Suzy (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Once-in-a-lifetime safari experience! | As a novice rider, I felt comfortable on the rides and had really great support from the guides and staff at Ant's, who were very open to all possibilities!

Francesca (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A little bit of paradise in Spain | Rachel, Josè, Laura & Roberto were amazing, the horses were beautifully schooled and very well looked after. They know their job and look after you.

Sarah (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Exceptional | The riding was fantastic, I am planning on rebooking so I can try faster horses next year!

Katie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Great trip, very well organised, great support at every step | Really nice to have a variety of horses to ride on the trip. Staff were happy to swap tack if it didn't suit the guest and to take on board requests for the type of ride each day, e.g looking for rhino or faster riding as preferred.

Hanne (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic owners who take great care of their horses. Skilled guides who know the horses and the terrain. Good for the rider that the same saddle is used all the time, maybe not entirely optimal for the different horses (?) Nice varied terrain to ride in, absolutely optimal on horseback with great stops.

Agnieszka who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Riding, Relaxation, and Real Improvement | It was an incredible experience from start to finish. The horses were exceptionally well trained—true teachers—and I felt like I improved with every ride.

My trainer, João, focused on correcting exactly the things that have always bothered me about my riding. Thanks to his guidance, I made far more progress than I ever expected in such a short time.

Margaret who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful horse riding holiday at Los Potreros Argentina | I rode wonderful horses all a joy to ride from straight forward to lovely sassy ones. The cattle herding was really good fun and got really stuck in with the gauchos my lasso skills need a bit more practice but had a good laugh. In the afternoons we rode the Peruvian Pasos and oh so comfortable could canter all day on them. Had exhilarating canters in beautiful scenery and landscape and the guides and gauchos took care that all riders were happy and we were well looked after. All horses I rode were great especially Bobby and Poccho The Porche.

Eleanor (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) This was my first riding holiday, so first time riding “holiday” horses. Enjoyed some wonderful gallopes with the gauchos - I rode over 10 different horses across the week, all were wonderfully looked after, safe and sure footed. The pasos were fabulously comfortable, the criollos made light work of the hilly terrain. I would have preferred some slightly livelier horses but appreciate this is a function of a holiday place. We did some cattle work which was fun. I expected to be able to do some polo or mounted games but this was not offered as the ground was too hard - this was understandable but was not clear when I booked. I may return for a polo week in future!

Alison who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Exceeded expectations | This was my daughter’s first riding holiday.
All the staff both at the stables and at the Villa couldn’t have been more helpful,
It was so peaceful & tranquil.

Tessa who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful dive in the gaucho's world | I rode 7 horses whilst at Los Potreros, all absolutely wonderful and perfect. They know their job and their home. It really feels safe even for novice riders cantering around the estancia. They are all very responsive, would slow down when asked, otherwise are forward going. They were all a joy to ride and work with when around cattle. They are sure-footed even on uneven ground and agile. They are all very well cared for, with beautiful, shiny coats and healthy muscles, obviously well bred and trained. It was really fun to ride former polo ponies and paso horses! I loved that we had the opportunity to join the gauchos, help with gathering the herd and keep them all together so that the gauchos could catch some of them in order to care for the young ones etc. Turns out I'm a cowgirl deep down and I didn't know that before Los Potreros!

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your super review. We are so pleased that you had such a good time at Los Potreros and enjoyed discovering your inner gaucho!].

Julie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) fantastic- a dream holiday! | The riding fulfilled a long time ambition of mine to gallop on a beach. Not only did we gallop I. The beach a few times but also in the forest!

Debbie who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides.
Denmark requests (Melina) - Olwen to sort
Relaxing | I enjoyed both the horses I rode however Bantu was exceptional and as there was another rider there like myself who was classed as a heavier rider i was unable to ride him for three days. They gave me another lovely horse but Bantu was definitely was my favourite.
After having ridden at the nest twice before with exciting split rides happening daily I had expected the same. This did not happen and my riding experience was disappointing apart from the last two days where I was able to enjoy much longer canters and the last day had an absolute blast. I am really sad that this was not my experience all week. The riding groups were hampered by riders of differing abilities/and those that did not have the right equipment to ride. The all day ride, riding and food wise was excellent but the long gap inbetween would have been much nicer if we had been able to perhaps swim at the hill whilst waiting to ride back to Bushwillow.
The guides were excellent but were trying to accommodate different abilities and there wasn’t the staff to split the rides.
[Olwen from In The Saddle replies - We were so sorry to read your comments which are so unusual for a holiday at Ants Lodges. We have forwarded them to Ants who have replied. They acknowledge that there was a mixed ability of riders at Bushwillow but believed they had put in place a plan to handle this. Unfortunately due to staff communication problems the plans were initially not properly implemented and they do apologise for this. They are so sorry that your riding experience was initially slower than you would have liked but are pleased that you enjoyed the pace of the last two days.]

Linda (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Absolutely stellar experience - 10/10 no notes | This trip didn't merely meet my expectations, it far surpassed them! The horses were absolutely outstanding: so well cared for, well trained and exceptionally good natured. And there were horses to match the experience level of every rider, whether just learning to advanced riders. I found that as my riding developed and improved over the course of the week, I was put onto different horses who were able to challenge me in new ways and consequently I learned even more. The facilities are excellent and exceedingly well maintained.

I must specially mention the trainers Joao and Joana, who were amazing and so much fun to work with - they took the time to hone in on each rider's individual needs, and conducted lessons in a manner that improved and fine tuned skills, as well as teaching new ones. They were kind and patient, but also didn't hesitate to push me to work harder and focus when necessary. Truly among the best trainers I've ever worked with.

Angie who has been on 24 In The Saddle rides. Simply the best | Exceeded expectations. Wonderful splashy canters, and some nice long dry ones too.

Alison (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Wonderful holiday | I went with my daughter. We both had an excellent experience. Horses were lovely, sure footed, forward going and fun. I had lost a lot of confidence after a fall several years ago. This holiday allowed me to find trust again in my riding ability. Marianne our guide was wonderful.

Nicola who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing | My daughter was booked onto the children's morning programme and did two ride outs with me. She loved every minute of it and the instructors we wonderful. Really patient and positive.

Gill who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. A truly fabulous riding safari experience | The riding exceeded my expectations as the rides were great in themselves, leaving aside the truly special wildlife viewing encounters. We set out in a different direction every day and always saw something new. The horses were forward-going and the four hour morning ride included six or seven canters, a couple of them long ones. The real highlight was the 'splashy canters' through standing water and long grass when everyone got soaked by the kicked up water, and everyone had big grins on their faces.
You were allocated two horses for your stay which you rode alternately. The horses were beautifully managed by Mod, who has been at Macatoo for 27 years and was highly skilled at matching horses to riders.

Helen (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fabulous | For an experienced rider, this was a great holiday. Lessons challenged us. Instruction was very good and horses were well schooled and responsive. The accommodation, facilities and meals were all excellent too. My only criticism, and I shall be writing to MV directly on this, was the safety aspect out on trails. They permitted non-riders and novices on the trails which resulted on our last day in a fall. There was clearly no procedure in place and it took half an hour for someone from the centre to get to us. If the girl had been seriously hurt, this could have been fatal as there was no-one with medical training or even a first aid kit! The poor young girl who was our trail leader was an intern of no more than 20 years old who didn't have a clue. I was the only one on the ride with any experience and I could see an accident happening on more than one occasion. They need to get a proper procedure in place immediately and also, ban novices from trail rides completely as even if it's billed as a slow ride, horses are unpredictable creatures and they could have different ideas!
Otherwise it was great!
[Olwen from In The Saddle - we are glad you had a good holiday. Thank you for raising the problems which arose on your trail ride. These are serious matters and we have also discussed them with Monte Velho. They say that they will do a better rider assessment prior to going out on the trail rides. They have told me they do follow first-aid guidelines but clearly these need to be strengthened and we will be following this up with them to ensure they are.]

Allison who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Riding up to African animals 20 metres away | They did a good job accommodating riders of different experience and fitness. I had a nice horse but wanted to try another. I fell in love with the new horse and stuck with him for the rest of the week. The funny thing is my friend tried him but chose another one for the remainder. To each her own!

I appreciated that Ant's opened Bushwillow and offer it for a lower price. We visited Ant's Lodge and it was gorgeous so I understand why it's more $$. Bushwillow did not disappoint, though, and we were spoiled every minute of the day. I also really liked my Lion's cabin and consider it quite a luxury holiday.

Claudia who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing safari on fantastic horses | The horses were amazing. I would have been happy to do more cantering but I can see that the heat would make that hard!

Cosy (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic | Overall, I loved it and had a fantastic week.

It took me about a day and a half to get the hang of my horse - he was very different to the one I have been riding (for the last 17 years!) - but was great. He took care of me - particularly at speed - and he liked to be in the front!

There was quite a lot more walking that I'd expected from the ride description but the pace was understandable (& Rashid did explain) - given the heat. I wonder if it would be an idea to mention this in the ride description.

The terrain was much more varied than I'd expected and I loved it.

Riding in a group of 6 stallions added an extra dimension as we couldn't get too close to each other. It was good to have been warned to keep a good distance.

Tania (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing, we enjoyed every minute! | It was great that there were a number of different options of rides to choose from each day. All the rides were beautifully scenic and the fast rides were really fun. As well as the beautiful desert rides we also very much enjoyed the opportunity to do some groundwork with our horses in the round pen and to have a horsemanship lesson in the horse park which provides various obstacles to negotiate with your horse. I was very happy with the horse that I rode for the week and was sad to say goodbye to him. When my daughter had an issue with her horse on the second ride of the first day, the wrangler immediately checked with her to see if she felt safe and when she said that she didn't, they radioed back to the ranch and another horse was ridden out to us for her to swap onto and then a different horse was provided for her for the rest of the week that she was very happy with.

Rachael who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic riding, food and wine tasting | The holiday fully met my expectations. Even though i did the holiday 8 years ago it was different and the same at the same time. I really enjoyed every moment of the trip and would recommend it to others. The guiding was great, the food a little too good as i put on some weight! and the horses were all very well cared for, well trained and perfect for the riding. I couldn't have been happier with the holiday.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Many thanks for your feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday at Berardenga. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your trip].

Laura who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Epic fun and escapism in the desert | The horse I initially had turned out to be too slow and kept jerking its head constantly, so the guide, Rashid offered to swap his horse with me. This was much better and I had a great time riding thereafter.
Rashid went out of his way to make sure we were all happy, even taking a horse back to base to swap for another rider. He was cheerful and fun and always happy to answer questions.

I had been expecting a faster pace as per the ride description. I understand the pace was judged on the heat & terrain of the day. However, I would suggest the ride description is tweaked slightly to make it clear the ride can be more like 90% walking.

[Olwen from In The Saddle - I'm not sure why you experienced a slower than normal ride. This is normally a ride with lots of fast gallops. We will see if we can find out the reason - perhaps it was unusually hot when you were there?]

Emily who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. I think horses could do with longer reins - especially when encouraged to let them graze by wildlife. Frequently people were pulled forward or out of the saddle or dropped reins as not long enough to accommodate grazing and maintaining a safe position

In addition - no water is carried by guides for guests and you are only provided with one bottle unless ask for another. This isn’t enough water for 4 hours out in the heat. It should be standard that more water is brought along for the break

Insulated water bottles to keep the water cold would also be a very welcome addition

The hospitality and staff were incredible. Very welcoming and friendly.
[Olwen from In The Saddle notes - you have made some good suggestions and I will forward them onto Macatoo.]

Rachael (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Very Good

Jane who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing! | We had an amazing four days at Ants Hill. It was everything I hoped: willing horses and great guides meant that we could ride so close to giraffe zebra, rhinos. Frankly I don’t think I’ve ever seen such happy and chilled horses. We loved the relaxed atmosphere and we made really good friends with the other guests as we shared sundowners and meals. A truly magical way to experience Africa.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your wonderful feedback. We are so pleased that you had such a super time at Ant's].

Katerina who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Beautiful scenic trail and a real step back in time. | I enjoyed that we got to ride through all the gaits. There were lots of canters and these got longer throughout the week. The ground was too soft at the start of the week which did slow down our first day or two, but couldn't be helped. I would have enjoyed more galloping and not always in an orderly line. Sometimes the horses want to have more fun too!
The route had to be changed from that of the itinerary due to them having some sick horses. We missed day one and did an extra centre based ride instead. It didn't really affect anything and there was genuine reasons behind it. Personally, I preferred the days which were point to point.
I loved seeing some of the old towns in Transylvania.
When we were riding in nature, we didn't once see a single sole. The feeling of remoteness was lovely.

Sophie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Excellent

Sarah who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Perfect getaway | I rode 3 different horses during our 7 night stay. All were lovely but naturally I had my favourite. A good match to my riding preferences.

Donna who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Another amazing week on the ranch | Another great experience as expected.

Laura (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing! | The horses and the riding exceeded all my expectations. Horses were beautiful, responsive and forward going. The riding was very varied with beautiful forest rides and stunning beach rides. The guide was friendly, supportive, helpful, nothing was a problem, he looked after us all so well and kept us safe. I could see how well he knew all the horses and how much he cared about them.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your super review. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday at Los Alamos.]