- How do I assess my riding experience?
- Now I know my riding ability, how do I decide on the ride?
- I want to go with my partner but they dont ride. Can they join the holiday too?
- How many other riders will be on the holiday?
- I will be traveling alone. Is it possible to join a group?
- Absolutely. Most of our guests are single travelers and will be joining a group. It is a great way to meet new, like minded people. Many of our guests develop life long friendships on riding holidays.
- What are the requirements for traveling abroad?
- What about flights and financial security?
- Are riding hats compulsory?
First and foremost it is important to be honest about your riding experience. If you overstate your experience and you fall short of the rides expectations of their guests then you MAY be refused any riding! A general rule of thumb is as follows
Beginner Rider- Generally a person with little or no riding experience
Novice Rider – A rider who is capable of mounting and dismounting unassisted, can apply the basic riding aids, is comfortable in walk, moderate length posted or working trots and short working canters.
Intermediate Rider- A rider that has a solid seat, is comfortable and controlled at all paces (including working trots, working canters and gallops), is proficient at riding over more challenging terrain, possibly including rocky climbs/descents, and may include small jumps.
Advanced Rider- A rider with all of the above plus the following, a balanced and independent seat, soft hands and be confident to ride forward going, and in some cases, quite spirited horses.
This is where it YOUR dreams and OUR expertise start to come together. Whether you are looking for a short break or long haul tropical destination, fast riding, technical, riding, instructional riding or are a beginner looking for your first introduction to riding holidays then we can discuss in detail exactly what you are looking for and recommend destinations, independently, with only YOUR requirements in mind.
Absolutely! Most of our riding destinations happily accept non riders. There are often many other organised activities for the non riders whilst you are out riding. Even trail rides can often take the no rider off during the day and meet up with the riders again at meal times.
This depends on your chosen destination however, we believe that small groups work better for everyone so we try and keep the number of people down to a maximum of 8 – 10 BUT this does depend on your chosen destination and we will advise you of anticipated group size when we are discussing your requirements.
You will need a passport, normally with at least 6 months time prior to the passport expiring. If you hold a UK passport then a visa will generally not be required for travel within Europe but will normally be required for father afield places. Visa’s can often be obtained upon arrival at the airport but we do advise ALL of our guests to check the latest visa requirements with governmental department of your chosen destination. We can advise about visa requirements but it is YOUR responsibility to check the LATEST requirements. It is important, and a requirement of booking through Equus Trails, that you have full, comprehensive travel insurance, including delay, injury, deatch and repatriation. Failure to have sufficient travel and medical insurance could result in not being able to ride and will breach our conditions of contract.
Our holidays do not include flights. We can recommend flight only companies who will be able to assist you in getting the best flight prices to your chosen destination. In this often volatile world of travel it is important to book your holiday with a company who can assure your money is safe and your holiday will be completed. Hidden Trails Limited operates a Trust Account system in accordance with the Package Travel Regulations 1992. What this means is that once you have paid for your holiday your money is held in an account that is under the control of a trustee. This money is released to Hidden Trails Limited ONLY upon your return home. In the unlikely event that Hidden Trails Limited should suffer any financial hardship then your money will be under the control of the trustee and can be repaid to you.
This is a very common question that we can only answer with the following… Horse riding is a dangerous sport, we advise ALL of our guests to wear a riding hat at ALL times when working with horses. Furthermore, if you were unfortunate to have an accident and NOT wearing a riding hat it is possible that your insurance company would NOT provide any cover for you. The ultimate decision has to be yours but we ALWAYS have to recommend that wearing a BS approved riding hat is essential for a safe horse riding holiday