Jennifer who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Excellent Riding Holiday | Superb all round - staff, horses, terrain and pace of rides. Beautiful, peaceful forest and magnificent beach. Exhilarating riding. Have been several times, but it always exceeds my expectations.

Cathy (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fab ranch holiday | The riding was brilliant the horses are well looked after and behaved. The scenery is amazing and there is a variety of riding experiences offered eg slow, fast rides, longer, shorter rides, cattle penning and sorting, breakfast rides, beer and Cheetos rides.

Janet who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. One of the Best In the Saddle Holidays | This was one of the best In the Saddle riding holidays our group (the Maneiacs) has ever done.

Our guide Lindy Hill was amazing; nothing was too much trouble catering for our group of older but fit riding ladies. She was very informative about the wildlife and local plants and trees to the area, making the excursions out from the lodge each day very enjoyable. The riding was fantastic, on horses of all ages, up rocky slopes high into the mountains, sometimes on narrow ledges, but you could trust them to look after you.

The staff at Moolmanshoek were all lovely - nothing was too much trouble, and the food was brilliant. All in all I could not fault this holiday - well worth the long trip to get there. Thank you to all of you at Moolmanshoek for making our holiday so memorable

Vanessa who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Another incredible experience with In the Saddle. Thoroughly recommend combining these two holidays. | Both the Wild coast and Moolmanshoek were extremely keen to make sure we were happy with our horses and gave us plenty of opportunity to try a few out until we found our perfect partners.

Even on the Wild Coast we spent a day and a half at Key Mouth so I could try different horses before we set off on the trail.

Wild Coast Riding - Qolora Trail
Fantastic beach riding with plenty of opportunities for fast canters on the firm sand. There was also a lot of riding in land as some of the rivers were too high to cross but this was a good opportunity to see more of the varied landscape and there were still plenty of places to canter. Some steep ups and downs (especially on the way down to the waterfall) but this was all good practise given we were heading to Moolmanshoek for our second week!

This trail worked well for us as there was ample time to relax over lunches or at the end of the day but still lots of fast riding.

And must give a mention to the guides who were fantastic, especially Jess who was our guide for the first four days when there was just the three of us. We then met up with the other group doing the mini trail, at Wavecrest.

Moolmanshoek
The farm is set in stunning scenery and is miles from anywhere so gives a wonderful feeling of remoteness. We were warned the riding was 'adventurous' due to the steep terrain and it was no exaggeration! I had been hoping it would be tamer than advertised as I'm not that good with heights but, in actual fact, it was a fabulous experience and there is plenty of time to get used to the climbs before embarking on the higher rides.

The horses are incredible, extremely footsure and powerful so you very quickly get used to the climbs and declines, and the saddles are extremely comfortable and supportive, with large stirrups so you feel very safe.
[Olwen from In The Saddle writes - we are so glad that you enjoyed your adventures on the Wild Coast followed by Moolmanshoek. Two great riding holidays].

Lesley who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Brilliant food, horses, accommodation, hosts, riding. | The riding more than met expectations although I have to say I think you needed more than a head for heights. Some of the inclines were quite scary, however, the horses were superb.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. I'm so happy that you enjoyed Moolmanshoek. There are definitely some paths with steep drops up in the mountains, but as you say, the horses are incredibly sure-footed and well balanced so you feel in good hands (or hooves!) at all times 🙂 ].

Sarah who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing | The riding was amazing , a bit scary at times but pushed me out of my comfort zone which overall I enjoyed.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks so much for your feedback. We are really pleased that you enjoyed your holliday overall.]

Lindy who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful | There were 10 of us in our group and we all had a wonderful time. It exceeded all our expectations. Lindy Hill, our guide, was very knowledgeable, caring and really looked after us.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your super feedback. We are really pleased that you enjoyed your long-awaited holiday at Moolmanshoek.]

Gwen who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Truly Fantastic week! | Excellent horses, so well cared for and very sure footed- which was needed on some of the steeper areas we rode over. My Tuff was a gorgeous boy who looked after me so well - loved him very much!

Sue who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful Moolmanshoek | The riding was absolutely fabulous. The scenery and wildlife were incredible. Lindy our guide was so knowledgeable and accommodating we had a wonderful time over and above our expectations.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your wonderful feedback. We are really pleased that you enjoyed your stay at Moolmanshoek.]

Caryl (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Every day was an amazing adventure | This holiday met all my expectations and more…loved every minute of it. So much to explore, riding amongst the wildlife and birds across the plains and in the magnificent surrounding mountains. The views, blue skies and beautiful sunsets were amazing. I rode 4 different horses during my stay, including a beautiful stallion. They were all so well behaved and very sure footed, especially on the steeper terrain. I can’t thank our guide Lindy enough…a very knowledgable and helpful lady who looked after us all extremely well.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. I'm so happy that you enjoyed your stay at Moolmanshoek. We appreciate your taking the time to tell us about your holiday.]

Emma (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Woodland/Beach Horse Riding | Excellent

Sarah (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Unforgettable Spanish riding experience! | The rides on this holiday were fabulous. A perfect variety of beautiful forest trails and long sandy beaches. The terrain and wonderful horses allowed us to expeience exhilatrating long canters and gallops. Cantering through the water on the beach and galloping in the firebreaks was our highlight and something we would be unlikely to experience at home.

Lorna (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Legends of Los Alamos! | What an absolutely unbelievably cool holiday!! From the moment we arrived to the moment we left Los Alamos we were truly cared for by Andrew, Rhiannon and Rachel. The riding was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done and, despite not having the best weather, the team adapted the timetable so we got our beach gallop in on the first day and managed a fire breaker gallop on the last - we didn’t miss out on anything! Jose and Roberto were totally brilliant whilst we were riding and we felt we were in safe hands at all times - the ‘little canters’ were the best!! The accommodation was fabulous and the food and drink totally first rate - you catered for the different needs of our group brilliantly.

This was the perfect first riding holiday and it’ll be hard to beat the hospitality, riding experience and overall fun we had with a fabulous bunch of people.

Thank you Los Alamos for all you did for us - we loved it all!

Margaret who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful time at Macatoo Camp | Had a wonderful time at Macatoo Camp wildlife out of this world good guides and exhilarating canters - even a splashy one more a gallop which was great fun. Had some lovely surprises lunch in the Treehouse, sundowners in various locations and the bush supper. Met some lovely people. Have never had a camp breakfast before by the fire - had to watch the monkeys! Had 2 lovely horses Max and Radeski both forward and keen - had lovely morning and evening rides on them. Radeski gave me a fabulous ride with splashy canter/gallop and fast canters we had. Max was very chilled especially with the Leopard hiding in the bush and growling near the horses. it was all a good pace and great fun and the guide Chief was very informative when we were out riding telling us all about the wildlife and tracking the wildlife. We tracked a herd of 2000 buffalo one day which was wonderful

Aisling who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Horses are a credit to the team, loved the riding. That said, riding round and round the forest does get a bit monotonous.

Katie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Exceeded all expectations | Excellent

Bianca (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Wonderful adventure | The guides were very professional and the horses were very welll behaved. I enjoyed the beautiful nature during the beautiful outdoor rides.
[Caron from ITS replies: Thank you for your feedback, it is wonderful to hear you enjoyed riding in the Azores so much.]

Debbie who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Ants Nest, South Africa - Perfect | The riding was fantastic . Many people who visit here are very competent riders and ride/compete/hunt daily, however I am an older rider who rides once a week and the riding pace was built up gradually to deal with some anxiety at the start of the week and horses were given to me which matched my confidence levels very well. I rode my most favourite horse many times in the week which was wonderful.

[Abbie from ITS replies: It was a pleasure to arrange your holiday. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your return visit to Ant's Lodges].

Annie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fast canters, beautiful scenery, amazing guides! | This riding holiday was my second ever riding holiday, and wow did it deliver! Really well taken care of in advance by Lucy we were ready for our trip by October. When we arrived we were greeted by the super friendly and charming Vasko who took our group from the airport to the first guest accommodation of the stay.

On the second way Vasko took us all to the riding stables and where we were met by Maria our guide. Everyone was carefully assigned their horse for the week and we were given good instructions. We set off into the Bulgarian countryside ready for our adventure.

The week offered lots of fast canters, long trots and beautiful walks through endless Bulgarian countryside (no fences!). Kept safe, well guided by Maria we enjoyed every second on our well cared for and trained mounts.

Lunches were exceptional with Vasko and Monica setting up a full picnic every day with amazing Bulgarian cuisine - lots of salads, vegetables and lovely dishes. We did not go a second of the without being taken care of!

Each evening Vasko joined us for dinners where we were entertained with stories of the horse transportation business and Bulgarian culture and customs.

Everyone was so accommodating and welcoming, all the accommodation was clean and tidy and every meal amazing! I had the week of my life, the only downside was not being able to bring my horse home with me 🙂

Jessica who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic Trip | The riding exceeded expectations and the terrain was perfect for long canters and gallops. They dealt with a lame horse well too.

Jan (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Great riding in beautiful landscapes | The riding and the horse I was assigned did absolutely meet my expectations (10/10). As this was the first time I sat in a saddle after a years break, I was a bit nervous when starting this riding holiday. But, I was matched with the perfect horse (Makarov) who was impeccable, absolutely reliable but still forward going. The riding itself was the perfect mix of walks, trots and canter on great open fields. A minor point I could mention is that the guide horse was rather slow. In the canter this resulted in us sometimes falling back to trot as we tried to stay behind the guide horse. Towards the end of the week my back was increasingly unhappy about that. But this is a minor detail that does not take anything away from the amazing riding I've had!

Tim who has been on 16 In The Saddle rides. Third visit and as enjoyable as ever | Varied terrain and pace. The horses I rode were honest and workman-like (and one rather more than that). They all do the job.

Alison (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Estancia Los Potreros | It definitely met expectations- especially loved the Peruvian Paso horses. Had never ridden anything like them before!

[ITS replies: Thank you very much for your feedback on Los Potreros. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay].

Kate who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Good | I was suprised at the amount of cantering - especially given how hard the ground was. The horses all seemed quite happy with it though.

Tibby who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A magical place to learn to ride | I've sat a saddle since age 4 but I never rode English so I spent a week getting great instruction and also lots of additional hours in the saddle.

Deborah who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. More than just a riding holiday | The riding was great on forward going horses with lots of fast canters (from day 3 onwards), day 1 and 2 are more reserved with is less cantering which I hadnt realised.

who has been on In The Saddle rides. Unique | Excellent riding experience, I stayed for two Miyak trail rides one after the other just because I enjoyed it so much, overall approx 400km. Scenery, food, horses, people all fantastic.

[ITS replies: Many thanks for your lovely feedback on the Miyak Tribe Trail. We are really pleased that you enjoyed your return visit].

Bregje who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. PERFECT | I’ve been on many, many trails…….but these horses were fantastic! Loved my one, but they were all great! All very fast walking pace, easy to control, forward, gentle, comfortable. Unique!

Liz who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Relaxing riding in beautiful mountain scenery | Well behaved and willing horses who are loved and well cared for. The riding was mainly at a steady pace due to the mountain terrain and stony tracks. The guides were extremely attentive and helpful and made sure everyone was safe and happy.

Kate who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful riding experience & fantastic facilities | Quality horses and instructors. Definitely felt that they went above and beyond to match us with suitable horses for our abilities and goals. Highlight was a lesson with Joao Torrao, who is based there. Really enjoyed watching the training when I wasn’t riding.

Will go back and have more lessons next time. Was good to get out on the trails but enjoyed the lessons most.

Emma who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Iceland winter riding and northern lights | It surpassed expectations.. I was expecting to feel rather “under horsed” as I am tall and used to 16.2 rides. They are diddy, but absolutely don’t ride as little as they look. They are willing but mannerly, unbelievably sure footed and I felt like I was floating in Tolt. Hannes and his family are so welcoming and the food is delicious.

Jennifer (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing | Fabulous, well cared for horses. Incredible riding over scenic mountain terrain.