Quinta do Rol
15 October 2021
Miyak Tribe Trail
10 October 2021
Bertie who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. An amazing adventure ! | Short bursts of canters
Chianti Castles and Wine Tasting
10 October 2021
Lizzie who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Wine tasting and horse riding Tuscany | Excellent
Villa Based Ride
10 October 2021
Flynn who has been on 18 In The Saddle rides. Excellent as always | Excellent
Miyak Tribe Trail
10 October 2021
Emily who has been on 27 In The Saddle rides. MIYAK TRIBE TRAIL | Lovely horses and very well looked after.
Miyak Tribe Trail
10 October 2021
Chris who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Undiscovered Country | Very well matched, forward going and fun horse.
Transylvania Trail
9 October 2021
Cathryn (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic trip | The horses were really lovely- their care was the number one consideration for the team there. They were extremely fit and responsive, and I felt mine were well matched.
The riding was great- day one wasn't the best riding as you were passing around the edges of towns and there was some litter- but by day two you reached the open countryside and it was wonderful. The days were long and some fast riding so you need to be fit!
The countryside and scenery was absolutely incredible and the guides were very good.
Sun and Riding
9 October 2021
Anne who has been on 19 In The Saddle rides. Was rather startled to be given a pony to ride the first day as I am by no means pony rider sized!! The little mare was, however, a pocket rocket and incredibly sure footed not to mention as tough as nails and I very much enjoyed her.
I rode 3 other horses during my holiday and enjoyed them all. The terrain is incredibly stony, even rocky, but we trotted and cantered away over all sorts of ground with not a hint of a problem. The ride through the gorge and up to Kera was a highlight.
Monte Velho
7 October 2021
Liz (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Gorgeous venue and beautiful part of the world... with even more beautiful horses! | It was an absolutely beautiful venue with well cared for horses and excellent facilities. I was well looked after (particularly in terms of food) and the level of instruction was great. Anyone, whether a dressage rider or not could leave there and know they have solid things to work but also know they have achieved something in their riding. I specifically chose to focus on lessons but other riders commented on the beautiful trail rides.
Villa Based Ride
3 October 2021
Andrea who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Best Holiday! | The riding is excellent, from the perfectly matched horses by Rachel to riding through magical forests and picture perfect beaches led by Jose and Roberto.
Wild Sicily Trail
2 October 2021
Sarah who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Best trail ride yet | The riding was varied according to terrain
and was as I expected
Wild Sicily Trail
2 October 2021
Sophie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Quite an adventure | 'Wild Sicily' would be great for charities looking for a challenge ride, such as BHS or the Injured Jockeys Fund. Huge distances are covered each day with a range of forest and montane environments involving steep gradients. The guides take ancient tracks - which makes for both interest and safety - but there is not much soft going. Riders need to be fit, taking boots with thick rubber soles. The final day, riding up Mount Etna and around some of the lateral craters was a unique experience.
The guides, Alessandro and Lizzie, are charming and organised everything beautifully. They obviously have a deep love for trail riding and we felt confident that they had chosen the very best for us. I felt we were in safe hands and would be happy to recommend their trail rides to others.
I did not expect to encounter so many wild flowers in September. There was not much bird life in the mountains but we spotted griffon vultures and quite a few wild pigs. We were enchanted by herds of cattle, sheep and goats with traditional bells hanging around their necks and rode past a variety of traditional farms.
I found myself comparing this trip to riding in Georgia and Romania, countries which lack rural fences and so enable faster going, but don't offer such good food or accommodation. Our final day on Sicily, climbing Mt Etna and riding through vineyards into the historic town of Castiglione offered a world class climax that rivals other European rides.
Coastal Trail South to North
26 September 2021
Ann who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Superb experience | Yes more than, I was worried it wouldn't be fast enough for my husband who has a 'need for speed' but there were plenty of long collected canters on sandy tracks and we all rode forward going sweet tempered fit horses who were well schooled and cared for.
[Becky from the In The Saddle replies: We are so pleased to hear you enjoyed the riding on this holiday.]
Castles of the Gredos Mountains
25 September 2021
Pia (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Excellent
Alpujarra Ride
25 September 2021
Sarah who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. La Alpujara | The riding and the horses were fabulous. The horses were beautifully schooled and a pleasure to ride. The terrain was very varied from mountainous, lovely fresh air to almond orchards being harvested.
Riding Safari
24 September 2021
Sabine who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Awesome as usual đ | Excellent
Monte Velho
24 September 2021
Juliet who has been on 18 In The Saddle rides. Dressage in stunning scenery | Excellent training.
Only comment would it would be nice to have a bit more continuity of trainers.
Excellent range of experienced schoolmaster horses.
Monte Velho
24 September 2021
who has been on In The Saddle rides. Monte Velho - Instructional, inspiring and refreshing | Instructors ensured that I worked on areas of my riding which I considered most in need of improvement. Also allowed me to experience movement above my current level of riding. Lorenna was excellent especially in visually explaining instructuin which kept the lessons clear and fun.
Monte Velho
24 September 2021
who has been on In The Saddle rides. An excellent riding holiday | The horses and facilities were amazing and all the horses were in excellent condition. they were beautifully groomed and washed off after riding. my only comment would be that the nosebands and curb chains were very tight.
Horse Round Up - Skrapatungurétt
20 September 2021
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.
Miyak Tribe Trail
19 September 2021
Katy who has been on 11 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.
Miyak Tribe Trail
19 September 2021
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.
Miyak Tribe Trail
19 September 2021
Sue who has been on 7 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.
Castles of the Gredos Mountains
18 September 2021
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.
Monte Velho
17 September 2021
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.
Villa Based Ride
12 September 2021
Deborah who has been on 7 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
Villa Based Ride
12 September 2021
Helen who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous | Los Alamos wonât disappoint. Rachel and her team âJose & Robertoâ 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.
Villa Based Ride
12 September 2021
Caroline who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Never fails to please | The horses are impeccably schooledâŠ..even in a group of 10 guests with 2 outriders there were no problems.
Villa Based Ride
12 September 2021
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 .
Equus Silvania
11 September 2021
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.
Riding Safari
10 September 2021
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.
Kambaku Safari Lodge
6 September 2021
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
Eloise who has been on 8 In The Saddle rides. Fabulous - exceeded all my expectations | Ricardo was a great instructor - engaged, expert, energetic. I rode 10 different horses during my visit - each one taught me something and I enjoyed every minute of the riding.