21st January 2026

breaking down the booking and payment process

If you’re interested in booking a riding holiday but find the booking and payment process intimidating, this post is for you.

If you’re booking a horse riding holiday for the first time or with a new agency / operator, it can be overwhelming. Have you chosen the right holiday, how much is the deposit, when do you pay the rest? And the questions go on…

That’s why in this blog post, we’re going to break down the booking and payment process so you know exactly what to expect when booking your dream riding trip.

so you’ve chosen your ride, what next?

Once you’ve chosen the ride you’d like to book, the first step is to send in an application form

(If you haven’t chosen a ride yet, see all of our rides here. If you have chosen a ride but want to ask some more questions before applying, fill out our ask for more info form here).

To send in an application form, you need to click either the ‘request to book’ or ‘reserve your saddle’ button on the page of the ride you’d like to go on and fill out the form it takes you to. This form allows us to make sure that you’ve got the right riding level for the ride and that details such as weight, height, medical conditions and dietary requirements can be accommodated.

Once you’ve submitted that form, sit back and wait for us to confirm availability with the operator before we move onto the next step.

paying the deposit

Once availability has been confirmed with the operator and you’ve decided to go ahead with booking, it’s time to pay the deposit. The deposit confirms your space on the ride and is usually 30% of the total price unless otherwise specified. You’ll be sent an invoice via email which will show you the price and currency you need to pay in and where to send the money too. We have a few rides on our website where all payments are handled by the operator, and if that’s the case, you’ll pay per their process.

At the time of paying the deposit, you’ll also be informed of our cancellation terms which are as follows:

More than 90 days before departure: Deposit is refundable less a £200 cancellation fee per rider and any bank or transfer fees.

90 days or fewer before departure: 100% of the total cost is forfeited.

If the operator’s cancellation terms differ from ours, those will take precedent and you’ll be informed of those when booking.

Once you’ve sent your deposit and we’ve received it, you’ll receive a confirmation email from us and any relevant extra information such as a packing list.

when is the full balance due?

The full balance is due 90 days before your departure and we’ll send you a reminder via email 7 days before. If you’re booking the trip within 90 days of the departure date, full payment will be required. You’ll be sent over an invoice again with all of the same details including the amount due and where to pay.

Once you’ve sent your final payment and we receive it, you’ll receive a confirmation email from us and all that’s left is to look forward to your trip!

what’s included in the price?

This may differ slightly per operator and we will confirm upon booking what’s included and what isn’t.

This is a general overview:

Included

Riding and other activities during the trip that are organised by the operator
Accommodation during the trip
Drinks and meals during the trip

Not included

International flights
Travel insurance
Visas
Tips / gratuities

Sometimes included

Transfers associated with the trip
Support vehicle
Gear such as riding hats

how far in advance should you book?

The earlier the better.

You can book onto a ride, if there’s space, at any point leading up to the departure date but it’s better to book earlier for a few reasons:

Popular rides fill up quickly, especially if only a few dates are available each year, the group sizes are small and there are ‘peak’ times to go, for example flowers are in bloom.
You give yourself more time to plan. The longer you have to book flights and organise transport / accommodation if necessary, the better. It also ends up being cheaper a lot of the time too.
You give yourself more time to pack. This is important if you’re going on a ride in an usual climate that may require special gear, for example one of our rides in Iceland requires a sleeping bag. If you don’t own some things you’ll need on a ride, the last thing you want to be doing is rush purchasing things not long before you’re due to leave.

what support do you get before your trip?

You’ll get as much support as you need at every part of the process from your initial enquiry to the day you depart.

We’ll be here to answer any questions you may have along the way, to send over any relevant information such as a detailed packing list and help to manage your expectations to get you as prepared for the trip as possible.

If you’re confused about any part of the process along the way or need some extra assistance at any point, never hesitate to ask us!