Polly who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Lovely relaxing week at a friendly location. | The riding was excellent, and the quality of teaching and horses very high.

Loretta who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful and lovely | This was my 5th visit and each year has been better. The new horses are great and the riding is still interesting after returning year after year.

Ingrid who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Breathtaking! | We were riding up to 50km a day - up to 9 hours a day - and after 5 days I had a sore back and skipped 2 days of riding. We were at a lovely estancia and another girl took 2 days off as well, so we had lots of fun. I'm 65, so I think in future I'd book rides that involved fewer hours in the saddle.

Plum who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Out of this world the best hoilday in a long while | The horses were the best I’ve had on this type of hoilday. A joy to ride ex racehorses. They were best cared for horses too .

Vivien who has been on 32 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful | Another wonderful week at Los Alamos. This time, I spent most days riding Galeno - a lovely horse, speedy but controllable and beautifully schooled. The February weather was perfect for riding, really sunny and fresh (nice change from the storms in the UK!). [Lois from In The Saddle writes: I am so pleased that you enjoyed your return trip. The winter sun is well deserved indeed.]

Elaine who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Perfect combination of riding willing well cared for horses and relaxation. | Rachel did an excellent job of selecting Camboria for me to ride, she was very willing, speedy yet responsive. Both Jose and Roberto made sure that the rides were fun, fast and safe. All the horses and tack were well cared for, the horses certainly looked forward to their daily shower.

Jill who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Amazing holiday. | Horses very well looked after and clearly loved. While the rides were not long, due to the cold, they were the right length.

Zarum (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Great Experience. | This family-owned and run property shows how this wonderful family took a raw canvas 25 years ago and have painted a masterpiece of a property and resort for lovers of dressage and the Lusitano horse. We were attracted to the combination of old world feel and modern accommodations when we first researched the property. The Owner is an architect who has seamlessly blended the transformation of the ruined farmhouse they started with and the modern pods that house the bedrooms. One of the first things you come across when entering the property is the brilliant views in all directions. As you drive up to the parking area you are surrounded by dressage arenas and stables housing some magnificent horses. Further views of the surrounding fields yielding an array of pregnant mares. In fact, one night after arrival we were blessed with the sight of a foal who the day before we had walked amongst its pregnant mother. The experience of standing amongst this newborn, its mother and the other one and two-year-old Lusitanos was one of the highlights of the visit. We checked into our spacious and modern room with a sweeping view off the balcony. The dining room was a warm, and welcoming room where we dined three times a day on some great food surrounded by other wonderful guests. The conversations almost always revolved around each person's dressage lessons that day or their trail ride around the property. Adjacent to one of the room pods and across from the dining room is a common space in the form of a very comfortable and spacious living room with an honesty bar that is available to guests 24hrs. From the sliding doors of the common living room, you step out onto patios which look out to the swimming pool and acres of stunning scenery laced with the famous Portuguese cork tree and a small lake where you can take out a canoe. Also in that area is the gym, sauna, and massage room. The staff is all exceptional from the kitchen staff who greet you and cater to your appetite to the riding staff who work with you to better your dressage level. We can attest to the fact that after a week we left far better riders than when we arrived. The property is also a breeding facility where currently one of Portugal's entry into the upcoming summer Olympics in Tokyo and his stunning steed are training. One suggestion I would make to future guests is this. If you are a fairly new rider or you want the full attention of the instructors during your lesson, make sure you book the lessons in that manner. Otherwise, you may find that you will have one instructor to two people and they have to balance the time of the lesson between the two. Other than that, it was a great week and we hope to be back in the future. You won't be disappointed at Monte-Velho whether you are a rider not.

[Imogen from In The Saddle says: It’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed your time at Monte Velho and that you gained so much from your lessons.]

Janet (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic! | It was pure excellence. Monica was caring and accommodating both to the needs of her horses and her clients. Wonderful people

Karen who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Best holiday ever | The riding was brilliant. The horses were responsive, easy to ride and extremely well cared for. Being able to get so close to the animals without the sound of vehicles was a highlight. We enjoyed the mix of riding. We spent time wandering gently through the bush, climbing and descending rocky slopes, cantering along sandy tracks and galloping for miles on horses that never seem to tire. The absolute best bit of the day was riding to sundowners in a different location each night.
[Becky from In The Saddle replied: It's great to hear how much you enjoyed your holiday and the riding at Ant's! Maybe we can arrange another trip for you soon.]

Alison who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Lovely horses. | I chose to just take lessons and having been there once before I knew what to expect. They have some new horses and the horses I rode all taught me something. Being taught a couple of times by Joao (now selected to represent Portugal for the Olympics) was a real privilege. Other lessons were good although could start to feel a little 'samey' over time.

Susan who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Horse riding in paradise | Thrilling riding on much loved ,well trained ,reliable ,forward going horses through varied, breath taking landscapes with well informed guides who told us all about the local environment, history and geology as we went. And so many fields of dairy cows! i loved every moment.

Anne-Marie who has been on 28 In The Saddle rides. An interesting experience | Having been to Romania before and really enjoyed the trail ride I was very much looking forward to seeing it at a different time of year and riding the horses again. Unfortunately, conditions weren't quite as hoped initially and there was much rain and mud in the first couple of days, and the horses on the first day were very fresh and lively and 3 riders were unshipped. Things improved later in the week when the snow arrived, and the whole landscape looked entirely beautiful, and the Wednesday afternoon ride was gorgeous. The Thursday morning ride didn't entirely go to plan as there was much ice meaning the horses couldn't go faster until later in the ride, by which time a couple of them had got quite worked up. By Friday the snow had finally properly come, and the Friday morning ride was long with many canters through the powdery snow which were wonderful. I also particularly enjoyed the Monday and Friday afternoon rides where the group was consisting of only 2 or 3 riders and the horses appeared a little more relaxed and we were able to go flat out on a couple of canters without any concerns that things may go awry.We did also have an encounter with a family of wild boar running in front of us which was wonderful to see. I did get slightly over-horsed on one morning, but was able to swap and after that was allocated horses within my capabilities which were a pleasure to ride, I was especially fond of Kiruna, Ayda and Widra.

Linda who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Most amazing experience ever on holiday | For me the riding was amazing as was the closeness to the horses and other animals. I thoroughly enjoyed leisurely meandering on horseback to see and photograph the wild animals, insects and birds in close up or trotting along the pathways and listening to the different guides' local understanding of the environment and wildlife (the guides had exceptional knowledge at Ant's for birdwatching) The landscape was breathtaking and I loved cantering along sandy tracks, bush riding and open grasslands in the sun at Ant's as my confidence grew and riding up and down the slopes and rocky terrain at Moolmans (especially to explore the cave paintings). Both centres I felt, had close links to the environment, knowledge of the flora and fauna and an exceptional feel for conservation.

I had been a nervous rider to begin with but my horses were always matched to my level of riding confidence. My friends were able to gallop off into the distance when they wanted more challenging riding and we had our own guides with us throughout the rides. Although the terrain was very different at both centres, I was quickly able to adapt and enjoy the comfortable saddles and long rein style with the help of the riding staff and the amazingly surefooted Boerpeds that I rode while others rode equally competent, schooled Arabs, Thoroughbreds or cross- bred horses. This was a spectacularly wonderful riding holiday.

Sarah-Lee who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing | Excellent

Grethe Lill who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic! | Loved my horse which was steady, forward going, fast and gentle.
Enjoyed long canters and gallops as well as long stretches of walking.

Torill who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Great Sahara experience | Very good spirited horses with lots of character. Fun to ride. Very caring staff both wrt. Horses, people we met and other animals. No water was spilled in the desert unless on a plant! So nice to see.

Safety had a high focus, and Abdel made sure we all could control the horses before we did a real galopp. Abul rode always in the back and watched out for everybody.

Very helpful and friendly guide and staff. Could not ask for more.

Bente who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic desert riding in Morocco | The guides were very service minded and took very good care of everything

Leslie who has been on 20 In The Saddle rides. Excellent | Excellent

Olaug who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. amazing experience | My horse was friendly, did not fight anybody, including me, and he was very fast. The area was open and flat. Nice long canters and gallops, exciting and good fun,

Astrid Synnove who has been on 33 In The Saddle rides. An adventure! | My horse were quite strong, but he was a stallion and were quite young. The terrain were both dunes and big areas for nice canters. We got to canter side by side which I haven't done in many other places, lot of fun! When we kept distance between the horses they behaved well.

Elisabeth who has been on 16 In The Saddle rides. Desert Adventure | The horses were eager to start and got very good speed from the first canter. As described to us, you need to keep the distance between the horses. I got a very forward going horse, and I understand why our guide asked me if I could hold back a horse :-). After a couple of days, my horse calmed down and was easier to hold back and slow down and the second half of the trip I just loved my horse. Every day had walk, trots and canters.

Nicolaas (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Great Experience | We had a bad start as we were given horses that were far below what we needed, based on our experience. Especially for my husband (who rides dressage on Grand Prix level, and this was known), this was an extremely disappointing start. My horse was old, could not breath very good and had difficulties in canter.[Sarah from In The Saddle says: It is the policy at Ants to always underhorse all guests during their first ride. This is to be safe just in case someone's riding ability is not as good as they think it is. However we were pleased to hear that after your intial ride you had horses that matched your abilities well].
Everything was discussed in the evening and we were given other horses. The argument was that they wanted to see the level of the riders. This, however, can be done in a different way. Also as my husband had shown the video of one of his tournaments before the horse was chosen..
The rest of the week, the riding was good. We Complained once about the very rocky road up the hill and we changed the route with the guide. [Sarah from In The Saddle says: Unfortunately some of the terrain in South Africa can be rocky in places, but it is good to hear that the guide managed to find an alternative route for you]

Tim who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Very enjoyable... | The pace was varied, reasonably measured, but lots of opportunities to canter.

Clare who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Brilliant yet again | I really enjoyed riding Spice and Apache. I really enjoyed the long bendy canters in the game reserve. 1st week Polocross was really fun shame on the 2nd week we had somebody who had played it a lot. (Claire from In The Saddle comments: I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the riding)

Julie who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Horizon - brilliant break | Wide range of horses who are extremely well trained! Llots of opportunities to learn about horsemanship and engage in other activities.

Kim who has been on 18 In The Saddle rides. Tropical Sands Mozambique - Undiscovered Beach Paradise | This was our third visit to Mozambique Horse Safari, simply because it is so amazing, with lovely people, great horses and incredible scenery and riding. We have been all over the world and rarely repeat our journeys, but this is one place that keeps drawing us back as it feels very much like home. It is a very personal experience, we have never had to ride with more than 4 or 5 people, and are usually on our own. Pat and Mandy are truly amazing hosts. They work incredibly hard and run a stable of well loved and well cared for horses, several of which are the original horses that they rescued from the atrocities in Zimbabwe when they escaped to Mozambique to start a new life. You can read about them in Mandy's book '104 Horses' which helps you to understand what a truly amazing achievement this is.

The horses are largely Arab and Boerperd crosses, so are not particularly big, quite narrow, but are very willing and extremely fit. The riding is relaxed and on a long rein with plenty of space to spread out. I have ridden Texas for the last 2 years and Brutus the first time, they were very different but I loved both of them. They are now breeding some of their own so they can produce the type of horse that suits their needs and terrain. The horses on Benguerra are used mainly for day rides with novices and are not as easy and responsive as those on the mainland, but the island is lovely to explore on horseback, we even saw pelicans and flamingos along the beaches.

A lot of the rides are based on the beach and therefore timing very much depends of the tides, a full moon this year gave a tidal shift of almost 5 metres and it's amazing how far and fast the water comes and goes. But it gives huge expanses of largely empty beach and with the guides knowledge of the safe hard sand areas, there are wonderful opportunities for some lovely long canters. The local fisherman are very active along the beaches, so you do need to be a confident rider with wits about you to ensure you keep a watchful eye out for ropes and anchors attached to boats and for holes dug by the locals to collect shellfish and bait for fishing. The Red Dune ride is probably one of my all time favourites, the view of the bay at low tide is stunning.

There are also opportunities to do swimming rides and ocean walks bareback if the tide is right, it is fun watching the horses play in the water and enjoy a good roll. Sea temperature is very warm, probably 28-29 degrees whilst we were there in January.

They do intersperse the beach rides with opportunities to see the inland lakes, the local fishing villages and also give you the opportunity to take a dhow ride to a neighbouring island to have a ride around some slightly different scenery. There is also an option to go on a canoe safari to watch the sunset and see the amazing fireflies once it is dark, can thoroughly recommend it!

Sarah who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. A fabulous trip - highly recommend | Loved all the four horses that I rode, especially Tormento, who carried me through bogs, up and down hills through the forests and then cantered across the pampas and along stony tracks. They were all incredibly fit and surefooted especially when Amando said “did you see where the guanaco went, that’s where we are going”. The horses looked very well but some of the shoeing could have been better.

I couldn’t believe how the terrain changed every day which made it fun. Vicky (the ride operator) runs a very professional and efficient business and Amando was a first class guide. He is passionate and very knowledgeable about the countryside and wildlife and was excellent at telling us what we could expect each day.

Gary who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Excellent trip | Excellent

Ursula who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Dunes & Nomads ride in Morocco - Great guide, great horses, great food, great company | It was the 4th time for my husband and me that we booked a ride in Morocco. There always have been the same four men who guided the tour, groomed the horses, drove the trucks and prepared the food; it is so nice the see how well they work together as a team, there is never a loud word but a lot of laughter and joy.

We had nine stallions with us, some of them were more difficult to handle than the others. Here again there was never a loud word, they were handled very calmly.

(ABBIE FROM ITS: We are so pleased that you enjoyed your fourth visit to Morocco. It is a special place and we can understand why you choose to return).

Gillian who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Perfect escape. | This trip exceeded my high expectations. The terrain was fabulous and the hosts and fellow regulars extremely warm and friendly. The riding was pacey and exciting. The day out at Jerez was interesting.

A note to myself is that as per the weight limit advertised, I'd definitely want to be trimmer before returning as the Spanish horses are beautiful and delicate.

Erica who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Second time at Los Alamos exceeded my expectations. | The riding was fast and fun but always felt safe.