American Horse Riding Holidays Testimonials

Alison Allan on the Coconut Trail, Brazil – November 2022

I have done a number of holidays with Zara's Planet and the Coconut Trail is my number one. The horses are amazing, they just keep going, so well schooled and willing and did I say FAST. The holiday itself is a fantastic balance of serious horse riding, amazing sightseeing, fantastic food and relaxing down time. A typical day is long fast morning ride ending at a local restaurant for lunch and beer, followed by a short ride back to your local hotel for some down time either in the pool, on the beach or my favourite - the hammock. Everything is so well organised with loads of laughs and freedom to ride where you want - definitely not in a straight line. The boat trips are memorable as are the evening dinners and laughs, such a great way to get to know each other. There is so much variety in the holiday, beaches, coconut groves, sand dunes, rivers, each day is an adventure and different. The accommodation is always spotless and authentic. It’s one of those holidays you will never forgot.

Alison Allan The Coconut Trail, Brazil 21/04/2023

Nanno on the Gaucho Trail, Argentina

Now that I am settling into my new normal , want to write and let you know how much I enjoyed yet another fabulous Zarasplanet adventure. It was wonderful to experience at the time and continues to bring joy through the memory of it and recounting of stories . All the women in our group were GREAT company and fun- we just seemed to slot in together with ease like the pieces of a jigsaw. I loved that we got to share and see many aspects of Argentina together which is indeed a huge and beautiful country. It is obvious Angie, Diego, their family and team have developed their business and work hard to ensure we have a great time. Their friendliness and warm hospitality, wonderfully patient , responsive, comfortable horses, luxurious stylish accommodation , delicious food and wines, decadent picnics all worked for me. I had a magical memorable time with them. I would class it as the trip if a lifetime- but then , I’ve had several of those with you already and who know’s, perhaps more to come!

Thank YOU for your professionalism organising everything, choosing the right type of authentic accommodation, getting best money exchange rates for us, recommending locations, shops, secret bars etc etc. I feel safe and well supported and therefore relaxed.

Nanno Fitzsimons Ireland Gaucho Trail, Argentina 07/04/2023

Vicky on the Coffee Trail, Colombia

The Colombian Coffee Trail was my first horse riding holiday and what a holiday it was! Riding well trained horses of the beaten track, over and around mountains surrounded by the most incredible scenery which allowed you to get a real feel of rural Colombia, the people and their way of life. The guides and hosts couldn’t do enough to make your time in their country special. Already planning my next holiday with Zara’s Planet!

Vicky Campbell - UK Colombia, America 01/11/2019

Sally Anderson on Colombian Central Trail, Colombia

Just to let you know we had a fantastic time in Colombia, the weeks riding was a real treat. We met some lovely people on the ride and Paul and Chalas and his team looked after us brilliantly. It was a great privilege to be able to visit some wonderful homes along the way - from the very simple country home we picnicked outside on the first long day over the hills to the wonderful haciendas. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

And the horses were lovely, Richard was unfortunately rather over horsed the first day (he had to go and lie down for a couple of hours at the end of the day!) whereas I had a very quiet mount (which I found rather boring, the horse did nothing wrong but just had no sparkle) - we swapped and everything was perfect.

Looking forward to when we can do it again!

Sally Scotland 19/01/2018

Olga Ridley on Estancia Corrientes, Argentina

I had the time of my life it was my best riding holiday yet. The horses were very well matched, which gave me great confidence, especially when we were cantering. Fabian the guide was very good he was very easy to get on with and a great help with my riding and he spoke good English as my Spanish is not great! The accommodation was clean and comfortable and I had the best views of whole place. The meals were also very good, lots of meat as you would expect, great quality, they were always making sure we had enough to drink and sat with us, which made you feel like you were part of their family. This really made the holiday for me and I was able to experience an estancia, being part of daily family life!

Olga Scotland 19/01/2018

Amy Maloney on Patagonia Trail Rides, Chile

From start to finish, our trip truly felt blessed. We saw condors on the way to the penguin colony. Not just high in the sky. These condors swooped down and were surfing the wind right in front and to the side of our van, as if welcoming us and leading the way. Later in the trip, we saw a condor perched high on a hill with his wings outstretched. Chechin said he was drying his feathers.

We also saw the wild horses! Feeling their energy, our horses became antsy and within moments we saw a large herd of wild horses galloping through a clearing of trees on the next hill over. So exciting!

We had breathtaking views of every glacier and vista. We swam in Laguna Azul (just a few of us brave girls? Sabine included). And it was at Laguna Azul where we had our first night of spectacular stars. Sabine said it was one of the best night skies she has seen. The hotel our first and last night was excellent. A great stay after 20+ hours of travelling and an even better stay after nine nights camping. The team showed great attention to detail. They were warm, welcoming, funny, and eager to help. I believe they genuinely wanted me to have an enjoyable, relaxing, exciting, and fun filled vacation.

Their passion for horses and Patagonia were evident. The cocktail hour - with appetizers and pisco sours - was something I began to look forward to each day. And the unexpected surprise of having our tents already set up on many days was fantastic (we especially loved that it was always a surprise.) I could go on and on. And I have been going on and on to my family and friends. All of whom are incredibly jealous of my adventures in Chilean Patagonia.

Amy Maloney 06/11/2014

John on Estancia Huechahue, Argentina

Just a quick note to say thank you so much for arranging our trip. We loved the remoteness of Huechahue, it is the most 'incredible' place with such outstanding scenery. My highlight was arriving at the volcano crater after two hours of cutting through undergrowth with a machete.

John Williamson from Co. Kerry 06/11/2014

Michael on Estancia Los Potreros, Argentina

I was staying at Los Potreros, a 6,500-acre estancia and cattle farm. The closest thing in the UK is a country-house hotel, but nothing I’ve experienced over here compares to the hospitality of the owners, husband-and-wife team Kevin and Louisa Begg.

The vibe is cosy and anything but grandiose. You can wear what you like, when you like, and are encouraged to help yourself to a cold beer at the end of a hard day in the saddle. There’s a chef on hand for either Western or Argentine cuisine (the beef here is exceptional). After dinner, guests exchange riding stories over a bottle of Malbec, with evenings often descending into charades or Scrabble. All this, and geese and hens clacking about in the background.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a family home tucked away at the end of a dusty driveway. Pure bliss.

Michael Kallenbach London Evening Standard Newspaper, Jan'2013 06/11/2014

A. O’Discoll on Estancia Los Potreros, Argentina

We had a wonderful break in Argentina and thanks again for all your advice and help. The ranch was beautiful with excellent home bred horses, wonderful staff, the resident gauchos were so lovely and keen to show us how the ranch worked and the Beggs are gorgeous hosts who kept us filled with delicious food and wine all week.

A. O’Discoll from Dublin 06/11/2014

Lisa on Buenos Aires Polo Club, Argentina

We both play polo, though not to a very high standard, and wanted somewhere nice to stay for a week that would serve both as a place to relax and a place to hone our polo skills. Put simply; we loved it so much, we arranged a special trip to return just four months later!

El Metejon is conveniently located less than an hour from Buenos Aires, and a mere 15min from Ezeiza airport. The estancia is close to La Martina and La Dolfina, as well If you ask to be picked up by car, you may get a rather shabby welcome vehicle, but don't let that serve as an indication of what's to come.

First: the POLO... There are three fields which are maintained to a very high standard, and there are around 400 horses to choose from, so you will certainly find something to your liking. Mornings usually involve a stick-and-ball session, which can be solo or with the expert tuition of Paola Martinez, their resident two-goal instructor. Paola is absolutely fantastic, and wonderfully patient, as well. Late afternoons will include practice chukkas (usually four chukkas), which will be tailored to your level of expertise. You'll get the full complement of horses at your disposal, and you'll have no more than two "guests" on each team to keep the flow going. We played practice games with 5-goal resident pro Jorge Tassara, 2-goal Paola Martinez, and several excellent 0-2 goal players from the area. Diego and Alicia, the owners of El Metejon, are very well connected, as their family includes Santiago Chavanne (8 goals) and Maria Chavanne (1 goal), and Diego is the godfather of none other than Adolfo Cambiaso. As a result, they can tailor higher goal practice sessions at relatively short notice (not that we needed it!) During our stay, we encountered both absolute beginners to people who had played for 15 years. All of whom were kept happy.

I cannot praise the friendliness and kindness of the staff and owners enough, from the incredible hospitality of Diego and Alicia (nothing is a problem for them), to the grooms, to the warmth and friendliness of Paola, to the people in the clubhouse. Really, it's what made the place so special for us, and it's why we'll never go anywhere else.

Lisa from London 06/11/2014