Ride Reports

Having arrived the day before, at breakfast the whole group chatted over toast and jam, excited about meeting the horses we would be riding over the next week. As if she’d read our minds, our guide Maria arrived and transferred us the short distance to their stables.

Tombstone Monument was the second ranch on my visit to Arizona. Completely different to the others, Tombstone is build like an old western town which I thought looked amazing. The ranch has eighteen rooms for guests but would usually on have a maximum riding group of nine. The wranglers are a lot of fun and offer various rides out across the desert as well as lessons and team penning.

I arrived at Tanque Verde late in the evening and so after checking in I headed straight to my room to bed. I woke to a beautiful Arizona sunrise which set me up perfectly for the next three days.

We have lots of different itineraries in Morocco, from mountain rides to desert treks, but I have a particular passion for riding on the beach and splashing in the sea on horseback – so the Essaouira Coastal Trail was my dream come true!

Kyrgyzstan is an incredible country which not many people have heard of. When I was told I would be riding there, I had to check the map myself. Near China, I discovered this mountainous country to be friendly, beautiful and just perfect for riding.

One of the great things about our ride in the Cape Winelands is that you can arrive on any day and stay for as long as you like – ideal for those who really want to immerse themselves in wine tastings, glorious food and fabulous riding.

Africa does tend to seep into your veins and often once you have visited this astonishing continent for the first time, it is almost like a poison in which you feel the need to go again and again – you just need to get yet another fix of her formidable sights, sounds and experiences.

Breakfast of coffee croissants and the signature Portuguese custard tart with delicious flaky pastry at 7.00am on Tuesday 4th April in the arrivals hall of Lisbon’s International Airport was the start of our “magical month”. Well ten days really. We were on our way to the School of Equitation at Alcainca in the small village of Alcainca 25km northwest of Lisbon Portugal.

In October 2016 I visited Quinta do Rol a lovely family estate in the ‘orchard of Lisbon’. Here I discovered excellent instruction and gorgeous Lusitano horses, so well-trained that they are a treat to ride.

I accompanied the first In The Saddle group to Uganda in June 2016. This trip gets 10 out of 10 and I found it very difficult to make any suggestions for improvement – except perhaps to say that I ate too much but who is to blame for that!

Just writing up this itinerary filled me full of excitement as it was clear there was just going to be so much to see and experience. I accompanied the first group on the Hola Mohalla ride in 2016 along with 9 guests.

If you are looking for a trail ride which takes you through rural Provence……

The Kalahari makes you feel very small in the grand scheme of things as everything around you is larger than life and endless. The Makgadikadi Pans stretch out in front of you into infinity, and you would think you were on the surface of the moon except for the scorching desert heat.

I know that I am in Africa immediately, as stepping into the airport at Maun my body is immediately in shock at the sudden African heat (something a fair skinned English girl is unused to after the British winter). But boy was it lovely to be warm and see the sun shining.

We feature three exciting trail rides in Ecuador, the Colonial Hacienda, Andean Adventure and Volcanoes & Vistas rides. But how do you choose which one will suit you best?

The Namib Desert Ride is more than a riding holiday, more than the sum of its parts – fast riding, camping and long days in the saddle – it is an experience like no other.

We really enjoyed all of the horses that we rode – being polo ponies they were super-easy to ride – willing and forward-going but with good brakes, which was great for the canters along the never-ending beaches.

As I left Tel Aviv airport building the sound of the birds hit me. There are two trees either side of the doors and they were full of little sparrows, all tweeting like mad! What a lovely welcome to this country!

Words can’t fully describe how amazing this experience was… Petra is epic, and we spent around 8 hours inside, looking at all of the monuments, enjoying lunch and having a cheeky donkey ride when our legs got tired.

In April this year I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to visit Namibia. Mention this country to anyone who has seen it for themselves and you are sure to be regaled with stories of a land of great beauty and diversity.