Juliet who has been on 19 In The Saddle rides. Horse Paradise | Excellent team of coaches led by Anne-Sylvie. All the coaches genuinely care and want you to improve, and are great at matching horse and rider to enable this. Horses are very well trained. Trail rides offer a fantastic way to relax and soak up the stunning scenery, and seeing the mares and foals is always special.
I think the fact that so many people were there for their 3rd, 4th, or 5th visit speaks volumes!

Siân who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Timeless dressage and trail rides | Anne-Sylvia and Bernardo were excellent in listening and identifying areas that I wanted to work on. I rode four different horses through the classical lessons in an order to better my understanding and execution of lateral work aids; the instructors delivered their lessons in a succinct and personable manner which made the experience educational whilst remaining thoroughly enjoyable.

The trail rides were beautiful in the surrounding vista and the horses had lovely canters.

Sarah who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Horse Holiday Dream | Amazing horses & instruction.
Only comment was that there was a very last minute change to an instructor. The initial riding schedule seemed balanced so we received different people. However, this was changed very last minute which was very disappointing as I had been looking forward to his class for the days I was there). As I was only having two lessons, I did not have an opportunity again.
It also seemed a lot of the evening activities were cancelled. This was not communicated why & as I only joined on the Weds, it didn;t seem like they need to update me.

James (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Magical experience | What an experience. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our time at Monte Velho. The people, horses, facilities, accomodation, food and everything else was brilliant. The tranquility of the location is fantastic and as a novice rider getting the opportunity to be taught by such fantastic trainers whilst riding the most beautiful horses was just and incredible experience and one that my wife and I will always remember. Thank you to all at Monte Velho and Abbie at In The Saddle for all that you have done for us. Magical memories made.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your feedback on your stay at Monte Velho. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday.]

Georgina (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Simply the best | Would have been nice to have done more than a walk on the trail ride, we were looking forward to blowing the cobwebs away, but there was a beginner on the ride which was a shame for us. Otherwise it was just amazing and a privilege to ride the beautiful Lusitanos.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your feedback on your recent holiday at Monte Velho. We appreciate your taking the time to tell us about it.]

Alan who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous riding, training, setting and accommodation | This was our second time at Monte Velho so knew what to expect - and were not disappointed. Thinking about timing of our next visit....

Beryl who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous Holiday | The range and quality of dressage horses is probably unmatched throughout Europe. Monte Velho has an extraordinary number of talented horses for all levels of riders. Enormous care is taken in matching each horse to the rider’s abilities and aspirations.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you so much for this lovely feedback. We are really happy that you enjoyed your holiday at Monte Velho].

Fiona who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Paradise | The horses were so well schooled and well cared for. I loved the combo of lessons and trail rides.

Alix who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic | Definitely met my expectations. I would say, as this is the 2nd time i have been that I got much more out of it the second time - this is because it is very technical riding and I think you really need to be able to ride a proficient prelim & novice test to really get your money's worth. It's a beautiful venue with wonderful staff, teachers and horses. Food amazing and there is a fair bit for the non riders to do.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your feedback. We are pleased that you enjoyed your second visit to Monte Velho and have already reserved your places for next year].

Sam who has been on 14 In The Saddle rides. Addictive Experience - I'm already booked again | The horses and instructors I had were fabulous. They were clear and calm in their manner, and I never felt belittled for not having much dressage experience compared to most of the other members of my group. By the end of the week I had progressed to some flying changes and I actually managed passage, which was totally awesome!

I learnt so much during my week there and I moved forward so much in my riding.

The trail rides were a lovely break away from the arena and I was pleased I included some of those - beautiful scenery and a physical and mental rest for me. I am trail ride fit but have never ridden in a dressage saddle and I was surprised that I actually quite sore pretty quickly from the arena riding - it is a completely different set of muscles to use!

Nikki who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Brilliant experience | I asked to work on a couple of specific things, and even though I had different instructors it felt like they communicated between them so that the learning was progressive.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks so much for your lovely feedback from your third visit to Monte Velho. We're so pleased that you had an enjoyable time and have already booked your next stay].

Jennifer who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful | The dressage lessons were of a very high standard and the instruction was absolutely wonderful.

Lynda who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A little bit of horse heaven | The riding was fantastic. Anne Sylvie and Loerke are exceptional instructors ,both very knowledgeable, encouraging ,kind and know when to push you and when to back off and let you work it out.
The horses were very well trained and very well looked after.
The owner displays such a rapport with all of the horses not just the top dressage horses.The bonus of this place is that you get to watch some of the top dressage horses in Portugal being trained it's wonderful

Jennifer who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience! | Top marks for excellent riding instruction with their highly trained and well cared for horses in a stunning location and modern facilities. I was particularly impressed with the trail rides not just for the sheer beauty of the landscape and incredible horses but also because you get to choose the pace so you can really test yourself as a rider and have a lot of fun!

Jacquie who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. Excellent dressage training | All the instructors are very passionate and professional. The horse welfare is expectational.

Rebecca who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Educational and enjoyable in top-class accommodation | I went to Monte Velho with no experience of dressage, although I would have said I was a strong intermediate horse rider for trails and cross country. This was very far outside my comfort zone but the instructors were very patient with me. Fellow guests were also very encouraging, despite all being substantially more experiences. The horses are beautiful.

Anderley (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Superb horses, excellent instructors, welcoming hosts, comfortable accommodation, beautiful landscape | All good horses. Instructors quick to see best horse for each rider. Variety of horses offered to each rider. Bernardo is a really fun, dynamic, energetic and committed instructor - definitely wants each rider to be the best they can be. Laerke is a calming, clear, positive, sympathetic instructor who is able to try different approaches to get the best out of different riders. Both are excellent. The open arena is beautiful and perfectly maintained, with a very wide, crystal clear mirror which is useful for assessing yourself as you ride and to keep distance when in the arena with another rider. The 'indoor' school has open sides and a wonderful view so it is also pleasant to ride in. The trail rides were excellent as we went in a small group, led by the son of the owner or the owner himself. Several canters all together in a group and a long ride over to see the neighbours! We also rode amongst the young mares, which were loose in the fields! Lovely hosting by the father and son. [In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your wonderful feedback. It is lovely to hear how much you enjoyed Monte Velho. The covered arena has open sides, but there is also a seperately located indoor school which doesn't have open sides.]

Cristina who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. A game changer in | Excellent riding instructors, with a variety of styles. This experience really helped me improve and realize what it means to ride a well balanced dressage horse. It's also such a pleasure to see the senior trainers riding themselves.

The hacks outside were in a very beautiful scenery. I enjoyed particularly the one with Diogo Jr. The intern guides were a bit less experienced.

Maxine who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous! | My fourth year of visiting Monte Velho and won’t be my last. I visited for 5 days and had 6 lessons. I really benefited from the superb instruction and very tolerant schoolmasters. Each lesson I was matched with a horse which suited my ability and increasing skill level. The difference to my riding when I returned home was obvious.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your lovely feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoy your visits to Monte Velho so much].

Veronica who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Memorable and Fun | This was my second visit to Monte Velho and my mounts for lessons on my first visit were more suited in that I progressed (albeit slowly) from Day 1. However, having a more difficult horse at the beginning of the week this time meant that when I did sit on my favourite Xico, I was super happy, more relaxed and achieved more thanks to Laerke who deserves a medal for her patience!

Thoroughly enjoyed the trail rides. My horse on Day 1 didn’t suit me but asked for a change. Everyone would prefer you say if you are not happy and all steps are taken to ensure you get the best out of your MV experience.

I am a 75 year old lightweight without a dressage background but would urge anyone considering this experience, to give it a try. The jacuzzi is waiting!

Maddy who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful week | The horses are all beautifully schooled and very well behaved. Some are schooled to PSG and above. The instruction is very good indeed. It exceeded our expectations. The instructors assess you very quickly and then try and match you with a variety of horses to improve your riding through the week . Ann-Sylvie the senior instructor is amazing the way she manages it all.
We had a lovely group and bonded well all supporting each other and watching each other improve.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Many thanks for your lovely feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday.]

Kirsti who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. It was ok, I wouldn’t go back. | We asked several months ago to do more than one ride per day but we’re told that there was no availability however two couple who booked in the last 6 weeks (one via you) did get 2 lessons per day which was very frustrating.
The trail ride was pretty uninspiring and it felt like the guide was killing tome by lapping fields.
We didn’t know about the breeding program and wine tasting talks which take place on a Wednesday evening, had we have known we would have changes our dates to be there for this.
[Lois from In The Saddle replies - Monte Velho now have a strict policy that there can only be two lessons per room each day and so because you were two people sharing a room they would only permit you to each have one lesson per day. The couple from In The Saddle who booked at the last minute were one rider and one non-rider which is why the rider was able to book two lessons per day. I am sorry but this is a Monte Velho rule.
The trail rides are an opportunity to see a bit of the estate - I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it.
With regards to the breeding program and wine tasting talks - we never mention these because they are not guaranteed to happen every week and not every Wednesday. They are just a nice surprise if they can happen.]

Helena (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Monte Velho - Fantastic | Exceeded all expectations. Horses were superb. Instructors and guides were fantastic.

[ITS Replies: Many thanks for your lovely feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your stay at Monte Velho].

Rose who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. I thoroughly enjoyed my holiday. Everything exceeded my expectations. | The horses, both dressage and trail were fabulous . They were generous and beautifully mannered.

Chloe who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Monte Velho - dressage dream | Excellent

Rachel who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Absolutely outstanding in every way | Beautifully cared for and presented well trained and talented horses.
Passionate and informative instructors.
In a location of outstanding natural beauty very high end accommodation and facilities and very caring helpful friendly staff

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your time at Monte Velho].

Ashley who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Incredible Luxury On Another Level! | Beyond expectation - this holiday is for the equestrian who loves luxury and riding beautifully trained horses with top quality tuition - there was nothing that I could fault in this entire holiday experience - apart from the fact it was too short - I could have stayed for eternity!

Alison who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Had a great time | Instructors are world class

Jim who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. 4th visit, best ever (so far) | My wife Bev does the riding, I watch, video and learn too. She has a German warmblood at home competing at Advanced Medium level but even though he's now 21 everyone is saying there is PSG in there soon. Although Lusitanos are different, the opportunity to ride horses who can do the higher level moves is just amazing, to really get a riding feel and bring home to pass on. All the trainers at Monte Velho have been amazing, they know their horses and are very adept at matching horse with rider capabilities and aspirations. The 2 riders per trainer hour lessons work well, balancing time to learn with walk breaks to catch breath and let the instructions sink in. So lots of perspiration but loads more inspiration!

Alix who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Unbelievable learning and fun | Brilliant tuition, well trained happy horses. Accommodation stylish, comfortable, to die for. Hot tub, plunge pool. Lovely food. Honesty bar. Brilliant staff. Very accommodating. Other guests very supportive and friendly. Thoroughly recommend!

[Abbie from ITS replies: Many thanks for your lovely feedback. We're so pleased that you had such a good time at Monte Velho in dressage paradise!]

Anna who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful short break | We had two lessons in a group of two and they were very informative and gave us a chance to try new things. The instructors were lovely. We also had two trail rides around the property, through the cork trees paddocks and tracks, which were relaxing and involved a few short canters.

Sandrine who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Great riding experience in Monte Velho | Excellent