Zoe who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous!! | It was fabulous to fulfill my dream of riding a Lusitano stallion! I had an hour lesson every morning, with one lovely hack as extra on one of days.. then I could explore surrounding area with non riding husband and hire car, or relax in afternoons!
The instructors were very knowledgeable and all the horses were amazing! It was also great to see their Olympic dressage rider ride and train! Horsey heaven!

[Abbie from ITS replies: We are so pleased that you both enjoyed your time at lovely Monte Velho. Thank you for your super feedback].

Sara (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Great first ride in the Sierra Nevada | I was matched with a lovely horse called Capitain, we were very suited to each other and I was very pleased with him. I had never been to the Sierra Nevada before and it met all my expectations, very beautiful area, stunning scenery and good and varied riding. Our host for the week, Dallas, was a very knowledgeable lady who knows her horses very well, I would not hesitate in recommending Sierra Trails to other riders. Rode with a lovely group of ladies, we all got on very well and hope to have the opportunity to meet up and ride together again.

Thomas who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. A good place to go | Good

Lene (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) I think they were testing me out for the first 2-3 lessons. The horses clearly got better and better as she saw that I was able to handle them.
I had a really nice and skilled instructor, but looking back I have to admit that I had my nose turned up for a professional rider who could really have suited me.
Hanna was nice, but when I booked the trip I was looking for professional Portuguese instruction.

Samantha (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Wonderful | The riding met all expectations.
Horses were in good condition and well cared for.
This is always a concern of mine when seeing horses abroad.
I asked for forward going horses and got exactly as I asked for.

Belinda who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Love galloping through the water, while giraffes look on. | This ride is one of my favorites. Riding in the flood waters of the Okavango is amazing and something you can't get anywhere else. Abundant wildlife is everywhere. You are able to ride very close to the wildlife. I never tire of seeing lots of elephants and giraffe. We were lucky enough to see wild dogs, close up, as well as riding within a few feet of hyena. The option of a game drive allows one to get close to lion and elephants. I also love the option of an afternoon boat ride. It was wonderful. The 'tents' are nicer than some homes, with wifi, indoor and outdoor showers and flush loo. Every tent has a huge deck overlooking the flood plain. Watching 'Eddy" the local elephant , sloshing and feeding in the water, a few feet from our deck was incredible. I just loved it!
[Olwen from In The Saddle - I am so glad that you enjoyed your return visit to the magical Okavango Delta and got to experience it in full flood.]

Debbie who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Breathtaking trail riding week | Riding exceeded expectations- some very fast open gallops on most days when terrain allowed. High level of safety checks and very well organised.

Leisha (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Excellent | Rachel was fantastic at matching horses and riders. She had the ability to just under horse the riders. I was so happy with my Cob Polly and then Portobello. Polly was just right in giving me confidence and then portobello had a fifth gear. All the horses were well looked after and never over worked. The horses all had good manners.

The riding was just what I was looking for exceptional.

Thank you

Karen who has been on 13 In The Saddle rides. Excellent | Excellent

Sophie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A week packed with adrenaline! | Horses very well cared for, living a great horse life on the reserve. Very sure footed, which is a very good point for some of the crazy riding we had during the census week!

Helen who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Brilliant as always | Excellent

Anne-Marie who has been on 33 In The Saddle rides. Relaxing time in the sunshine | Riding was as per description in the details given, the terrain not allowing for many canter episodes but these was compensated for by the views. Richard the guide was very friendly and always checking that everyone and the horses were o.k. I was mainly riding with a very nice German family who left the day before me so I was fortunate enough to enjoy a ride just with Richard on my final day. I rode 4 different horses, Laboriosa, Iris, Barbas and Athina. Athina was my favourite!

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks so much for your feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday at Velani].

Carol who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. A fabulous holiday! | I rode two horses. Each one was fit, strong, sure-footed and very able for the job. Both horses were very suitable for me and a pleasure to ride.
The guides and staff were highly competent and caring. Details relating to the horses and tack were attended to promptly and efficiently, without reminders being required, which sometimes happens when people are busy.
The terrain was varied, interesting and very scenic. It is not possible for photos to truly portray the beautiful country of eSwatini.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you very much for your feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed this lovely ride exploring some of the highlights of this fascinating country].

Bianca who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Best trail ever!! | 10 out of 10. No words needed!!

Brenda (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) an amazing adventure | The horses were amazing, very good to ride, very well trained, with good equipment. I didn't felt insecure, they were staedy and great to ride in the group and the beach.
It was over all my expectations.

Belinda who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Great gallops along the beach. | A wonderful experience along the Wild Coast of South Africa. Riding along the Indian Ocean was in an environment I have never been to before. The ocean was mesmerizing with violent surfs, and high cliffs with views over the ocean. The accommodations were excellent and held all the charm of the country, with modern comforts and excellent food. The people, along the way, were very friendly. The guides and the horses know their job. I never tired of the ocean views.
[Olwen from In The Saddle - I am so glad that you enjoyed riding along the Wild Coast. I agree - it is such a beautiful place.]

Karine who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Epic trail! | The riding provided a lot of adrenaline. Very different types of terrain. Lot of fast canters. Beautiful scenery. The riding is next level. Be fit!

Karen (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) What an incredible experience! | Donatello’s horses were gorgeous. So well cared for - responsive, well schooled & curious! All had personalities that shone through. The riding was incredible - countryside to villages to wineries - varied & enjoyable. I couldn’t have picked a better ride for my first trip with ITS. The group I was with were also so lovely and made everything fun. Overall one of the best holidays I have had.

Katie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE | The riding was brilliant. There are long periods at walk which for me I found enjoyable and I had seen reviews about this so knew it was expected. We did have canters too mostly on every ride. The only thing I would have liked is to be able to have a gallop which you don't get this holiday, this might be a good thing to pop in the information somewhere so people know this beforehand. I totally understand why this is not achievable though. The horses were fantastic, I rode mostly Nero & Coopers who were both different but both brilliant 🙂

Karoline (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) An absolutely fantastic experience with the most dedicated hosts I have ever met. Beautiful, happy horses, delicious, healthy food and incomparable nature. I would recommend the holiday to all horse and nature lovers!!!!

Carol who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Enjoyable | Excellent

Caroline who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Beautiful Scenery, Great Hosts & Special Holiday | The horses were well behaved and sure footed. The Mountain terrain however dictated the pace of the ride and was testing in places. We were all happy to enjoy the amazing views and not too worried about the slower pace.

Annabelle (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Dressage dream | The trail rides were a little monotonous so I would opt for more lessons next time.
The dressage horses were fantastic and so were the 2 instructors, Bernardo and Guilherme. Very realistic lessons in that it wasn’t always easy and we had to work hard but once we asked correctly, the horses were very responsive. Hero was my absolute favourite, a very talented schoolmaster in Grand Prix movements. I definitely learnt a lot so was a dream as a dressage rider. [ITS note - We are happy to hear you enjoyed your lessons so much]

Anon (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Trail riding | Brilliant fun

Ticky who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Super | The horses were very suited to the job. A good variety to suit different abilities. Horse care was excellent with obvious care and concern for all of them.
Each day was different with varied sitings of animals.

Janick (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) UNFORGETTABLE | It was my first horse trip and I went to another continent for this... did I stretch it too much?
I hoped so much that the horse would be up to my expectations and that the fellow he riders would be fun. All dreams went into fulfilment.

The horse staff (Rachid, Ibrahim, Mustapha and Omar) took very well care of the horses, which were well fed and all ready for the job. Where a European horse would break its legs, or refuse to go, these Arab stallions shined…

Andrea who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic trip! | Me and my daughter went on her first riding holiday to Velani and I cannot have asked for a better holiday for her. The riding was amazing and she was so well taken care off by both the horses and Suzy, her instructor. I would highly recommend and would definitely go back.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you very much for your feedback, we are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday at Velani Country Hotel].

Tracey (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Luxury spa dressage indulgence | The instructor quickly assessed my ability and matched my horse partner perfectly.
My bucket list was to do a flying changes, I did lines of them in each lesson. Beautifully schooled horse made it easy to experience this dream.
(ITS comment: We are so delighted to hear that you had a great holiday and really enjoyed your lessons).

Sue (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) excellent and authentic experience of Tuscany away from tourist main tracks | The riding was good, through beautiful countryside, many of the canters were on gravel tracks, which was a little disconcerting, not something we would do in this country, but I understand why that was the case and the horses did not seem fazed by it. (ITS comment: We are so glad that you enjoyed your riding holiday).

Joanne who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Incredible | An excellent holiday in every way.

Christine (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Most amazing horseback riding adventure I have ever been on! | Ants was wonderful with choosing horses for us, and if we were not happy, they were more than accommodating to choose another horse for you. This was my first time riding in this type of saddle, and I will say it was very comfortable.

Maria (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) We were very happy with the lessons from Joao, he was good at getting to know us as riders and was a very pleasant person.
The stable was beautiful, the horses were well looked after, and their sweet grooms did a great job, the horses were always shiny with freshly polished hooves.
We had a single ride in nature - it was a really lovely experience, Joao was the guide and the horses were nice.
I myself had 4 dressage lessons. I wasn't particularly happy with the first two. The first ride I was taught by another Portuguese instructor, who didn't bring out the best in either me or the horse. The horse was nice, but could barely canter. My second ride was on a stiff horse, who most of all felt like a half-good riding club pony, who could do some exercises for Medium & Advanced Medium level at most. The next two lessons I got some lovely 6-year-old horses and some super good rides and was actually very satisfied, but I have to admit that I didn't get to do most of the exercises I had written on my wish list.
My mother had 3 dressage lessons. The first ride was also with the other Portuguese instructor, who wasn't particularly inspiring to ride with. The horse was super nice at trot, but had a hard time cantering, and generally lacked the desire to walk. For the next two rides, she got the same horse and was able to do the exercises she wanted while feeling safe and secure. She was very impressed with how quickly the horse had adapted to her after the first ride. So those were two super good rides at Joao.