Enjoyed the most: The comraderie, the horses, the long canters over open ground, the countryside. . .all so good!!

Bothered you: Didn't expect it to be quite so challenging and scary. 

Comments: I wanted a lot of riding and got more than bargained for. I felt I had truly reached a new skill threshhold at the end of the week and was grateful to my hosts, to Isis, my wonderful horse, and to the higher powers for keeping me from  injury. The gallop at the end of the last afternoon was very exhilerating--it was a culmination of the skills I had learned during the week. I came home and lengthened my stirrups and adjusted my seat to use my new skills!

Enjoyed the most: I loved the riding. It was hard and different from what we are accustomed to, but it was great. I loved the food. I loved the scenery. I've never been anywhere more beautiful. I loved the places we would stop for lunch. They were beautiful!

Bothered you: The downhill racing through brush was a little disturbing at first, but when some of the group asked Veronique to please not run downhill if there was thick brush, she didn't. She was very accomodating to our riding wishes.

Comments: Fast and furious, running full speed ahead, even downhill. The first night we met our guides, they asked us if we had cantered downhill. Seems I was the only one who had, when I was a kid. Then the next day, like she promised, off we went racing downhill. I found that I could trust my horse, and I enjoyed it. Heck, she was doing it, and so was her 6 year old daughter. Some of the group didn't like it, but I had a ball! The trip to me was the best, I just loved the trip and I would do it again. 

Enjoyed the most: The horses, history, scenery, comopanions... no single thing.

Bothered you: I would have liked just 1 more minute of dismount time at a few key points to take a picture which we didn't really get.

Comments: The Morvan ride was for endurance/cross country type riders. That said, the horses were willing to be held back for pictures, cherry picking, etc, as well as swimming away from the others in a lake lark. My French is rudimentary, but with the patience of Bernard, Veronique and the other riders, I learned a huge amount about the history and culture of the area.
While the accommodations may not have been the Royal Hilton, they were totally comfortable and in keeping with the small out of the way villages along our countryside ride.

Enjoyed the most: The freedom and comradie... the fact that everyone else seemed to truly enjoy the horses and the experiences with no pretenses.

Bothered you: I did not anticipate and prepare for the cold weather.

Comments: I only wish that I had more time to do this sort of thing more often!  The horses were wonderfully fit, well trained and willing, even when I made mine stay behind to accommodate picture taking.  Having our own horses has made us wary of 'rent' horses.  But no reason to worry here.

Enjoyed the most:

Great horses and tack. Felt like family with the crew. Food was really good especially the lunches!

Bothered you:

The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Most of the riders were English speaking- there were some challenges with communication- big group- fast ride and some things were lost in translation.

Comments:

Really enjoyed the ride! It was a fast ride.

Enjoyed the most

The scenery was spectacular. It really is a gorgeous part of France

Bothered you

Where to start - the lack of support for non french speakers, the horrid accommodation, way below the promised standard which should properly be described as basic or 1 star, the indifference to safety and comfort of riders and horses, the way the main guide (a partner in the company) seemed to foster and encourage the negative dynamic amongst the riders.

Comments

Previous client - third trip with Hidden Trails

I would note that the young women on our trip (who were in a different group than my sister and I) seemed to enjoy their trip. This was in my opinion as they were not experienced travellers and had no expectations as to accommodation, food or service. I would note however that the 'adults' in our group were all quite disappointed and frustrated. Those who do not speak french will be at a significant disadvantage. Overall it was a challenging ride (which we wanted) and the horses were generally quite good, however the trip information on your website was not representative of the actual experience. I am grateful that I have taken trips with Hidden Trails since if this had been my first experience with horse trekking and your services it would be extremely unlikely I would ever book again. I can not say enough how much I feel you should address these issues in your 'sales' pitch for Sommant as it could lead to very unhappy customers.