Excellent

Excellent

Nothing too much trouble

Excellent

The riding was varied, and transporting the horses by lorry worked extremely well. Beautiful views and lots opportunities for riding at a faster pace.

They have a lovely heard of over 40 horses at Ants Nest and try their best to match you to a perfect combination of horses, every day you are asked how did you find your horse, any requests etc, because of the number of rides you do, 2 a day in our case over 8 days, you ride a minimum of 2 different horses, up to pretty much as many as you like, I rode 4 and loved them all, all different some easy some a little more of a challenge but that suited me and what I wanted.

Excellent

The horses I got from the beginning fitted me perfect.

Well behaved horse, perfect for my level.

This expedition exceeded all expectations. It is the most physically challenging riding I have ever done or indeed expect to do, but for all that I would not have missed it for the world and the sense of achievement afterwards was enormous. Certainly not for the fainthearted or those who do not like heights - fortunately I do not fit into either category. Full of admiration for our ponies - so strong and sure footed - they were truly amazing.

All the horses/ponies were in excellent condition and well looked after. Their ability to cover the terrain was amazing and never have I put so much trust in a horse. The country of Lesotho was stunningly beautiful and all the people we met on our trek were extremely friendly. The terrain and going were challenging in places which added to the enjoyment of the holiday. Our hosts and guides were exceptional and I felt very privileged to have met Steve Black(our host) and to ride through Lesotho.

The riding was quite sedate but we were expecting this and the terrain was not really suitable to go a lot faster.

Fast and long trots and canters. Not for the fainthearted.

I had high expectations, but these were totally surpassed by the absolutely superb experience which we were fortunate enough to have at Horizon.
Nothing was too much trouble for the team - the horses were light mouthed and responsive, well trained and trustworthy. All were in excellent condition, and a strict schedule is kept to ensure that every horse has the necessary 'down time'. We rode a large selection of horses, all of which were delivering an experience of a life time. It was most interesting to see that each animal was slowly but surely educated so that it could be either a lead horse or at the back, and they would all stand quietly while we watched the game. We liked the way that several of them were 'rescues', but had been restored to having the confidence to build back their trust in people. Great care had been taken to see that each rider was given a horse suitable for what they required - either a reliable 'Mum's Chum' type, or one which would be happy to do as much as any intermediate or advanced rider wished. They were all so light mouthed, and neck reined, leaving one hand free for the camera! I have artificial hips, but Horizon are well used to assisting amputees and others with physical problems - so they helped me most expertly with mounting and dismounting (I cannot lift my leg over the cantle), and whenever we were given a lovely surprise (sundowners or bush pop-up breakfasts etc), 2 of the staff would be instantly assisting me so that I did not miss anything at all.
The guides not only kept us safe - pointing out any dangers such as holes, overhanging branches, but they were all able to tell us amazing facts about the flora and fauna of the Waterberg. They ensured that we saw all we had come so far to see, and so much more, so very much more. We were able to request any horse we had made a good bond with, provided it was not due for a day off.
It was lovely to hear that the horses often live on to 30 or 35 as they are so well cared for, and when they are older, they are given lighter duties, which ensures they keep fit and active. They were lovely to watch in their herd, as some of them had made particular friendships, and all were able to be with the particular friend or other horses in the herd as they felt inclined. So they were happy and dependable, and we had such a brilliant time with them.

I enjoyed riding some different horses and understand the need for them all to be worked but not overworked. In an ideal world, I would prefer to ride with and bond with fewer horses over the course of a holiday. But I rode some horses that were perfect for me so they did the matching very well.

One guide cantered off when we had asked him not to , but apart from that is was Top Banana !!!!!

All the horses were adorable, each one with their own personality. They were very well trained and it was relatively easy to get them to tolt (amazingly comfortable gait, if only all horses could tolt!!!).
It was also great to have the time to groom and tack them. I rarely have the time to do it myself so I really appreciated that extra time with the horses before and after the ride. Icelandic horses are very sensitive and we were encouraged to take our time to take care of them. Quite an experience to hammer the ice under their hooves as well!

The riding is not as intense as during other horseback holidays however I believe that it was suitable considering the terrain and weather conditions. There were options to have additional lessons to master the gaits and transitions or to do some ground work with the horses. We also had the opportunity to do exercises with them to help them stretch at the end of the ride.

It exceeded my expectations, wonderful horses and the best instructor I ever had

Great lessons on a variety of horses with fantastic instruction which really helped me develop my riding over the course of the week.

The weather was unusually hot so quite rightly there were fewer canters than expected and a lot of walking. But it was great to ride in so many different environments - tracks and lanes, forests, beaches, sand dunes, fields and wetlands. The wetlands were challenging and fun. The horses in the middle section of the holiday were excellent - we had them for 5 days and I couldn't fault the buckskin Criolla I was given. Unfortunately the quality of the horses in the final two days wasn't so good. A number of our group, including me, were on horses with such strange confirmation, that they were quite uncomfortable at trot and canter. This was disappointing given the hotel where we stayed, Balcon del Abra, clearly considers itself a class place...but the horses were more used to walking in a line pony-trekking style than being ridden by relatively experienced people.

The horses were healthy and well, the middle batch of horses were superior to the first and last group. I have my own horses at home and ride all the time so the actual riding wasn't probably as important to me as it would be for others, I wanted to go on a riding holiday as I thought it would be a fantastic way to see Uruguay.

To be honest the horses were not great but the scenery made up for it!

Good variety at all paces. The horses were well chosen for the rider and were fit, forward and carefully prepared so that each rider could have the horse he or she was best suited to. The guides were careful to make sure that the horses and riders were cared for throughout.

Monte Velho is a beautiful property in tranquil rural Portugal. Hanging out and relaxing was half the fun. I particularly enjoyed the light trail rides through the farm, with dressage horses doing a very collected canter over terrain. I'm not an expert dressage rider so I was matched with school horses for the dressage training component and found them very responsive which helped me work on my skills and position.

I rode a total of 5 horses that were all great, forward going and well behaved but I especially liked riding little Apache, very comfortable and super-speedy. Bongwe is a fantastic guide and I really enjoyed the long fast canters in the morning rides. Saw wild dogs on the first two days and leopard 4 times which was really special. Also witnessed hyenas tucking into a giraffe kill which was like being in a wildlife documentary.

The 1st horse I rode was fine but the instruction was weak and therefore I did not get much from the 1st lesson. The 2nd session was on a different horse and with a much stronger instructor and that was very good. I rode the 1st horse a couple more times but the good instructor said it had a sore back and she would find me something else. The 3rd horse I rode we had to stop after half an hour because that was also "not right". Finally the 4th horse I rode was very good but by this time I'd gone back to the first weaker instructor. So overall a bit variable

Everything was well described ahead of time by In The Saddle. I really enjoy riding in the mountains, but that does mean virtually the entire ride is at a walk. It’s good to emphasize that to riders booking this holiday.

Hi
We really enjoyed the holiday
All the people were friendly and welcoming and horses were well turned out, nicely behaved and good to ride
I think the training could have been managed better, assessment of your riding and your expectations including a plan for the training during your stay could have improved the experience further

Great riding experience. Horses were very well trained, fit and cared for. Pace was varied but with plenty of long canters.

Was as articulated.

Very good instruction, good accommodation and meals. A lovely setbup

Monte Velho provides both dressage lessons and trail rides. So, second answer above relates to trail rides.I had specifically enquired about these before booking but found the first one very disappointing. Any canters were very slow and in a very collected pace. This turned out to be because horses had been little ridden and so were very fresh. It would have been preferable to be told this beforehand not after one has questioned it! This is likely to be an annual issue and I-t-S might like to warn clients considering riding out in the first week or 2 of February. The other trail ride I did was much better.

The dressage lessons were good with an interesting range of horses. It is worth noting that you will need to explain your goals to each instructor. None will ask and info does not seem to be shared between them.