NINE REASONS TO BOOK WITH A TRAVEL AGENT
Black Saddle was born to do two things - identify the world’s best safaris to save you time searching through hundreds of options, and; form groups of like minded people to maximise the social side of the holidays.
If you’re wondering whether to go direct or use the services of a travel agent like Black Saddle, here are nine reasons why you might benefit from booking with us:
The cost is the same: Whether you book directly with the ride operator or through an agent you will always pay the same price.
We can compare all the rides: The only way to know is to go, and we’ve tried them all. We know how well the horses are schooled, how fast the riding is, the quality of the meals, and how comfortable the accommodation is. We can let you know which ride is more social or which is more of a thrilling challenge.
Personal Recommendations: Our job is to match you to the ride and to do this we get to know you and what your priorities are. If you’re looking for fast riding we will match you to the speedy rides. If you prefer comfort or cannot deal with camping we will let you know when a ride has you in basic accommodation at any point. We don’t skirt over any areas of physical or comfort difficulty. We want you to make an informed decision so that you can only be delighted while on holiday!
Objectivity about a ride: With horses to feed and staff to pay the ride operator has more pressure to fill their rides which can make them understandably less discerning about who they accept on a ride and when they take their booking. We know the best times of year to join a safari and we avoid booking our riders onto groups where they will likely not mesh with other riders. For example, we will never knowingly add a rider to a group where everyone else is a single group or family or they all speak another language without letting the guest know about the group make up before booking.
Like-minded people: We book loads of our guests solo onto set departures but we really enjoy forming exclusive groups of Black Saddle riders where we aim to curate a group of riders of a similar age so that everyone has a lot in common. We connect everyone before the ride on WhatsApp and we run our exclusive rides at the best time of year for that safari. You will get the maximum experience! We’ve seen loads of friendships come out of our exclusive rides and for us - this is the whole point - we love to see it!
We’re booking process experts: The local operators are horse people and very few enjoy the back end process. We have made it as easy as possible to let you know what you’re signing up for and pay to secure your saddle. Many operators can’t take card for example where with us you can, including Amex so you can accrue Avios on the cost of your holiday. Many rides don’t want to deal with the admin of bookings so redirect enquires through an agency anyway. They just want to focus on the horses, understandably.
We hold rides to our standards: Think of us as the Michelin of horse riding holidays. We only represent the very best of the industry so in joining one of our safaris you can have confidence that you will have a world-class experience. We have strong relationships with our partners and often suggest improvements or upgrades for our exclusive rides. There are many rides we’ve trialled and not listed, and while we don’t share the negative stories online we are happy to privately share our experience riding with operators that didn’t meet our standards so you can make an informed decision.
We’re always looking for the next big thing: every year we try new safaris and itineraries all around the world and we bring repeat guests on these pioneer rides. If you’d like to be the first to know of the next big thing we will keep you in the loop.
We return your deposit: If you need to cancel we will return your deposit if you let us know more than 90 days before departure or if we can replace you at any time. Many operators and other agents have a no-refund policy on your deposit but we will always aim to get this back to you if possible.
Our goal is to find the world’s best rides and share them with our Black Saddle community that we know can ride and will have an amazing time on holiday together. Our guests are usually life-long riders aged 25 - 45, that travel regularly and are looking for sporty and adventurous holidays with comfort balanced with authenticity.
If you’re still dreaming but not ready to book, you can browse all of our rides by location and by month.
Our Facebook Group is open to all experienced riders. We share recommendations on any ride in any country there - not just the safaris on Black Saddle. Join us and help other riders by sharing your experiences or be inspired by other peoples!
WANT THE BEST OF THE BEST? BOOK THESE:
MACATOO IN THE OKAVANGO DELTA
7 Nights in the Okavango Delta, Botswana | Tented Camp Based | From £3,815 per person sharing + transfers
NURPUR NOON IN PAKISTAN
7 Nights | Nurpur Noon Estate | Mobile + Stationary Luxury Safari | From £4,950 per person sharing