Eole who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Namibia desert ride - Amazing trip! | Everything was perfect!

Charlotte who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. The horses were fine and safe in a demanding terrain. Sicily is very hilly with hills and mountains. I like the calm pace when you are on a long trip. Just also love more speed, trot and canter, and there was less of that.

Amanda who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Incredible experience riding alongside wildlife | Good mix of wildlife viewing from horseback (got very close) and fast exhilarating canters on long sandy tracks.
Extremely fit horses and rides are tailored to your ability. Riders are split based on experience and the type of ride you want, guides are brilliant at catering for all levels.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the riding at Ant's!]

Sophie who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Lovely relaxing countryside break | Great fun, loved the new horse Zoi

Rachel who has been on 29 In The Saddle rides. Stunning scenery and lovely horses | Some wonderful canters and the scenery is truly stunning. Road work was interesting but the horses are absolutely amazing no matter how big or close vehicles passed, they didn't worry.

The guides were all brilliant, knowledgeable, fun and know their horses very well.

Christine who has been on 14 In The Saddle rides. Very good, as normal. | Riding very good. We missed some of the better views because of the mist and rain, which was unfortunate.

Sally who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful riding oasis in the Crete mountains | I think the riding experience exceeded my expectations, the main reason being the spectacular countryside. I hadn't expected us to climb so high and each ride managed to have it's own identity. I loved my horse, truly Spanish and fun to ride. I also liked that we were a smaller group, between 4 and 6 people. It was a good group dynamic.

Gwen who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Exactly as you described, it was a fascinating and beautiful trail ride through a remote region of Extremadura. | Emilio and Mamen are an excellent team. Emilio knows the terrain and the horses really well as he has bred and trained them all, producing gentle forward going horses.
All well cared for and well groomed. The saddles are quality leather English saddles which are comfortable for the long days of riding.
Mamen looked after the riders very well with lovely lunches and tapas breaks. So cheerful and knows so much about the history of the region having grown up in the mountains before studying for a degree in Agricultural Engineering at Madrid University.
The last night staying in the Monestery at Guadalupe was a real treat.

Olwen from In The Saddle - so glad that you enjoyed this great holiday.

Daryl who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. The trip was just fun, beautiful and so relaxing | So the horses were clearly Emilios passion, they were happy, well cared for, well fed and I watched them being groomed and checked twice a day. This is the most important issue for me as I am a stupid animal lover and can't cope with care anyless than my level of obsessional.
The care and attention we had from Manem was also exceptional and her lunches were amazing ... so much so that I had to stop being a pig as I couldn't bend in the middle to get back on my horse!
More conversation from Emilio about what we were seeing and riding through would have helped - I kept taking photos of the tourist plaques so I could check up when we arrived back at the hotels, but think the odd stop and explanation of what we were riding through would have made the trip.I wonder if they made some short videos we could watch before we left?
Some days were very long - but I think that may be to do with my next comments over which you and Emilio have no control and I accept that.
Your guide states that this was a ride for advanced intermediate and expert riders and clearly states what this is.
We had one rider who had not ridden for 12 years, one who rode a couple of times a year and another who only rode on trail ride holidays and thought it was OK to canter past other horses on a loose rein.
I expect Emilio like me could see injuries - kicked humans and horses....I think my job makes me prepare for the worst.
I believe we had slower rides than usual and as a consequence one evening I walked into my hotel room at 20:35 for a 21:00 dinner! My partner asked me why I was talking to him on speakerphone .." I am pulling my knickers and socks on at the same time" was the reply
I must stress that this in no way detracted from my enjoyment - I loved the riding and the scenery and as I have my own horses I don't need to canter!

Emily who has been on 28 In The Saddle rides. Cape Gourmet Wine Trail - Riding through some of the most stunning scenery in the world incorporated with eating delicious food and drinking local wine | Louis clearly loves his horses and they are very well cared for. The riding was lovely; there were opportunities to have the nice canters. The scenery is so breathtaking that it was also nice to be in walk and appreciate the beauty of the surroundings.

Pamela (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Yair went that extra mile to help us enjoy our trip | Lots of fast riding but Yair gave me a horse which i was confident with. my daughter asked for a fast one and she got that so she was happy, my husband also happy with his horse.

Lisa (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Individual lessons would have been preferred

Jane who has been on 21 In The Saddle rides. Days of sunshine and fun | I find that Los Alamos always exceeds expectations. Looking forward to another trip.

Caroline who has been on 18 In The Saddle rides. Coast to Coast - Adventurous and relaxing exploration of Sicily | This ride does something which few others do, I think, which is to cross a territory across a wide variety of different terrains and landscapes, from busy mountain villages to deserted beaches, agricultural fields to snowy mountain forests. We got a strong sense, on this ride, that you could take a horse anywhere. So it was a great way to explore Sicily, as well as do the kind of riding we could never do in the UK. My horse (Zeus) was very adaptable and a joy to ride for the whole week. Alex and Liz were exemplary guides, open to exploring where a new route might lead, but keeping everyone very safe and also happy. Obviously, the food was amazing 🙂

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your feedback, we're so pleased that you had such a great time.]

Nikki (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Wait A Little South Africa 2023 - Fantastic! | Everyone was welcoming and knowledgeable; felt safe and taken care of.

Brigitte who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. The most wonderful riding holiday I have ever been on. It’s going to be hard to beat. | The horses were so well trained. Forward but calm (even when we were charged by an elephant).

Emily who has been on 28 In The Saddle rides. Tuli Safari - An adventure riding with zebra and plenty of other wildlife along the banks of the Limpopo River | There is a test ride at the start of the trip to ensure that everyone is a competent rider and happy with their horse which is an excellent idea and frankly something all riding establishments should do. There riding was excellent with lot of long canters through the bush.

Mary who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Beautiful Desert Riding Holiday | What a great desert riding holiday with wonderful long canters and a couple of fantastic gallops.
The ride started strong and the horses are very fit and happy. There wasn't too much walking on our trip and we got to see beautiful desert landscapes including large dunes.
I would definitely do this trip again or one of the camping trips in the area.

Janice (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fabulous experience | We rode at a very difficult time of year, with snow still on the ground following a very harsh winter. Staff made sure we had varied and interesting rides.

Additional training was provided for natural horsemanship, plus other activities such as learning to rope steers.

MJ who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Quinta do Rol - Exceeded Expectations | The horses are beautiful and lovingly cared for. For the lessons, in my experience, many riding instructors understand very well how horses learn but need to be more attuned to how people learn. I am happy to say that this was not the case at Quinta do Rol. João Gouveia, Miguel Pereira, and Carlos Rosa are kindhearted with excellent people skills with the flexibility to adapt to whoever the student is. From my impressions, João is very personable and patient. Miguel is very detail-oriented and has an exceptionally sophisticated and refined understanding of anatomy and alignment. He goes above and beyond in his teaching. Carlos has a tranquil and gentle instruction style, which I appreciated, and his lessons left me very happy on the last day. They are all absolute gems – genuine articles- anyone would be lucky to learn from them.

Carol (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Los Potreros - Fabulous | Excellent

Gwenan (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Argentina | Enjoyed riding different horses every day. All were very well behaved. I was looking forward to playing polo, swimming in the waterfall and visiting a nearby village, but was told the weather did not permit any of these. This would have given more variety to the holiday.

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: The team at Los Potreros always do their very best to ensure as many activities as possible are offered, but they are subject to the weather, the duration of your stay and other local conditions. We are really glad that you enjoyed your holiday nontheless.]

Gwen who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Absolutely amazing time had at Los Potreros, Argentina | The riding experience way exceeded our expectations! All the horses were wonderful - we rode different ones on each ride which I was a bit unsure about, but it totally worked. The Pasos in particular were a delight to ride with their fifth gait - so comfortable. We soon mastered the Western style riding with one hand and neck reining - all the horses were so much fun, very sure footed over some rough terrain at times and totally responsive to whatever speed we went at - the 'Gallop-e' was great fun, especially across the polo field!
The whole week was totally amazing with wonderful terrain and scenery but the highlight had to be the two days of rounding up the cattle to bring them into the corrals for vaccinations. Watching the gauchos at work was fascinating. All the gauchos and guides were such good company out on the rides and we learnt a lot about the wildlife and farming there.

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: We are so pleased that you had such special experiences and enjoyed your holiday so much. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about it].

Jane (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Beyond Expectation | The riding experience was excellent.
I think it helped that we where a group of 8 with similar abilities and expectation.
We never had the same horse to ride, all of them had their individual characteristics but as they were bred on the Estancia they knew their job.
Always felt safe even on steep, rocky downhill parts of the ride. Best bit the gallopee with the gauchos.

Margi who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Exceeded all expectations | Fabulous views.

Orsi who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Amazing riding holiday- an absolute must! | Fantastic riding! The horses are amazing and the team is excellent at matching people with various horses, depending on their riding ability. The game was superb and the Macatoo team was great at organising drives for my non-riding husband - he sometimes had private game drives at no extra cost. The lunches were amazing - a very special one on a treetop, being greeted with champagne!

The riding is definitely only recommended for experienced riders however - please do note this if you are not quite experienced yet, because you can endanger yourself and others, or just hold a group back. For experienced riders however it’s a fantastic holiday, highly recommended!

Kate who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. A tonic for the soul! Adored every minute! | Excellent

Gemma (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing location | I was a bit disappointed with my rides unfortunately. I was given difficult horses on 3 out of my 4 lessons (and we booked 5!) which unfortunately meant that by the time we’d sorted them out my lesson was over. I did have 1 fabulous lesson on a beautiful horse called Favourite and asked if I could ride him again on the last day but was given one of the difficult horses again instead. I understand that everyone wants to ride the GP horses but as an inter 1 rider I only had that 1 ride where I felt like I really learnt anything.

I also have a fear of heights and this was not accounted for on the trail ride and the trainer did not understand when I tried to tell him and I ended up having a pretty unpleasant experience.

Sorry that this sounds so negative the place is amazing and it wouldn’t stop me going back but I just wanted to be honest about my experience.

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: Many thanks for your feedback. We are looking into this and will be in touch shortly].

Aisling (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Monte Velho | Teaching, horses and accommodation were fantastic. Even when an issue with the No of horses MVH went to great lengths to sort with demo/breeding tour etc. lovely experience

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: Many thanks for your feedback. We are really pleased that you enjoyed your holiday].

Plum who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous | The best riding we’ve had around the world. Such fantastic and beautiful horses. Great pace on the rides - lots of variation. We particularly loved experriencing the pasos gait - so comfortable and unusual! So the riding far surpassed our expectations.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: It's wonderful to hear how much you enjoyed your holiday.]

Alix who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Exciting | Fabulous horses. Coming from Newmarket the home of thoughbreds I didn’t realise how incredible these Arabian horses are. Fit, sure footed, forward going, comfortable with so much character. Countless times we literally put our lives in their hands and they bought us home safely. So impressed.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback. We are so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the riding.]

Jane who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Outstanding! | The riding superseded my exceptions. As we were riding in open and quite thick bush at times, the horses and guides coped brilliantly and we were afforded some up close encounters with big game!
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you so much for your feedback, we are so pleased you enjoyed your time at Wait A Little.]