Hilary who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. So much fun - combined herd riding with Icelandic tradition and great scenery | I will treasure the memories of the whole Saturday as it started with coming together with up to 100 other riders like a pony club or hunting day, riding over the mountains to watch the farmers bringing down the mares and foals followed by the most fun and fast ride down the valley after the mares and foals herd to bring them to the shedding ring.

Donna who has been on 40 In The Saddle rides. Crete- Lassithi Trek - great holiday! | The horses were really well cared for. Despite the heat and dry terrain, all had a good covering and were fed three times a day whilst out on the trail. The ground, as we had expected was very hard and stoney in places which we cantered and galloped over. The horses clearly used to this, coped very well although we wouldn't have entertained fast riding on this ground back home!
Tack was well maintained and the safety system adopted for tying the horses at lunch times and evenings was well thought out and worked well.

Katy who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. A true adventure in a wild and remote mountain region | This is a truly amazing trip. The riding was fast paced with lots of fast canters where the terrain allowed. The horses, as you said in the itinerary, have a very forward going walk and you are encouraged to maintain this rather than trot. This is a real endurance ride and being fit in and out of the saddle is important. Good (non-slip) boots that will cope with the downhill walking, when leading your horse, are also important.
I found riding in a western saddle took a bit of getting used to (first time for me), and I decided to change saddles on day 3 for a barrel racing saddle which was slightly narrower and suited me better.
The horses are incredibly fit , keen, and love to go fast but were always well behaved in canters and easy to control.

The whole set up was really well organised and the support team were fantastic.

Line (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Super nice horses and absolute top fit. We rode the same horses for 6 days, up and down the mountains and they were never tired. The horses were forwardgoing, in the good way, and always ready to canter. They were surefooted and my horse only stumbled once on the 6 riding days. However, it was some long days in the saddle, so the better fit you are, the better the ride will be. Hiking boots to ride in or riding boots with a really good sole are a necessity, because when you walk and lead the horses down the hill, it goes steep down, and it can be a bit difficult terrain.

Sue who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. A totally fabulous, stunning adventure in amazing mountains. Very interesting culture and fabulously capable horses. | The riding was challenging but at just the right level. The terrain was very varied and the horses coped extremely well with it. The views were stunning every single day. The horses were very fit and footsure - perfect for the job. There was a lot of getting on and off from the ground so you need to be agile enough for that. At the end of each day you really felt like you had ridden a lot and seen a huge amount of wonderful scenery. The group I was in varied from 21 - 50 somethings and we all coped well. Not everyone had their own horses but everyone rode fairly regularly and were able to cope with the riding level.

Katie who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic scenery | I had been on a ride previously with Emilio,so knew the riding would be good. I did love this ride,as got to do some trotting & long canters most days. Majority of the ride is at walk,but lovely to take in the scenery around you. So peaceful.

Sarah who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic teaching, beautiful place and lovely people | I went to learn and work on my own competition capability along with some different work for younger horses. I was able to ride horses I learned a lot from including the Grand Prix work. Joao, Lorena and Nuno are excellent and I realy did learn a lot that I have been able to bring home and use in my own training. Will be back asap!

My one recommendation would be around the mix of lessons and people in the arena. It is not so easy to work and really concentrate with 4 in an arena when 2 or 3 are inexperienced riders. I totally understand they need their space and to enjoy their lessons but it does affect the quality of time in arena. Riding with the MV riders or another experience rider is completely fine and normal as we all understand how to do that. But I also know it was intimidating for some of those who were learning to ride to find themselves with 2 of us doing more advanced work and them feeling crowded.

Jackie who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. All the reviews are true! | The riding was faced paced at times which was fabulous. The guides knew the terrain and expertly negotiated us through it
It was exactly as described Rachel matches you to a horse and never gets it wrong. People were friendly and we all ate and laughed together .

Deborah who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Superb time at Los Alamos | I have ridden here before and despite a pandemic and lockdown very little had changed the standard of horses and horse care was still excellent. The team do a really good job to care for the horses and riders and provide excellent riding

Helen who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous | Los Alamos won’t disappoint. Rachel and her team ‘Jose & Roberto’ at the yard are just wonderful. They know their horses so well and will make sure you are given the right horse for your ability. The horses are so beautifully cared for.
The rides are taken out by Jose and Roberto who know the area so well, they guide you through stunning forests or exhilarating rides on the beach making sure your safety and the horses is always paramount.

Caroline who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Never fails to please | The horses are impeccably schooled…..even in a group of 10 guests with 2 outriders there were no problems.

Rebecca who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Rode 3 different horses, all super fine horses. Forwardgoing and good horses. Thought it was cool to be allowed to try different horses. Equus Silvania's guides were all top professionals, very service minded and super good riders, they had control of it all.

Fika who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Unforgettable | Absolutely. the horse "Brandberg" needed a lot of prodding when walking, but was comfortable in trotting and cantering.

Raffaella (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Perfect holiday good riding and relax | More different scenarios, but think the seasons time was not the best one to see the colors of Namibia

Debbie who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Azores Green Island - Second time here and it was just as fabulous | Well loved and cared for horses. The grooms and guides were very accommodating and couldn't do enough for us. Nothing was too much trouble. The riding was varied and the scenery breath taking. Plenty of chances for a change in pace

Nour (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) An amazing, unforgettable, luxurious horse riding vacation | The riding exceeded expectation. I went on this vacation with my wife who is a beginner rider - she was able to canter from the first day given how lovely, well trained, and well-disciplined the horses were. The rides were tailored to our levels (I would sometimes go cantering with a guide while she would go on a chill afternoon walk on the horse with another guide).

Helle (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic place. The horses had a great life - most were rescue horses that were rescued from bad treatment etc.

Vivien who has been on 41 In The Saddle rides. So good to be back | We all rode a variety of horses in order to help get them back to full match fitness after their extended break. This meant I added yet another horse to my long list of favourites. Little Hercules - really soft mouth, so light on his feet and very responsive. What more could you ask for. It was so good to ride Rachel's amazing horses again.

Hilary who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. A masterclass with Nelson | The riding was tremendous, and the dressage lessons from Nelson were some of the best riding lessons I have ever had.

Nicola who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Azores green island trail | It exceeded our expectations in all ways, the excellent condition of the horses and their tack, the wonderful staff, the home cooked food, everything.

Ingrid who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Here it was probably my own fault that I said I was a little excited about having to ride big horses, I am used to Icelandic horses. Because I was not afraid to ride them, I thought I should push a lot on them in walk, but they were ok in trot and canters. I tried 4 horses and there was not really much difference on them. Well behaved, did what was asked of them. I'm just used to horses that are very progressive. Basically I am satisfied, I could completely relax on the horses.

Kristin who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. All in all, I had a wonderful trip. There was a ride out, which only took place in walk due to different rider levels. However the following day, the riding instructor adjusted the level according to the riders ability.

Isabelle who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Beautiful landscapes | The riding was a little slower then I expected. The horses are well behaved and well taken care off

Lesley who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Miyak Trail - Exploring off grid Macedonia | We were part of the July Miyak trail. What an awesome experience! Hardy forward going trusty horses, carried us through the beautifully unique Macedonian countryside. We stayed in comfortable hotels with good home cooked dishes but the highlight was two nights wild camping. Going to sleep in total darkness and waking up to the sound of birdsong was stunning. Dinner and breakfast cooked over an open fire was a great experience. To enjoy the trail fully you need to be very saddle fit, comfortable with full on gallop and have good riding/walking boots. Sometimes the terrain demands that you get off and lead the horse. It’s a trail for riders with an open mind and a sense of adventure.

Mette who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Mamen and Emilio are amazing horse people and their love and respect for the animals pervade the whole ride. Just the fact that you ride bitless says it all. It IS a slow ride, which is also described when booking it and this year's heat wave probably slowed it down further. A couple of beautiful canters - but otherwise the pace is in calm walk. It was a beautiful experience to meet the locals and ride through small sleeping villages in the region, and experience the beautiful castles and squares, but if you, like me, are more into the deserted and completely raw nature, there are a little too many cars and roads to crossed on this ride.

Bettina who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. I got some really kind, calm and reliable horses. I was not for a second nervous about whether they would make it in the steep terrain. I had three different horses and the one that was Arab cross was the one that was easiest for me to ride.

Maria Johansson (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) I wanted an independent and forwardgoing horse - and I got it - three different times even. The quality of the horses is superb, they are well-schooled and keep a cool head when, for example, you meet large flocks of sheep with large herds of barking guarding dogs.

Emily who has been on 25 In The Saddle rides. Lovely riding in the Portuguese countryside. | Pedro shows great care for his horses and is an expert in horse behaviour. The scenery was stunning with plenty of sightings of the wild horses. I rode two horses and both were lovely.

Thomas who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing and far better than I have ever expected - a part of africa which is worth to discover - do it with this perfect team | Horses are really very good - healthy, friendly, sure-footed and just beautiful. The staff does an outstanding job in caring for the horses. They are kept in a very good stable. Natalie, the owner, has that special kind of sensitivitiy for the horses, which can´t be learned by lessons. It is really a very hard thing to keep horses so well under the circumstances of rural africa and tropical climate. But they manage it.

Janet who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Portugal Alentejo Trails - Fabulous | Excellent

Claudia who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. A very pleasant riding trek, perfectly organised, lovely horses and good guiding. | Crete is a very rocky country. The riding was very much strongly ups and strongly downs - in the heat and in very rocky area. Having made it once was nice, but I would not do it a second time.

Alex who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic time in Crete | As I had been on the Panorama ride before I had a favourite horse from last time which I requested and got allocated for the trek.