Hanna (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing & adventurous horseback safaris | The horses were absolutely wonderful, sure footed and suited perfectly to their riders. The guides & volunteers were really nice. Creative rides and lovely experiences, we couldn't wish for more. They made our dreams come true with e.g. swimming with the horses or meeting the wildlife up close like never before.

Mark (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing experience | I understand that the main purpose of the riding was to view wildlife close up, but I would have preferred a little more fast-paced riding. Too much time spent walking.

Jo (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A dream holiday | Quinta Do Rol has exceeded all expectations- set in the most picturesque setting, nestled amidst the vineyard and orchards, the most beautiful lusitano horses and kindest most welcoming team await. I rode movements, such as the piaffe and pirouette, which I had only ever before dreamed of! The horses are so kind and generous and love their work. Having lost a lot of confidence due to bad falls, I was anxious before hand but immediately the team put me at ease and despite the forwardness of the horses, I always felt safe. A bonus was watching my friend (and new friends) ride whilst sitting in the gallery drinking the estate’s beautiful wine selection!

Jo who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Macatoo | Excellent

Louise (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Memorable experience with kind people | The riding exceeded my expectations. The horses were wonderfully cared for and turned out, experienced and responsive. The riding team were kind and provided the right level of feedback per riding ability.

[ITS replies: Thank you for your lovely review. We are really happy that you enjoyed your stay at Quinta do Rol].

Mags (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fabulous adventures | The riding exceeded my expectations - varied, interesting, stunning scenery and fast paced!

Bob who has been on 17 In The Saddle rides. Pure perfection | The riding was simply fantastic. We rode fast but I never had any concerns as the horses seemed unfazed by anything we came across (e.g. shouting children, goats on the track) and my expectations were certainly met!
[Olwen from In The Saddle - we are so glad that you enjoyed your return visit to ride in Uganda]

Judy who has been on 39 In The Saddle rides. A LOVELY WAY TO EXPERIENCE SAO MIGUEL ISLAND | Such a interesting and verdant volcanic island, with lots of flowers and cows. Many cantering opportunities in woodland, on tracks between fields and round the crater lakes at Sete Cidades.
There is some unavoidable road work through towns and villages, but the horses are well trained and used to the traffic.
An assessment is done in the indoor arena on the first day.
Our riding guides, Bruno and Hugo, were very good, observant and helpful.
Quinta da Terca is a well run establishment - all the team there, and the airport transfer drivers, do a great job.
The horses are much loved and each only works every other day. Many have been retrained from sad backgrounds and are lucky to now have a happy life.

[ITS replies: Many thanks for your great feedback. We are really pleased that you enjoyed your time on the 'Green Island'.]

Emma who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Relaxed riding in glorious surroundings | As expected from the pre-booking information, the riding was generally steady due to the terrain, but we did get the opportunity for numerous short canters. I loved the varied and beautiful surroundings and Ailsa was a brilliant guide in all respects. The horses were very well schooled and obviously really well looked after. The skills of Western riding were taken seriously and my level of competence here really improved over the week. We did experience some rain which meant we couldn’t ride out some of the time, but we took lessons in the school and were offered alternative activities. We were glad we had rented a car as we could easily visit a range of wonderful places as well as riding. The countryside is just stunning.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are so happy that you enjoyed your trip to Tuscany].

Nicky (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Brilliant first visit to Monte Velho! | The horses I rode were on the whole really great and I learnt something from each of them. I think it was slightly unfortunate that some visitors seemed to be able to request specific horses/trainers, which may have resulted in others not getting the opportunity to ride these horses or work with the trainers.

Having said all of this, I trained mainly with Teresa, and greatly appreciated her patience, insight and sense of humour!

Katrine who has been on 12 In The Saddle rides. Some of the horses in Mlilwane were too skinny. I spoke to the owner, who said that they had had problems with the hay, and that she was aware of it, and was in the process of feeding them.
[Olwen from In The Saddle writes - we are following up with the owner (Ann) and believe that she will sort out this problem.]

Sue who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing experience | The riding was great and the guides kept us safe at all times

Lisa who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Where do I start!! | We started with the mini trail ride on the Wild Coast, what a blast! We did rock climbing on horses, crossed rivers on flat bed flotillas, crossed with kayaks, raced on the beach, rode incredible scenic routes, breathtaking! Our horses were Lizzie and Stormy, perfectly matched, and Jess our guide was amazing.

Maddy who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. My third visit, another really lovely experience | Bernardo was excellent as a trainer - really went the extra mile, I can’t commend him enough
I didn't have Teresa this time
The young male trainer - I had two lessons and I think he needs more experience and better English.
Unfortunately they had a lot of lame horses (and some of the new ones are struggling to adjust to the school) so the range of horses available was reduced. However they did their best to match you with horses to improve your riding.
I loved my last two lessons on El Rei - with Bernardo absolutely excellent.
They are missing the leadership from Anne-Sylvie I feel.

Megan (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Dream Holiday | Excellent

Joanna who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Incredible riding with a rich cultural experience | The riding was incredible. The horses were so agile, clambering up rocks like mountain goats and then navigating steep sand dunes - you only realise how tough that is on the legs when you try to walk through the sand yourself!

The horses are bred for endurance riding and are so well atune to their environment. My horse was young, but very calm in the walk and a lot of fun during the canters and gallops (where terrain permitted). I felt safe and in control the whole time. She was a lovely mare who had her ears pricked the whole time and was clearly enjoying her job.

It is hot riding towards the end of the morning so I really recommend wearing a buff or similar so you can pull it up over your face as it gets hot, long sleeved shirts for sun protection and factor 50 are a must in the desert climate. I also took electrolyte tablets to pop in my water to prevent dehydration which was really helpful.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your wonderful feedback. We are so pleased that you had such a fantastic time in Jordan].

Sue (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Incredible from start to finish! | The riding was great, carefully controlled but with no feelings of being over managed. Horses were very well looked after and perfect for their job! Tack was fine, well cleaned and fitted carefully. Guides managed to give everyone a great experience whatever the riding ability.

Lucinda (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) The best holiday ever! | The riding was wonderful, so much to see. My horse was a dream!

Nicola who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Absolutely beautiful wilderness
Absolutely beautiful wilderness | Jaw dropping scenery, reaching great heights each day. Picture perfect picnic spots every day. We were well matched with our horses, my horse was sweet, kind and forward going and so experienced. Our guide V is passionate about the horses, so hard working and an excellent guide making sure we all had fun and kept us all safe.

The meals exceeding our expectations, so fresh, lots of vegetables and fruit, and something different every day.

It was lovely in the mornings before breakfast to walk down to the dock and watch the salmon and wildlife in a misty backdrop.

Several afternoons after riding we went out on kayaks which was a lot of fun.

We loved catching the horses in the morning and grooming them and tacking up before our ride.
This helped us to get to know our horses quickly.

Highlight was reaching the top of the mountain on our long day ride.

Watching the horses swim home on the last evening. Very emotional.

[Abbie from ITS replies: It was an absolute pleasure to arrange your holiday. We are delighted that you had such a memorable trip].

Charlotte (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Amazing | I was a bit disappointed with the trails, as we didn’t really get to encounter much — it was a real pity. The dressage lessons were really nice but it would deserve to last 1h30 as we are working one by one so 1h is a little bit short .

Kathryn (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) I had a really great time - I felt the horse I was matched with was ideal and not being a horse-owner myself, I loved riding the same horse all day for 6 days - thoroughly enjoyable. The riding was challenging and very rewarding because of the wild, steep and rocky terrain - slower paced than I've had on other holidays, but that wasn't an issue. I know some people like getting more involved on a riding holiday, but personally I really enjoyed not having to catch, groom, tack up, etc before each ride, it felt like a luxury; and when I do it myself, I always worry I've put something on wrong!

Julie who has been on 14 In The Saddle rides. The riding was as advised mainly walk due to the terrain but we did trot and canter on most days. Dallas matched horse with rider very well. The saddles were very comfortable and all tack in good order. Scenery was great. Horses super well schooled, friendly and well behaved. Mordecai was a patient guide and couldn’t do enough to ensure everyone was safe and happy. Jeanette and Dallas were fantastic. I would definitely recommend this holiday.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks so much for your feedback. It is great that you had such an enjoyable time in Spain].

Katy who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful adventure in the mountains with plenty of immersion in Spanish village life and culture | Riding was as expected - mostly at walk due to the nature of the terrain and the heat, with the opportunity to have short canters when on the wider, more flat and open tracks. There were a lot of times when it was necessary to lead the horses, both ascending and descending the mountain paths. Mounting and dismounting on both sides, sometimes on narrow tracks, is a necessary part of the trip, so it's good to be practised at this and be fairly walking fit with good, non slip short boots.

Michael who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Excellent | Due terrain not so much trot and canter

Glynis (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A Bucket List Holiday Ticked Off | I knew before I went on holiday I would not be riding twice a day everyday so I was very happy when Kim told me I could be picked up in the jeep after an hour and a half and leave the other riders to continue.
The terrain was much rockier than I had expected but the horses are so sure footed they made light work of it. It just took a while for me to realise I wasn't riding my own horse who would have stumbled and tripped.

Louise (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Absolutely what I needed 100 stars | I was so very lucky. For some reason the staff worked me out so quickly as a rider and I was so utterly privileged to be given Ants personal horses to ride. The sharp ones. More sensistve. I was told on 3 occasions I was the first guest to be allowed to ride them and they were given to me all holiday. It made My experience perfect as I would have been bored on the other horses. Who where absolutely brilliant just not what I would have enjoyed being a professional rider
I was blown away to be so trusted with the horses and the way they were treated.

Nigel who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. RIDING LIKE A COWBOY | I had never ridden west style, the guide was very good teaching how to ride western style, the first was like a bucking bongo, holding the reins to tight, soon was get the hang of loose reining the place picks up, on the last last day you get to ride the roller coaster its epic.

John who has been on 14 In The Saddle rides. The best riding holiday we have ever had! | This was a very special trip for us, based on approximately 30 years of trips with InTheSaddle, this one will be long remembered for the quality of the ride, food, people, the country and fellow riders. If you are an experienced rider and enjoy long days in the saddle with great variety in terrains, this is the ride for you! Great horses, tack and comfortable saddles. Lots of hill work, combined with fast canters and fantastic scenery.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your wonderful feedback. We're thrilled that you had such a special time in North Macedonia.]

Sara who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful and unique experience! | The riding was mostly at walk as the terrain is very varied encompassing woodland trails, mountain paths, meadows and Steppe-like rolling hills and plateaux, however there were lots of opportunities for quite long canters from gentle canters on woodland paths to exhilarating gallops across expanses of Steppe!
The leader, Vasco and guide Ramadan were well organised and provided clear direction, and the horses were well trained and very well taken care of with equipment checked frequently to avoid chafing and other issues. I was matched with a very small Macedonian mountain horse initially, but I began to find his very short stride uncomfortable on my lower back and hips by the end of the second day, as we completed a long, steep descent of a mountain trail. Vasco the leader suggested I swap onto the guide's horse, a young Arab cross called Vranec, which was taller with a longer stride, I was very grateful as he was an absolute dream, sweet and responsive and a complete pleasure to be partnered with, this is no criticism of the other horse who was a fantastic little guy, lots of fun to ride but just rather short strided.

Justine who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. If Heineken did beach rides… Fabulous and varied trail on super fit horses - | The trail was well described in the information provided - a varied trail including some genuinely breathtaking coast line and beach rides.

The horses are incredibly fit and a real highlight for me was riding the same horse for 7 days, giving an opportunity to really get to know each other. Coming from owing a cob, I was surprised at first at the leanness of the horses - they are real athletes - so be prepared for that. They are very well cared for and it shows in how they are looked after on the trail.

The riding is fabulous. There are long days in the saddle over varied terrain. We did 105 miles over all, and 30 miles of that was at canter. One day we cantered 7 miles in total. So the more riding fit you are, the more enjoyable the ride will be. A couple of folk struggled a bit towards the end. The pace is varied, as is the terrain, and never dull. There is one flat out gallop - the long beach canters are steady but glorious. There is some technical terrain; we popped a few logs and the river crossings; ferry and kayaks add variety.

The guides were knowledgeable and looked after horse and rider in equal measure. They matched riders well to horses, getting me and my daughter exactly right - and when of the group’s horses did not work out, they managed to sort.

Dru who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. Lovely holiday in northern Portugal | Good

Bob who has been on 13 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful views, horses and wine! | Western riding is not for everyone as it is very different to English riding. I thought I had ridden Western previously but obviously not properly! Ailsa was an excellent teacher.
The horses and tack were in excellent condition and very comfortable.