Katrine who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Slightly worn saddles but there was seat saver which made it more comfortable.
The horses I rode were attentive to their rider, and although some of them were quite strong it still went fine.

who has been on In The Saddle rides. Ant's Nest - Amazing experience, fantastic people and animals - a little slice of heaven! | Excellent

Carla (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Exceptional experience! | Spectacular experience! The vineyards and facilities were stunning. The hosts were wonderful and made me feel right at home, my stay was very relaxing. Rita’s Lusitanos are gorgeous, responsive, kind and patient, these horses are really special, and perfect specimens of top quality breeding, really a treat to ride. Ricardo and Andre are world class riders and fantastic trainers- they guided me through exercises I had never done before like half-pass, pirouette, and passage. I also took a few working equitation lessons which I enjoyed immensely! The horses are so well trained if you cue correctly, they give immediately, I was really able to improve my training immensely during this intensive dressage stay (5 days)

In between lessons I enjoyed watching other riders train, lounged in the pool, walked through the vineyards and I got an incredible massage from Carlos. I also enjoyed several bottles of very good wine made right on the property- really the experience was top notch and an absolute dream

I really learned a lot and was very sad to leave such a heavenly place! I will definitely come back (every year if possible!)

Sarah who has been on 18 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful, wonderful experience! | This was a really special experience. I am a very basic dressage rider and worried that Monte Velho would be too advanced for me. I needn't have worried because my instructor, Lorena, listened to what I wanted to work on and perfectly targeted the teaching for my level. The lessons were wonderful and I learnt SO much. What a privilege to ride such highly schooled horses. I came back from all my lessons grinning from ear to ear.

Eve (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Brilliant | Lovely variety - some steady chilled out rides and some fast pace races!

Chris (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Chianti castles and wine tasting | The riding was beautiful and horses brilliant the whole day rides were 4 and half hours without a stop then a further 3 which i found too much . Also in the rides your were only allowed to ride one behind the other which I did not enjoy very trail riding .

Brian who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. A terrific week,great food ,lovely company. Everyone at L.A. went the extra mile and more. | The riding was as good as my last trip 11 years ago. Time has caught up with me but Rachel put me on 2 horses that suited me well which is why I have made so many visits there. All the guides went out of their way to help everyone on the ride. If my health permits I would have have every hope of going back.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: We are so pleased to hear you enjoyed your return to Los Alamos.]

Pat (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Confidence Building | Excellent guides

Jane who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Full of wonderful surprises | yes, exceeded expectations. Vasco took great care of his horses - those of us who have a horse, and we had an experienced vet in our group, could see the condition of backs, legs, mouth etc was excellent. The tack fitted well and great care was taken to ensure that girths/cinches were checked several times during each day's ride to accommodate up and downhill work - often very steep.
The horses were watered and fed appropriately and were all very fit and happy.
This is so important for MY enjoyment - to know the horse that is working under me is a fit, sound animal and has received the best care possible.

Augusta who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. N Macedonia | Beyond expectations in every way. I have been on many riding holidays , this is right up there at the top of the list. Wonderful attention paid to match us perfectly and all through the ride attention was paid to the horses and us. Even when plans had to be changed due to the weather it was all arranged with little fuss and continued to make the ride on of the most thrilling I have been on HIGHLY recommend.

Angela (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Relaxing | Great horses who were well cared for. The only disappointment is that the rides were very regimented and we always had to ride in single file even when the terrain was spacious enough to ride upsides.

Annalise (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Exceeded expectations, with excellent group of people. | The terrain and vegetation, forests etc were just what I was hoping for.

Laura (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Out of this world | The scenery/ mountains/ vast plains exceeded my expectations. The terrain was steep and rough at times but these horses are so sure footed. Everything was explained to us and we were matched perfectly to our horses. I can’t explain how beautiful the mountains were from rocky outcrops to expansive plains. The wild flowers were out and Vasko gave us lots of opertunities to take plenty photos.
Food was turkey amazing as my waist has expanded. Vasko is passionate about his heritage and the way of life of shepherds high in the mountains. Nothing was a bother even when we were meant to be camping but the weather was terrible he just went to plan B. I will definitely be back. This whole experience gets 200% from me one very happy customer

Mary who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Great relaxing Holiday | This was a very relaxing holiday with quality horses, beautiful landscapes, great food, wine tastings and good fun company. It was exactly what I was looking for and expected.

Andy who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A long-awaited holiday that lived up to all hopes and expectations | The first horse that I was matched with was not forward going enough for me. A change of horse on the second day saw me on a much more suitable horse for the rest of the ride.
The overall standard and attitude of the riding group could perhaps have allowed for a slightly faster/longer canter on more occasions.

Rebecca who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous riding | Wonderful horses, great guides and always something fun to do. This time because the dam was full I enjoyed a lot of swims on the horses and I was impressed with the new jumping lane. At Horizon, it's not just about the horses, everyone is helpful, warm and fun to spend time with. So many people go the extra mile... thank you

Louise who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous as always | Excellent

Mary who has been on 14 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous Experiences, Not to be missed | I did three rides on this trip which was quite a challenge for my fitness, but it was well worth it. I started off with Ants Camp (then went to the Wild Coast and then Botswana). Ant's is the gold standard and both the horses and accommodation are fantastic. Ant himself took us on some rides and he does not hang back. We had amazing times with the wildlife and learnt so much. Food was first class.
On all the rides, we had a great group of people. Everyone contributed and will remember these holidays!

Steve (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing holiday | I cannot praise the riding enough. I’ve never ridden such well trained horses, ever! They spook at nothing, not snakes, flapping sheets, fast cars or very steep inclines or drop offs.

Sophie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Experience of a lifetime | Excellent

Sue who has been on 15 In The Saddle rides. Macatoo - Truly wild horseback safari | This holiday was on my bucket list for several years (after seeing a Richard Attenborough documentary on the Okavango Delta) so I was thrilled that it exceeded my expectations. Seeing the flooded Delta from the small aircraft flying into camp gave me butterflies at the thought that I would be riding through it for the next 7 days. The riding was exhilarating with lots of splashy canters and at times overwhelmingly emotional when we came across large herds of elephants crossing the Delta streams. Watching a pride of lions lazing and playing with the cubs in the afternoon sun was sublime. A highlight was when a dazzle of Zebra joined alongside us for a fast canter. This part of Botswana really felt truly wild. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and very good at judging the pace of the rides and making the rides fun. The horses were very well behaved and loved the rides as much as we did. The camp was really well set up and my large tent had everything I needed along with a private veranda for afternoon sunbathing and snoozing. Every meal was delicious. I cannot recommend this holiday enough for anyone wanting to see the extraordinary phenomenon of the Kalahari desert flooding and all the African wildlife that comes with it all from the back of a horse.

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: We're so pleased that you had such an enjoyable time on your long-awaited safari at Macatoo. Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback.]

Jacqui who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. African Explorer - amazing Africa | Excellent

Sarah who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. African Explorer | The riding and horses were amazing. I enjoyed the variety of paces. The terrain was very different between South Africa and Botswana so it was great to experience both. Felt I was matched well with my horses in both places, and the guides were knowledgeable which made me feel safe.

Lee who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. African Explorer - Great!! | Yes it did meet expectations. The owners and staff were FANTASTIC and went out of their way to make my trip comfortable. Loved it. Will repeat one day.

[In The Saddle replies: Thank you for your feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed the African Explorer].

Carole who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Monte Velho | I had an awesome experience on fabulous horses who make you feel completely safe. I never ride without my air bag in France but in Monte Velho, I took it off, in full confidence.
The coaches are full of energy and living the ride with you. The owner is showing you his property explaining the history and the horses.
The food is just so good, people there are so nice.
I can't wait to go back to Monte Velho next year.
Thank you Abbie for your perfect organisation.

Louise who has been on 19 In The Saddle rides. Fantastic | Excellent as always

Ole who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Quinta do Rol | It was really good horses and similar instructors who took the lessons very serious and with great enthusiasm. We really learned a lot.

Hanne Tang Koch (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) The horses were well taken care of, well-schooled and in good health. Lovely horses who know their job and are happy with it.

Kate who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Monte Velho - Fantastic |
The horses all exceeded my expectations and were an absolute joy to ride.

The main large arena seems to be the preferred choice for the trainers. There can be up to 6 people riding in the arena at any one time (including instructors) which makes it very difficult to keep out of each others way. We would have enjoyed it far more if we had been able to have our lessons alone in either the covered or outdoor arena.

The next time we book we will also ask to have our lessons (husband & wife) at different times so that we can watch each other and take photos and videos of each other.

Ann who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. exhilarating horse riding under the Spanish sun | The horses are very fit, well behaved and well trained, very responsive to your aids, can stop from a gallop on a sixpence, and light to the hand, none of my muscles ached after riding which was delightful, although if you do have any aches and pains they can organise a massage!. I rode the same horse all week except for the last day, and they were very well matched to my ability. We enjoyed two beach rides on our trip, at the same beach, and despite the beach being very popular with locals for exercising or dog walking, we still managed to get our canters and gallops in. Our guide Jose is quite rightly very safety conscious, and is careful not to put any rider or walker at risk.

Laura who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Great food, good company, beautiful surroundings & lovely horses | Excellent

Leslie who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Sicilian Trails - Fantastic! | The riding far exceeded my expectations - beautiful & varied scenery, athletic & safe horses, wonderful guides that made it fun, educational, and thoroughly enjoyable from the start to end of every day!