from the outset as Andrew was already there waiting with transport. Spot on throughout!!!

Andrew and Rhiannon are wonderful hosts , as are the rest of the family, Rachel, Jack, Denisa and, the one and only Derek!!! The food was lovely and the open bar (non-alcoholic or otherwise) was great!!! The plentiful Rioja was very good!!!

As for the riding and the horses well, it was everything I expected, hoped for and more!!!

My horse for the week was a stunning PRE called Galeno…I absolutely loved him and as he was classically trained, I had a great time with all the moves in between the canters and gallops.

There’s a lot of walking but, that’s essentially down to the soft ground/sand but, the forest, firebreak and beach gallops were fantastic, absolutely fantastic!!! I didn’t want the holiday to end.

The horses are so incredibly fit and well behaved…they certainly know their job too. They work so very hard…they’re all amazing and a real credit!!!

Thank you so much Galeno and also the ride leaders, Jose and Roberto…they were fabulous and great fun!!!

I’ve got wonderful lifelong memories and will definitely be back next year, maybe even twice, if they’ll have me.

All the other guests were really lovely people and all rode well. I’ve also got some wonderful full action photos of my beach gallops and they are so getting framed and going pride of place in my house!!!

Thank you also to Lois at In The Saddle for her knowledge and experience and a seamless booking throughout, as well as the lovely chats too.

All in all….11 out of 10 and, I’ll see you at Los Alamos next year ….I really hope to ride Galeno again and, on his day off, hopefully either Ruvia or Olivero.

No wonder Los Alamos is so popular…they’ve provide fabulous holidays and horses and roll on my next visit!!! Thank you!!!

A couple of tips:-

1) Take ear plugs as the dogs, cockerels and other animals nearby are often nocturnal and noisy. There’s two very early morning calls for the beach riding.

2) I totally recommend flying into Gibraltar…it’s seamless and fast!!! It’s also smaller and much more personal.

Example:-

EasyJet take off from Manchester bang on time at 06.05. I landed in Gibraltar bang on time at 10.10am.

Plane fully offloaded (including luggage) by 10.25am. By 10.30am, I’d already negotiated passport control, had my luggage and was with Andrew. Absolutely unbelievable and the quickest airport run through ever and, I’ve travelled a lot in my life. Thank you Gibraltar airport.

I just wish my week hadn’t flown by so fast!!! Thank you again Andrew, Rhiannon, Jack, Denisa and Derek and, the INCOMPARABLE GALENO!!!

Alison (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) The holiday was fantastic.
The staff were all lovely and so helpful, chatty, interesting and experienced.
The horses were amazing - mine was so trustworthy and a great match for my experience while challenging me a little on the harder terrain.
The accommodation was excellent, a two bedroom each ensuite lodge with a lovely wee sitting room with a decking area outside - we did encounter mice in the cabin but these were to be expected given the location and the staff did their best to control them.
The scenery was amazing - from the 7,000 feet high mountain to the river's edge, it was out of this world, and the weather 4th to 11th Sept'22 was great.
The wild life was just amazing - we saw grizzly bears, bald and golden eagles, falcons, fox, chipmunks, salmon jumping, trout being caught by the fishermen.....just amazing.
The riding was great - the terrain was a bit more challenging than I thought, narrow mountain paths for some of the cantering, but a few lovely and open spaces for us to have great free and relaxed canters too, leading the horses down the mountain on one ride due to the stone underfoot was a bit daunting but I survived unscathed. Would definitely say this riding is not for novices and I, a competent intermediate, was just able to keep up, but I did ask for shorter rides on the last 2 days due to the anticipated nature of the terrain for canters - narrow up & down mountain trails - which they were happy to accommodate.
But really was a great, adventurous holiday, memories to treasure and I would definitely recommend it to competent experienced riders.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and it sounds as though you had some amazing wildlife sightings!]

Kelly who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Very good | Hi the riding was very good but that was if you had a wrangler who knew the horses well and could place them correctly in line and u also got people who could ride and didn't keep slowing up. Some riders only ride once a year at the ranch and have to hold the saddle to stop themselves falling and they were on the fast rides. But overall it was amazing.

Fiona (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing experience! | I was quite apprehensive when I went as I had not ridden regularly for many years and was not sure if I would participate in some of the activities. However from the very first ride, I felt confident enough to canter on the trail and ended up doing everything that was on offer.....This included Arena games and Barrel racing, Working with Cattle and Wagon driving! Everybody at the Ranch went out of their way to make sure all the guests were happy with their horse and got to do everything that they wanted to.

I really enjoyed the riding and it more than exceeded my expectations.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for leaving us your feedback and I'm so pleased to hear that you had a lovely holiday at Rocking Z.]

Trisha who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful Scenery, beautiful accommodation and well looked after horses | The initial horse I was given was very lazy, so rather hard work. Then they gave me a more forward going horse, unfortunately he had girth galls so had to take time off. By the Thursday I was given a horse I enjoyed riding. Horses all well cared for, and obviously loved. Tintin (her nickname) our guide, always asked how we got on with our horses. She tended to do quite a fast ride but always asked what kind of ride we wanted. Christina was excellent in organising the riding and programme around the weather which was not that great during our week. Just a shame that the cloud was so low on the final ride around the rim of the extinct volcano that we were riding in fog!!! Very disappointing.

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.

Sue (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Best holiday | Our guides , Sarah and Liz from Hestasport were terrific and made the 3 days thoroughly enjoyable. The colleagues in the office were also very welcoming and we enjoyed hot chocolate and the Icelandic horse film. I think our party of 6 came away with. Dry special memories and a huge respect for the Icelandic horses.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback. It's great to hear how much you enjoyed riding the Icelandic Horses.]

Elizabeth who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Five star riding safari | The riding was superb, plenty of fast canters but also time taken by the excellent guides to allow us to view the wildlife and learn about the flora and fauna. The horses were impeccably behaved and completely at ease up close to the wildlife, the pace was tailored perfectly to each person’s abilities.

Kerry (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) One of the best holidays ever! | The riding exceeded all of my expectations. The horses were incredible, very willing, jolly but safe - they made us smile every day!
The riding was on tracks, across grassy plains, through river delta's and up mountains. We walked, tolted and galloped.
We helped tack up (although weren't expected to) the horses were very well cared for and the stable area was clean and tidy. All of the tack was in reasonably good condition.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: It's great to hear you had such a great holiday and thank you very much for giving us your feedback.]

Peta (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Utterly perfect! | The riding more than met my expectations! The horses were incredible and the instruction was of the highest quality. I hadn't ridden at the level I was aiming at for thirty years (!), but am still on a high from what I achieved. I honestly can't wait to go back.

Vivien who has been on 41 In The Saddle rides. Damaraland - stunning | I was matched with the perfect horse for me (Schnapps) and rode her everyday throughout the holiday. The scenery was unbelievably breath-taking, so beautiful and vast it's hard to describe. We did some fast canters and gallops when the landscape opened out which were so much fun. Couldn't keep the smile off my face (inner cowgirl definitely emerged!). The other guests were great company too, all topped off by the new addition of little Woody, the camp puppy who joined us for this ride.

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: I am so pleased that you enjoyed your return visit to Namibia. It is such a special experience - thank you for taking the time to share your feedback].

Tracey who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Tsylos - Stunning location and exhilarating riding | Super horses. Very fit, well cared for and well fed. Riding was suitable for experienced riders.

Our riding guide, Anna, was a huge contributor to us having the very best riding experience. Personable warm and engaging.

Bridie who has been on 14 In The Saddle rides. Bottlenose Trail Portugal - Trial Ride | Yes that's right...trial not trail!
Long hours in the saddle with long trots and even longer canters. I had worried about my fitness level as I hadn't been riding as much as usual due to my aged horse. However my prep, a few weekly lessons a local stable, turned out to be an adequate top up. Sadly some of the other riders didn't do so well and suffered with pain and saddle sores. Make sure to take advice from ITS and be as ride fit as you can be. Then you can enjoy the whole experience and beautiful scenery... along with the challenge of approx 170 km on horseback.
The horses knew their jobs and were totally professional. Quiet, easy but on the whole very willing.

Kath who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous horses, stunning scenary and great hospitality | I visited Los Alamos with my daughter and good friends. Los Alamos holds a special place in our hearts and memories of a very dear friend.
We had a wonderful week and Rachel as always matched us to suitable horses. I rode Gordi and Hercules who were both absolute gentleman but also fast and fun rides.
The scenary as you ride through the forest, along the coast and on the huge beach is stunning. Much of the riding is at a steady pace so you can take it all in but there are also some very fast and exhilarating gallops. Cantering and galloping through the forest in darkness to get to the beach for sunset was an amazing experience!
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. We are so pleased to hear you enjoyed your return to Los Alamos.]

Karon who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Didn’t want to come home | The accommodation was lovely very comfortable and you are made to feel very welcome. The food was amazing, couldn’t fit into one of my dresses by the end of the week! How Rachel matches you with a horse is incredible just from a small informal chat. The riding is fast but you feel so safe on the horses as they know their job. The scenery is beautiful and everyday you see something new. Will be back for sure.

Julie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Truly Magical | The guides knew the terrain so well, they made every ride magical - the scenery was breathtaking, riding on the beaches and through the National Park was idyllic.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: We are so pleased you enjoyed your time at Los Alamos, thank you for leaving us feedback.]

Karena who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Amazing adventure | Riding was superb the horses were loved and part of the Icelandic family as were we. The guide made an extra effort to suit me to each horse and the riding was awesome. Would recommend to anyone and would certainly go back!

We rode in beaches and across lava fields some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve ever seen. Strong sturdy and sure footed speedy horses !

Love loved it!