19th March 2026
how to prepare for your riding holiday
If you’ve booked your riding holiday and now feel stuck or overwhelmed by how best to prepare, here’s our comprehensive guide on everything you need to do and check before you head to the airport.
Insurance is one of the most, if not the most, important thing that you organise before your trip. Imagine the worst thing happens on your holiday and you fall off, breaking your leg. You get to the hospital to find out that the treatment you need is going to cost you thousands alongside even more to get you home. It’s easy to think ‘I’ll just risk it, what are the chances something will happen’, but if something does happen, you’ll be wishing you got the insurance. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Insurance also isn’t just for accidents. Sometimes things happen and you may need to cancel your holiday after having booked your flights and paid a deposit (which isn’t always refundable). Having insurance that covers cancellation means you won’t have lost out financially.
Your insurance should cover you for multi day horse riding (if you choose to ride without a hat, which we really recommend against, you must check that your insurance covers you for riding without one), repatriation, medical costs and cancellations.
Southdowns insurance is a good UK option.
World Nomads is a good worldwide option.
Make sure to do your own research and double check that your policy covers everything you need.
insurance
packing list
After booking your riding holiday, we’ll send you a full packing list specific to the ride and country you’re visiting but for a rough overview, check out our example packing list here.
The most important thing is that you’re packing clothes you feel comfortable in and layers are the best way to make sure you’re covered for all temperatures.
money
Whilst most countries largely accept both cash and card, there are some places (Kyrgyzstan for example) that still accept mostly cash alongside a lack of access to ATMs. It’s also a great idea to have some back up cash wherever you go just in case your phone or cards get lost or stolen. After booking your holiday, we’ll let you know what currency to take out and a rough ballpark on how much you might need.
Accommodation, food and transfers are included in the price of most holidays but it’s always a good idea to have some extra money for spending, tips and accommodation / food outside of the trip.
visas / vaccinations / passport requirements
It’s really important that you check before you leave whether you need a Visa or something equivalent when entering the country you’re flying to. You’ll be able to find this information on your government’s travel advice page. For the UK, that’s here: Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK
You’ll also be able to find out whether you need any vaccinations and how updated your passport needs to be in terms of months before your travel date. For example, the expiration date of your passport needs to be 3 months or more before your travel date when entering Spain but 6 months or more when entering Kyrgyzstan.
It’s also a great idea to make sure you know where your passport is prior to leaving the airport so you don’t have the last minute panic of ‘I don’t know where my passport is’.
flights
When booking your flights, make sure to check if there’s a recommended arrival and departure time. This should be listed in the itinerary but if you’re unsure, please ask!
If there’s a set arrival / pick up time, make sure your flight lands a little early to account for any delays. Some operators may charge you extra if you’re late and they need to arrange another pick up for you or you might get off on the wrong foot with your fellow riders if they’ve had to stand around waiting for you.
If you need help booking your flights or would like recommendations, we’re more than happy to help.
tech
Before travelling, make sure you’ve got all the devices you want to bring charged (phone, camera, portable charger) and that you have a plug adapter for the country you’re visiting.
You’ll also need to check whether your phone plan covers you for the country you’re visiting (for example if you live in the UK, your plan might cover you for Europe already) and if not, to get a sim that does. E-sims are a great option these days as you don’t need to worry about changing over a physical sim and they can just be installed via an app. Airalo and Saily are great options.
cultural awareness
It’s really important and respectful before visiting any country that you do some general research on the culture and local etiquette. For example, if you’re a woman and visiting a predominantly Muslim country, you may need to wear full coverage clothing and/or cover your hair when going inside certain buildings. This is really important to check beforehand and the least you can do.
fitness
For your benefit and for the benefit of the people you’ll be riding with, it’s a great idea to make sure you’re physically fit enough for the ride you’re going on. For example, if you’re joining a ride where you’ll be in the saddle for 6 hours everyday but only used to riding for 1 or 2 hours once a week, upping your riding hours or strengthening your joints and muscles in the gym could save you a world of pain.
final admin checklist
Before you go, make sure you’ve checked over all the various admin bits and know exactly where you’re going and when. Check your flight times, pick up / drop off times, accommodation locations and any extra bits of key info.
It might be old school and ‘airport dad’ to print off documents like your passport, boarding pass, insurance and accommodation location (if relevant), but if you lose your phone, you won’t regret it and it’s worth it just for the stress it would save you.
Lastly, if you have any questions at any point before your trip, please ask us! It’s better to have double checked something you’re unsure on or ask for further clarification rather than travelling and feeling unsure or confused. It’s what we’re here for :)
NOT SURE WHERE TO GO or need some help?
Drop us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can🐎🌅