Dolphin Trail
7 November 2021
Miyak Tribe Trail
31 October 2021
Sara who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A breath of fresh air | The horses are incredibly fit and sure-footed on the roughest terrain. It was a pleasure to ride them and they were always ready for a canter without ever being too forward-going. The horses are trained to walk fast and much of the ride was at this pace, although we had fast canters/gallops every day. The terrain included tracks through vast forests of beech trees and high mountain grassland pastures, with exceptional scenery and stunning views as far as Greece and Bulgaria. We brought dual purpose hiking/riding boots and these were really useful on rough terrain when we had to lead the horses. We found the Western saddles really comfortable.
Sun and Riding
31 October 2021
Tess who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Olive groves and mountains on horseback - what’s not to like? | So impressed with these tough, happy horses - really enjoying their work and so fit!
Wolves and Wild Horses
30 October 2021
Amanda who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous holiday, great experience for my first in the saddle holiday! | Yes the riding more than met my expectations.
Villa Based Ride
24 October 2021
Synnove who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Perfect week - great horses, good rides, lovely host and wonderful lazy afternoons | Excellent
Monte Velho
23 October 2021
Mickaela who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. An Equestrian Delight | My only comment would be that I would like to have progressed more but that possibly is more to do with my riding ability than the instructors.
Contraviesa Ride
23 October 2021
Jane who has been on 17 In The Saddle rides. Very enjoyable week riding a beautiful horse in fabulous country side | It was a privilege to be able to ride such a high quality horse for the week. The pace of the ride was completely suited to the terrain. The countryside was stunningly beautiful and varied and we were blessed with sunny, warm and dry weather.
Contraviesa Ride
23 October 2021
Margaret who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Brilliant time riding an excellent forward going horse. | The riding certainly met my expectations and what happy horses - my horse was lovely and enthusiastic
Contraviesa Ride
23 October 2021
Lone who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic horses, well-schooled and impressively safe on their hoof in all kinds of terrain. Got a perfectly matched horse in beautiful Tello.
The pace is as described, mostly walk. A little trot / canter a couple of days. Could have wished for a little more pace on a couple of the stretches. But of course "better safe than sorry".
Villa Based Ride
17 October 2021
Astrid who has been on 38 In The Saddle rides. Perfect, as always at Los Alamos | Los Alamos have horses for all levels and Rachel really understand what we like to ride. After Covid-19 the horses could not work full week so we "have" to try more horses. So many nice horses.... 🙂
Green Island Trail
16 October 2021
Emma who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Amazing! | Really gorgeous trails, perfect range of well cared for and eager horses, and loads of fun and varied riding. Great opportunities for canter and gallop too.
Deep Sicily Trail
16 October 2021
Naja who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Everything is in order. It's all just running smoothly. Good horses, good guides, totally delicious dinner, great places to visit, accommodations, views: EVERYTHING!
Quinta do Rol
15 October 2021
Eloise who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous - exceeded all my expectations | Ricardo was a great instructor - engaged, expert, energetic. I rode 10 different horses during my visit - each one taught me something and I enjoyed every minute of the riding.
Villa Based Ride
10 October 2021
Flynn who has been on 18 In The Saddle rides. Excellent as always | Excellent
Miyak Tribe Trail
10 October 2021
Emily who has been on 25 In The Saddle rides. MIYAK TRIBE TRAIL | Lovely horses and very well looked after.
Miyak Tribe Trail
10 October 2021
Chris who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Undiscovered Country | Very well matched, forward going and fun horse.
Miyak Tribe Trail
10 October 2021
Bertie who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. An amazing adventure ! | Short bursts of canters
Chianti Castles and Wine Tasting
10 October 2021
Lizzie who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Wine tasting and horse riding Tuscany | Excellent
Transylvania Trail
9 October 2021
Cathryn (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic trip | The horses were really lovely- their care was the number one consideration for the team there. They were extremely fit and responsive, and I felt mine were well matched.
The riding was great- day one wasn't the best riding as you were passing around the edges of towns and there was some litter- but by day two you reached the open countryside and it was wonderful. The days were long and some fast riding so you need to be fit!
The countryside and scenery was absolutely incredible and the guides were very good.
Sun and Riding
9 October 2021
Anne who has been on 18 In The Saddle rides. Was rather startled to be given a pony to ride the first day as I am by no means pony rider sized!! The little mare was, however, a pocket rocket and incredibly sure footed not to mention as tough as nails and I very much enjoyed her.
I rode 3 other horses during my holiday and enjoyed them all. The terrain is incredibly stony, even rocky, but we trotted and cantered away over all sorts of ground with not a hint of a problem. The ride through the gorge and up to Kera was a highlight.
Monte Velho
7 October 2021
Liz (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Gorgeous venue and beautiful part of the world... with even more beautiful horses! | It was an absolutely beautiful venue with well cared for horses and excellent facilities. I was well looked after (particularly in terms of food) and the level of instruction was great. Anyone, whether a dressage rider or not could leave there and know they have solid things to work but also know they have achieved something in their riding. I specifically chose to focus on lessons but other riders commented on the beautiful trail rides.
Villa Based Ride
3 October 2021
Andrea who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Best Holiday! | The riding is excellent, from the perfectly matched horses by Rachel to riding through magical forests and picture perfect beaches led by Jose and Roberto.
Lassithi Trek
3 October 2021
Tracy who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. We certainly were not short changed on riding experience - it really is 5-6 hours per day in the saddle. To make this holiday even better it would be lovely to have a day or half day off in the middle (and swim in the sea more maybe!). However the whole experience was just fantastic and it was so nice to get out our country despite the covid rules. Strangely the large earthquake during our first breakfast turned out to be a great group bonding moment and did not faze our hosts or disturb our ride.
Wild Sicily Trail
2 October 2021
Sarah who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Best trail ride yet | The riding was varied according to terrain
and was as I expected
Wild Sicily Trail
2 October 2021
Sophie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Quite an adventure | 'Wild Sicily' would be great for charities looking for a challenge ride, such as BHS or the Injured Jockeys Fund. Huge distances are covered each day with a range of forest and montane environments involving steep gradients. The guides take ancient tracks - which makes for both interest and safety - but there is not much soft going. Riders need to be fit, taking boots with thick rubber soles. The final day, riding up Mount Etna and around some of the lateral craters was a unique experience.
The guides, Alessandro and Lizzie, are charming and organised everything beautifully. They obviously have a deep love for trail riding and we felt confident that they had chosen the very best for us. I felt we were in safe hands and would be happy to recommend their trail rides to others.
I did not expect to encounter so many wild flowers in September. There was not much bird life in the mountains but we spotted griffon vultures and quite a few wild pigs. We were enchanted by herds of cattle, sheep and goats with traditional bells hanging around their necks and rode past a variety of traditional farms.
I found myself comparing this trip to riding in Georgia and Romania, countries which lack rural fences and so enable faster going, but don't offer such good food or accommodation. Our final day on Sicily, climbing Mt Etna and riding through vineyards into the historic town of Castiglione offered a world class climax that rivals other European rides.
Coastal Trail South to North
26 September 2021
Ann who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Superb experience | Yes more than, I was worried it wouldn't be fast enough for my husband who has a 'need for speed' but there were plenty of long collected canters on sandy tracks and we all rode forward going sweet tempered fit horses who were well schooled and cared for.
[Becky from the In The Saddle replies: We are so pleased to hear you enjoyed the riding on this holiday.]
Castles of the Gredos Mountains
25 September 2021
Pia (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Excellent
Alpujarra Ride
25 September 2021
Sarah who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. La Alpujara | The riding and the horses were fabulous. The horses were beautifully schooled and a pleasure to ride. The terrain was very varied from mountainous, lovely fresh air to almond orchards being harvested.
Riding Safari
24 September 2021
Sabine who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Awesome as usual 😉 | Excellent
Monte Velho
24 September 2021
Juliet who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Dressage in stunning scenery | Excellent training.
Only comment would it would be nice to have a bit more continuity of trainers.
Excellent range of experienced schoolmaster horses.
Monte Velho
24 September 2021
who has been on In The Saddle rides. Monte Velho - Instructional, inspiring and refreshing | Instructors ensured that I worked on areas of my riding which I considered most in need of improvement. Also allowed me to experience movement above my current level of riding. Lorenna was excellent especially in visually explaining instructuin which kept the lessons clear and fun.
Monte Velho
24 September 2021
who has been on In The Saddle rides. An excellent riding holiday | The horses and facilities were amazing and all the horses were in excellent condition. they were beautifully groomed and washed off after riding. my only comment would be that the nosebands and curb chains were very tight.
Linda who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. The Amazing Dolphin Trail | More than met my expectations, the canters were so long and controlled as were the trots loved all of it, the horses are strong and very fit