Angie who has been on 24 In The Saddle rides. Yet another fabulous week | Excellent

David who has been on 10 In The Saddle rides. An excellent holiday | Two types of terrain: pine forest with no low branches, and long beaches. No steep gradients. Makes for easy riding.

Dawn who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Decent trail ride, good food and accommodation. Would recommend. | Most of the time was spent in walk, which can feel a bit tough on the joints (after several hours). I suspect this was due to the terrain - road work for some of the time, then hilly and rocky for the rest - meaning opportunities for trot and canter were fairly limited. Near the end of the week we did have an incredibly long canter (lots of fun), the others were significantly shorter.

My horse (Seleni) was young, keen and fit. She had a tendency to fling her head up when excited, but this settled as the week went on. The horses were ridden in a set order on the trail, which perhaps limited the variety of conversation between riders. It was also a very big group (12 including the guide).

Vanessa who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Fit horses in rocky mountainous terrain | I was perfectly matched with my horse. I had asked for something forward-going but that you could ride on a loose rein. The mare I was assigned, Carmen, was exactly like that. Great, fit horse that was extremely sure-footed in the mountain terrain.

Claire who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Absolutely amazing! | Gerti, Philip, Clare, Jo and all the team have a fantastic setup.
The care and attention to detail was fantastic; each horse was thoroughly groomed before each ride; the tack in great condition and cleaned after each ride.
The horses looked in great shape, were well schooled and fit for the job - a real credit to the team at Wait a Little - super happy horses who enjoy their job; insane that they stand when faced with a lion, or a leopard!
All the horses were very much loved; it was so nice to see and be part of.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback. We are so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed your time at Wait A Little.]

Vivien who has been on 41 In The Saddle rides. Perfect, relaxing holiday | I was given a wonderful horse to ride for most of the rides, an ex-racehorse called Nala. She was perfect, fast and powerful and beautifully re-schooled. She was super-polite and you just needed to ask her once to do something by shifting your seat (very soft mouth) and she obliged. A real credit to Amanda's training and I felt very honoured to ride her. We had some fab fast, long and windy canters. The other horses I rode were lovely too! Being able to be so close to the wildlife on the rides is very special as they are used to grazing with the horses, a USP of Ants I feel.

Jennifer who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Exceeded expectations! | Overall I had a great riding experience and Quinta do Rol has exceeded my expectations. The instruction was excellent with their highly trained horses. I felt safe and relaxed knowing I'm in capable hands as a novice rider.

ALL the horses were special and performed to a top level. It's nearly impossible to pick a favourite. As soon as you set foot in their stables it's quite obvious that the horses are treated and cared for to a high standard.

I also appreciated their attention to detail -- from the comfortable viewing area where you can watch others ride, the clean and modern facilities both for humans and horses, even a kit to clean your boots was provided in the stables. The instructors and grooms were all genuinely nice and friendly making it a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for everyone.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks for your super feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your first holiday with In The Saddle. We hope it will be the first of many!].

Karolyn who has been on 16 In The Saddle rides. Winter sun | Like many horse safaris, it's mostly walk or canter, no trot. The wildlife is very habituated, so you can make a lot of noise and still get up close to most things. Ideal first horse safari.
The guides didn't ask what I wanted and just assumed that if you could canter, you would want to and the faster the better.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback, I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your return to Ant's Lodges.]

Charlie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Awesome | This was our first experience of safari and we were fortunate to be travelling with family and friends. A lifetime of memories made, exceptional hospitality, amazing game viewing and super adaptability to ensure we all were grinning all the time!

Our eldest daughter grew in confidence and found out she was braver and more capable than she thought riding - it took Africa and a great team to make her realise. Our younger non riding daughter had a fabulous time getting close to lions and joining up with us to brag! The balance of abilities, riding, non riding, ages, adult ailments etc all disappeared as the team managed smoothly to ensure we had the most fabulous, relaxing and exhilarating time of our lives.

The attention to detail, knowledge and kindness of the team did not go unnoticed.

Thank you Macatoo and In the Saddle
[In The Saddle replies - Thank you for leaving your feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday.]

Philip who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Amazing | Don't ever give a 5 star rating!!! This was 6 !! In the saddle great ,camp in Botswana great ,you have to go!

Julia (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Immense! Trip of a life time! | I didn't have any expectations but I would say that there is far longer canters than most of us would be used to in the UK. Sometimes we would canter for 7 or 8 minutes at a time, walk for 10 mins, and then go again for another 5 minute canter. No trotting, just walking or cantering.

Lesley who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Great | Excellent

Jennifer who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Superb riding holiday | Exhilarating riding in beautiful forest and on long, stunning beach stretches. Faster paces well-matched with slower sections made very well-balanced rides. Felt horses' and riders' best interests were put first at all times. Expertly-led, thoroughly enjoyable.

Veronica who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Memorable and Fun | This was my second visit to Monte Velho and my mounts for lessons on my first visit were more suited in that I progressed (albeit slowly) from Day 1. However, having a more difficult horse at the beginning of the week this time meant that when I did sit on my favourite Xico, I was super happy, more relaxed and achieved more thanks to Laerke who deserves a medal for her patience!

Thoroughly enjoyed the trail rides. My horse on Day 1 didn’t suit me but asked for a change. Everyone would prefer you say if you are not happy and all steps are taken to ensure you get the best out of your MV experience.

I am a 75 year old lightweight without a dressage background but would urge anyone considering this experience, to give it a try. The jacuzzi is waiting!

Kristin who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Safari on horseback | Steady, good horses well acquainted with the terrain, and they knew what was expected of them.

Jane who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Another magical time | Beach ride was as amazing as I’d remembered.

Evie who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A new experience in many ways | Excellent variety of hacking, horses, terrain with different experiences as part of the rides. The los pots team were very friendly and helpful too - they went out of their way to give us a polo experience and we got to experience gaucho games. These were our favourite parts. To make it even better, more of these types of activities would be great.

Mary (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) African Explorer | Excellent

Annie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) It was obedient and I felt safe when I rode.
It wasn't quite fast enough compared to the pace in walk, so I had to trot a lot of the time to keep up, and it was tiring over a longer period of time.

Charlie (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) What a Mix! | All riding types and times in the saddle were accurate. It’s difficult to match up to people’s expectations when it comes to a beach ride, and we may have had overly ambitious thoughts of a gallop, but due to sea state, time of year, the sand just seemed too deep. So any preconceived ideas of a gallop where quickly quashed. It was still lovely but hard work for the horses and riders rather than the joyful blast.

Maddy who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful week | The horses are all beautifully schooled and very well behaved. Some are schooled to PSG and above. The instruction is very good indeed. It exceeded our expectations. The instructors assess you very quickly and then try and match you with a variety of horses to improve your riding through the week . Ann-Sylvie the senior instructor is amazing the way she manages it all.
We had a lovely group and bonded well all supporting each other and watching each other improve.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Many thanks for your lovely feedback. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday.]

Kate (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Wonderful family riding holiday! | Our instructors were great, very knowledgable and very hard working. They matched our lessons and hacks to our experience which was varied, and were happy to accommodate any requests to switch horses or add on extra lessons or hacks throughout the week.

Nikki (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Excellent | All the horses that I rode were fantastic. Well looked after, responsive and fun to ride. The guides were brilliant, chatty and informative, but also happy to let you quietly enjoy the experience if that is more your thing.

Our group was of mixed ability and Rachel, Jose and Roberto managed to cater for everybody whilst also ensuring that the rides were safe.

Really appreciate them being so generous with sharing the horses.

Paula who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Adventure on horseback in stunning coastal surroundings with excellent professional care and safety! | It far exceeded expectations. Rachel was extremely observant and was determined to fit the rider to the right horse -putting health and safety above all else. The horses were superb -fit, strong and responsive (and made us feel as though we were better riders than we probably were!) The leaders, front and back were attentive, kind to us (and of course, the horses) and encouraging - keen to help and intent on giving us a great day's ride. Galloping along the beach as the sun was rising was an unforgettable, exhilarating experience and coffee and toast in forest restaurant a close second!

Jenny (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) A once in a life time family holiday | Philip, Gerti and team were outstanding, so professional warm and welcoming.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you so much for a wonderful feedback and we are so pleased to hear that you had such a great time.]

Sue who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. Living the dream | All the horses were superb. Well trained, well looked after, well mannered, relaxed and happy . we all bonded quickly and easily with our individual mounts and were heart broken to say good bye at the end of the trip. The riding was very varied and exceptionally stimulating at all times . Firsts for me were swimming on the horses, riding at night and covering such long distances (without even realising how far and how long we were in the saddle)
Any problems with individual horses were swiftly and efficiently solved and if a replacement was required another appeared without affecting the days agenda .
The guides were friendly ,very knowledgeable and extremely helpful at all times. We will miss them too

Cynthia who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Excellent horses and Instructors | The horses and instructors were absolutely fantastic. It was so great to get to do dressage moves that I cannot (yet!) do on my own horse. It was really inspiring to take my own schooling at home up a notch.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks so much for your feedback. We're really pleased that you enjoyed your time at Quinta do Rol and returned home feeling inspired].

Rosalind who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Amazing in every aspect | It was an absolutely incredible riding holiday. I loved everything about Macatoo. Great to do a couple of afternoons in the Toyota land cruiser to see the lions close up and the rare wild dogs and finish the day with sundowners. We saw more animals than expected. Guides were very informative. My two horses were lovely and I felt very safe. Seriously loved every minute. My only complaint it went too fast.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your wonderful feedback.]

Aisling who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Just lovely in every way | I loved every minute of the riding, and the group the hosting and food was excellent.

Janet who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Trip of a lifetime | This riding holiday certainly exceeded my expectations and what a trip!! Not for the faint hearted, we rode through mountains and forests and there were long hours in the saddle. The countryside beautiful and unspoilt. We learnt all about the countryside, history and the people who live in this amazing part of North Macedonia. Huge thanks to Vasco and his team! Hope to see you all again soon.

Sue who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful, challenging trip riding through every changing and amazing scenery. | This ride was tremendous fun and I throughly enjoyed the challenge. Sicily has a varied landscape and as a result the riding was quite tough at times. The pace was varied, steady and sometimes fast, but I did not feel unsafe at any time. The horses are very fit and completely suited to the terrain, they are sure footed and managed the rough and rocky going, including steep ascents and descents, with confidence. Our guides, Lizzie and Alex took good care of everyone, riders and horses alike and their knowledge of the area made the experience interesting and informative. My horse, Alba was a perfect match for me, so another plus for ‘Ride Sicily’.

Cecilia who has been on 4 In The Saddle rides. Awsome. | Yes, it did.