who has been on In The Saddle rides. Relaxing and fun riding among wildlife | My third visit to Ants so knew what to expect, including one ride with Ant himself which is full-on!
Unfortunately my 'favourite' horse Xai-Xai was in quarantine after his annual AHS vaccination which was disappointing and I didn't quite fall in love again, though the other horses I rode were all good.
These must be among the happiest horses ever - as once you finish the ride and stop for your sundowner or brunch the tack comes off and the horses make their own way home, so the rhinos, buffalos and other wildlife are very used to them and vice versa. They turn up at the stables for supper or breakfast where they compete with the local warthogs for their food!!!!!

Angie who has been on 22 In The Saddle rides. My 4th visit and I will be going back again and again | Lovely and varied with a fast and furious ride out with Ant.

[Abbie from ITS replied: We're thrilled that you had yet another great holiday at Ant's Lodges. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us].

Nicole who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing Yet Again | First horse I was matched with I didn’t get on with so well (just didn’t click), second horse I was paired with was perfect - had so much fun with him. Variety of riding is perfect. The horses are mostly well cared for definitely… we were told they had individual feeding plans, not ridden if lame/lost shoe, get lots of turnout/shade/shelter and a guaranteed day off each week. However, me and my friend asked to brush the horses on two occasions after the last ride of the day. Wranglers more than happy for us to do this, and wait for us. However, after our last ride we noticed my friend’s horse had a massive open sore on its back (looked like it was from the saddle). When raised to the wrangler, he did get some cream to put on it, but we were worried if the horse would be ridden again in the next few days before it had chance to heal properly (the horse was slightly underweight and also had some sores on its protruding hips, which looked like it was rub marks from the saddle/saddle cloths). Also, some of the horses in the paddocks appeared to have very long hooves/long heels on back hooves etc - I’m not an expert in this field, but looked unusual/unnatural compared to what I’m used to seeing in the U.K.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and for letting us know. We will be following this up with the ranch immediately.]

Sarah (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Incredible experience | Well schooled horses for the riding, the guides knowledge was exceptional and provided brilliant information on the wildlife.
They checked on riders and comfort with horses provided during and after every ride, nothing was to much hassle. The riding experience was fantastic.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your holiday to Ant's and thank you very much for leaving feedback.]

Barbara who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic | It certainly did - couldn't find fault anywhere - beautifully looked after and fun horses.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and it's wonderful to hear that you enjoyed your holiday to Los Alamos.]

Virginia who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Perfect in every way | We all loved our horses, enjoyed the riding and being looked after so well.

Tessa who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A fabulous riding experience | Excellent

Julia who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Life changing | The riding met all my expectations and more! I loved every single second of my riding experience. I was totally overwhelmed by it in fact and how happy it made me feel. My horse Hercules looked after me and I felt confident throughout the week. At times I was out of my comfort zone which made the rides more exciting! I was surprised at myself and what I was actually able to do….

Emily who has been on 25 In The Saddle rides. Wild Coast Adventure Trail | Lovely long canters along the beach.

Patricia (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Perfect Holiday | Excellent

Dru who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Great Holiday | Excellent

who has been on In The Saddle rides. Enjoyable 'big five' riding safari | This is my second visit to WAL (the first was 15 years ago and was then my first 'big five' horse safari). As professional and welcoming as I remember although the riding was somewhat slower than I recall. The bush had closed in somewhat from all those years ago so tracking through the thorns was often quite a challenging experience and many clothes were shredded - tho the horses were amazing! I can remember 'bushwhacking' last time - jumping fallen trees etc - but bush much too closed in now. Fewer canters on the tracks too - obviously when tracking wildlife you are not 'charging about' all the time but it's nice to have a few good long canters where appropriate.
However, I loved my two horses, McClay and Orion - particularly Orion who was just my 'cup of tea'!

Angie who has been on 22 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous | Slower than 10 years ago with far less cantering and no gallop. Bush much thicker than I remember so meandering looking for tracks was quite painful at times.

Carolle (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Perfect dressage vacations | Excellent

Leslie who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic Ride | The ride provided a great representation of the beautiful and varied terrain of Crete.

Belinda (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Magical Miyak Trail | Exhilarating, beyond any expectations I could have possibly have held.

Suzanne who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Superb! | Rudi has an uncanny way of matching a rider to a horse that not only suits their physique and riding experience, but one that the rider can also create a connection with. I was presented with a sensitive Hispano-Arab called Esquirol who suited me perfectly, and by the end of the holiday I had really harmonised with him. Esquirol had excellent ground-manners and seemed to enjoy my company. He was very brave on the trails and preferred to be in front which gave me the opportunity to guide some of the rides and set the pace. He was a powerful little horse who required a soft, allowing hand, and subtle leg-aids. I enjoyed the variety of terrain that we rode across, which included rocky mountain tracks, national parkland, olive-groves, orchards and forest. The first two days were set at a more leisurely pace due to the rugged terrain and the heat, than the latter part of the week. This enabled us to get to know our horses well and build up to the longer, faster-paced days in the saddle. For me, there was a very good balance of riding, swimming in the sea, sun-bathing, and sampling the delicious mediterranean food. The 2km gallop through the waves at the Bay of Roses was absolutely awesome, and will be a memory to treasure forever!

Karin (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A magnificent trail | Excellent

Lise (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Excellent | Everything about horses and riding was so nice.

Vasco had a lot of experience in matching horse and rider, so the experience was that everyone in the was satisfied and thought they had got the right horse.

It was exciting to ride in the beautiful mountains. Very fun and technical climbing combined with fast canters.

Mary who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Incredible Experience that Exceeded our Expectations | The horses were very well cared for - we were all questioned for some time regarding our riding experience before they matched us with our horses.
The first day was a shorter ride (2 hours) to check that we were all happy with our mounts.

Colette who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful horses, wildlife and people. | The Ants team were so welcoming, flexible and very friendly. Nothing was too much trouble. They look after their animals so well and are the horses are responsive yet footsure. The lodge was beautiful and having our meals in different place felt really special. And the standard of food was excellent. Could not fault the holiday. An amazing place.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and we are so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed your holiday to Ant's]

Clare (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing | Exceeded expectations
Wonderful, well cared for horses
Varied terrain
Lots of canters
Beautiful views
Friendly hosts
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your lovely feedback, we are so pleased you had a wonderful time.]

Kim who has been on 19 In The Saddle rides. Challenging week working with locals, riding in remote and stunning other wordly landscapes | Absolutely love the Icelandic method of riding, it is very different from the English style and initially takes a bit of getting used to to get the best from your horse. You put your weight much further back in the saddle and use very little leg contact, with much of the impulsion from your seat and hands. Important to grasp as some horses were extremely sensitive to leg pressure.

I was matched with Kristin's horses as I stated I was an intermediate rather than advanced rider. I felt completely comfortable with all 3 of them as they were sensible and calm, easy to control, even if you had to work harder to go faster. They actually taught me to ride properly as trot is an easier gait for them and I had to insist on tolt, rather than it happen naturally with Empla. It made me a better rider by the end of the week as I had to learn which buttons to press to keep her going in tolt! It was also a surprise to experience how each horse was completely different to ride, the tolt was much easier to achieve and maintain in the other two, and Empla's sister was possibly the most comfortable horse I have ever ridden with incredibly smooth paces !

A lot of the shepherd's horses are much more forward going and more challenging, so be honest about your ability. They are keen, willing and have tremendous stamina, plus are very quick to change direction and the pace. They were very well behaved riding in a group, despite coming from several farms, but you need to be happy to ride amongst loose horses at times as the herd sometimes travels with the group. You must be happy at all paces in open country and capable of riding together and independently at all times.

Horses live and work as a herd, so they are corralled and herded into a small pen to catch in the mornings. They are well fed and watered but they work extremely hard so you need to be prepared to get off and walk in some places to let them rest and also to climb up and down some pretty steep canyons and gorges. This can we a bit daunting if you don't like heights or challenging terrain. You will also be expected to change horses up to 2-3 times a day.

The horses cover huge distances, so where possible there are long periods of tolt. Some of the terrain is very rocky and uneven, plus there are numerous river crossings. There are long periods standing around waiting for other groups of shepherds to collect subgroups of sheep, so warm clothing and patience is required!

When driving sheep, a lot of the pace is at walk but with the need for quick reactions and short bursts of speed to recapture any breakaway fractions of the flock, of which there are numerous! Flexibility is the buzz word on this trip, you will be expected to saddle your own horses, although there is minimal fuss, merely flicking off any mud, and one saddle fits all horses!

On the whole, be prepared for some long hours in the saddle (our longest was almost 11hrs from getting on to untacking!), but I am not especially riding fit and found the saddles very comfortable. Worth considering riding knickers and anti-chafing cream!

[In The Saddle - thank you so much for your very comprehensive feedback. We are so glad you enjoyed this riding experience.]

Chris who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Happy stay on a beautiful island | All the horses I rode had comfortable paces and excellent manners. The guides were great and the initial assessment lesson was one of the best I have had in years - extremely helpful.

Karan who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Beyond You’re Expectations!! | Stunning well behaved horses, extremely well looked after. Very fit albeit a “Go faster stick” was required on a couple of occasions….lol

Karon who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Incredible | On day one I injured my back. Gutted. But the lovely staff at Ants took out a more gentle ride and ensured I was okay all the way through the holiday ensuring if I wanted to ride I could, which I did everyday. So grateful for that.

Sheila who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Atlantis Ride (Azores) | We had a lesson at the start of the week. The quality of the instruction was excellent, and it ensured that our hosts knew which of their horses would be the best fit for us.

Heather who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Such a special holiday | The horses are really part of this lovely family. They are loved, cuddled and yes live in/ under the family home. Although calm & gentle they are forward and very enthusiastic for bursts of speed. They are very sure-footed on the mountain terrain and comfortable to ride. It did meet my expectations & the wonderful Mariana did everything to ensure we had a great time adjusted to our wishes. There are some trots & gallops where the terrain is good but even the walking in the reserve is beautiful & peaceful.

Donna who has been on 37 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic trip in the Delta | Fantastic horses. Fit, well matched to their riders and very well cared for.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks so much for your fabulous comments. We're thrilled that you had such a good time at Macatoo and would like to go back in 2025].

Rebecca who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. What an incredible week at Macatoo. The team, the wildlife, the horses, the whole experience exceeded all my expectations! | Meet every expectation. Mod at the stables perfectly matched me with two beautiful boys, Huff Puff and Mohembo. I felt as if they were my own by the end of the week and felt so in sync with them.

Eva (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Everything we expected and more | Excellent

Rose who has been on 2 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.