Helle who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Great ride in beatuful Sicily | The reason I put only 'agree' on the second question was because one of the riders had challenges doing canter/gallop and this created some situations . One example- on the beach the last day he -and others if they wanted- should have been given the option to stop and get off the horse(s) before the canter/gallop. As it was, some of us in the back tried to stop because he had trouble while the front riders went on for a bit before they stopped.

As a whole , the ride was varied from snow in the mountains to beautiful spring flowers in the lowland. Because of all the rain the ground - and some river crossings were sometimes a challenge and sometimes we had to find an alternative route. The guides/owners were very good.

The days were quite long (starting 08:30-09:00 and finishing between 18 and 19 ) so riders should be aware of this before booking this trail.

Dario who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Excellent 🙂 | Excellent

Jacci (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) mixed feelings | On our first day we came down to the yard to find the horses filthy dirty, and Jenny's was covered in horse manure. We were given brushes to clean and groom them. Their accommodation was a walk in stable, where there was no bedding for them in the inside part. Consequently, they had to roll in poo. This was further complicated by the need to save water. I believe there is some pasture available, but we didn't see them turned out to it at night. I realise that field accommodation may be difficult on a mountain, in which case, bedding for the stable should have been provided. The need to preserve water meant that instructions to clean the horses varied from using a hose, using a bucket and sponge, and once on Sabine's watch, using a bottle of water with a hole in the top. No clear instructions were given on the stable rules, no list on a notice board, etc. It became a standing joke when new people arrived and asked what the routine was, or where we were going the next day, and everyone would laugh and say 'nobody knows'!

There seemed to be a shortage of staff to get horses prepared for the rides. One rider was only there for a fortnight and the other had only been in situ for 3 weeks. Sabine did not communicate much with us (ie all riders) at all.There was no communication at breakfast about the day ahead, or indeed, at any time at all. I had the slowest horse for every ride and was always last. This meant that I could never hear what was being said by the lead rider. Also, I would have liked a variety of horses, rather than being given the slowest one.

Having said all of this, we enjoyed the rides, the scenery and the young women who led the rides were very friendly and helpful.

[Olwen from In The Saddle replies - We are glad that you enjoyed the rides overall. The horses are stabled on mats and normally this doesn't cause the problems you experienced so we need to follow up with the hotel to see what happened. Sabine has now told us that unfortunately she was ill that week with bronchitis and she apologises for not being around to brief you each day. She acknowledges that the guide did not prepare the horses as she should have and she is no longer working at the hotel. Sabine is glad you enjoyed the riding but is sorry that the stables and horses were not as she would have liked you to see them. Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback.]

Ellen (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Beautiful country, excellent food | Every day the terrain was different and beautiful. I was able to ride the same horse every day which gave me a lot of consistency and confidence by the end of the ride.

Cathy who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful | The horses were in very good condition and live a very natural, herd life. They are hardy and fit. The terrain was quite varied, some hills, mostly through vineyards and villages.

Lisa who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Incredible family experience | The riding was perfectly tailored to our family's experience. Our novice children (aged 6, 8 and 11) had very safe ponies/horses and were able to move on to more forward going ones as they progressed. All cantered for the first time. Children should be prepared to ride reasonably large (15.2hh) horses - they were chosen based on temperament, being more reliable than ponies! There was no problem with that at all. My husband and I loved our more forward going but very straightforward freisan and thoroughbred.
Morning ride is normally 3 hours but we shortened to 2 hours so not too much for the children when it was hot. All activities are bespoke so that was no problem.
Swimming with horses in the dam was so much fun!

Jane who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic | Fantastic horses well matched for each rider

Sue (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing | It was over and above any expectations, I was a little hesitant about my riding ability, but came away with improved confidence.

Emily who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic | I had a wonderful time in Crete, the riding was amazing, the horses were fantastic and the views on the rides were particularly beautiful.

Christine who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous activities | Excellent

Sue (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic | Horses were all fabulous forward going but sensible and used to terrain - well schooled and obedient

David who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. A ride that is not for the faint hearted | It is the environmental conditions that makes this ride hard. The weather varies from all day rain, strong winds, cold temperature, to beautiful sunny windless days. This ride covers terrain that covers cobble stone beaches, rocky headlands, swampy land, mud, river crossings, steep up and down sections, to wonderful flat sandy beaches ideal for galloping.

But it is also those environmental conditions that makes the ride so satisfying. With Adolfo and Laura being excellent guides/leaders in this testing terrain.

Even the snow on the main road on the bus trip back to Ushuaia

Anon who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. A challenging ride: terrain, weather and dirt | The horses were business like, know their work and do it well. It was important to have trust in the horse as going through deep mud, along cliff edge paths, steep slopes, over cobbles, sea edge rock shelf and through deep water they needed to be able to make their way without a rider interfering. My horse was able to pick a route through the marshes better than many. Any disappointment re the pace of ride was on account of other riders, not the staff of Centro Hipico.

[ITS replies: Thank you for your feedback. We are looking into your comments regarding pace, although this isn't a fast ride due to the terrain and use of pack-horses. We are pleased that overall you enjoyed this tough, expedition ride at the End of the World.]

Simone (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Good | Lik the people and horse

Arisa (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Very enjoyable | I was very satisfied with my lessons and the horses I was assigned to ride. The trainers were very helpful and good at instructing.

Karoline who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Good | Excellent

Frida (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing! | I had an amazing time! Loved the teachers and horses and i learned a lot of new things!

Lucy who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. A unique and wonderful holiday | Riding was always good, some days better than others, dependent on other guests and their riding abilities. On occasion complete beginners are put with experienced riders which isn’t ideal, however, the guides try to split up during the ride so advanced riders can at least get a canter or two.
Groups are never more that 6 guests which is perfect.

Angie who has been on 27 In The Saddle rides. I had the time of my life | I loved my horse, Maru, she was a joy to ride. Ant always takes a good ride and this holiday was no exception. The reserve is huge with varied terrain and lots of sandy roads and tracks, open grassland, challenging ascents/descents and streams. Lots of lovely long canters and opportunities to go 'off piste' to follow a variety of animal tracks. Having ridden at Ant's 4 times before, I did not doubt that my expectations would be met, they were, however, exceeded. Brilliant.

Bob who has been on 14 In The Saddle rides. Like Ants but better (if that's possible)! | Riding out with Ant most days was great. Although he was very ably backed up by Fred and Chase.
Thought had obviously been given to the horses selected by Zoe and Amanda. I rode Mashudu, who liked her own space but was comfortable and settled very well by the first afternoon. Ashanti, the most chilled 4 year old ever?! Amboseli, such an amazing all rounder. And my big boy Morocco
It was very exciting tracking the big 5 with Ant who always had safety in mind (look for your escape route).

Karolyn who has been on 19 In The Saddle rides. New reserve is a success | Ant's new reserve is far bigger than I expected, with very varied terrain and vegetation. The main tracks are generally sandy and wide, so it's easy to see potential hazards (e.g. overhanging trees, rocks, animals) ahead when cantering, although you still need to look out for holes beside the smaller tracks and in the grass. There are very few thorn bushes, so there's no need to wear your oldest jodhs. The river was unusually high the week I visited, so we couldn't cross to the other side but that didn't seem to matter at all, as there were still plenty of different areas to ride in.
I rode two horses (both mares) during my visit. The first was sensible, a pleasure to ride and knew her job. Day 3 I fell in love with the second - absolutely beautiful, impeccable manners and a mind reader, so I barely had to touch the reins.

Ron who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. A very special place | Moolmanshoek breeds horses - Arabs for Endurance Riding and South African Boerperds for Trail Riding. There are over 300 horses on the ranch.
The quality of horses and horsemanship is unusually high.
The Trail riding is superbly led by Lindy Hill who has decades of experience in South Africa and Botswana. She was careful to match horse and rider.

Malcolm (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A wonderful time in the Arizonan desert | We loved our time at the White Stallion Ranch, and also the care taken by Caron and the team at In The Saddle to ensure we were matched with the right location and experience for our requirements.
The ranch itself is in a beautiful location - dramatic desert and cactii everywhere, you feel like you're starring in your very own Clint Eastwood western. We had the same horses every day which helped build a bond (I miss Dozer, a gentle giant), and you can ride as much or as little as you want. You make your decisions on your activities the day before each day, whcih means you are free to change your mind as you consider how energetic (or otherwise!) you are feeling. Relaxing by the pool in 25 degrees was a real treat.

100% recommend the location, and 100% recommend In The Saddle as a partner to help you organise.

Maya who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Brilliant - riding excellent as was company | Our hosts, Andrew and Rhiannon are excellent - very easy to talk to and cannot do enough for their guests. Our room and the common room are well presented with everything you can possibly want . We were a group of 10 and all of us were happy with our horses and the riding. Rachel chose our horses well. The group got on well and we enjoyed each others' company. This was my second visit to Los Alamos and it was just as good as the first. Many thanks to all involved.

Molly (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fab riding and gorgeous scenery | The horses were lovely and any concerns we had about them were addressed with the tour leader who was great

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

Kim who has been on 13 In The Saddle rides. A fantastic short break to blow away the cobwebs | Rachel matched us all brilliantly with our horses and Jose is a thoughtful and engaging guide. The canters were fast and memorable and Rachel takes great pictures on the beach. The horses are well schooled, enjoy their job and have comfortable saddles.

Chloe (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Best holiday ever | The whole experience was amazing, better then I expected, loved every second of it.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you so much for your lovely review.]

Nichola (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) An amazing holiday of a lifetime | The staff were very accommodating, taking the rides at the pace which you wanted to go, plenty of opportunities to canter on different tracks also walking through herds of zebra, buffalo as well as getting up close to rhinos, giraffes as well as many other animals on the reserve.
The horses are well behaved and well cared for.
I was unsure what to expect after having had an injury before Christmas I was worried that I would hold the ride back but I was given a couple of confident giver horses who totally looked after me and even gave some of the ponies a run for their money, coming back with smiles at the end of each ride after being made to feel like a teenager all over again.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are delighted that you had such a great time.]

Liz who has been on 23 In The Saddle rides. Continues to exceed expectations | It was our fourth trip to Ant's, which says a lot about the place. Maybe a fifth is on the cards for next year? We love riding so close to the game, and it's great that all abilities can experience this

(Liz) I was lucky to ride my favourite at the Nest on every ride, and at Hill I met a new favourite horse, she was wonderful with the best canter ever

(Verne) Very happy with the horses, made some new favourites and reacquainted with some old friends

Vivien who has been on 45 In The Saddle rides. Incredible experience | All the horses were well looked after, easy to handle on the ground and great to ride (I rode three in all). We had some fab long, fast canters across the plains (always alert for holes) and rode amongst the hundreds of thousands of migrating wildebeest. A unique experience. We saw a wide variety of game and loads of birds too.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your wonderful feedback. We are really happy that you enjoyed your safari in Tanzania and got to see the migration - what an incredible experience!]

Donna who has been on 41 In The Saddle rides. A real adventure! | The pace had to be adjusted according to the weather which was very wet and muddy at times. Guides managed this well and we still managed long canters.