Before heading out on safari its important for your own safety, and indeed your own enjoyment, to choose a safari suited to your riding level.
Whether you have been riding since you could walk, or are new to the sport, there are many brilliant options for all levels and even some perfect family horse riding holidays. We always arrange a phone call to chat about your riding experience and we ask that you are honest about your riding experience. It allows us to help choose the right horse safari for you, and make sure that everyone on the group is on the same level.
If you are a beginner or even intermediate rider, don’t choose a ride that is too challenging. You might become anxious, lose your confidence or hold up the rest of the group. If you are less experienced, we recommend safaris in areas that have abundant plains game such as giraffe, zebra, antelope and sometimes even rhino, but no lions or elephants. These options combine shorter rides with other activities such as game drives and nature walks and are great for less confident riders or groups with mixed ability. You will have a more laidback introduction to horse safaris and still get the trill of being in Africa.
For the more advanced riders, there are some fast-paced rides over varied terrain that make for some thrilling time in the saddle. When riding in areas where you may encounter big game such as lion, elephant and buffaloes, you will need to be well balanced in the saddle and able to react to all eventualities, even galloping out of trouble if required. While the horses are well trained and habituated to wildlife, it is always best to be prepared. We recommend coming riding fit as you may spend up to 8 hours in the saddle on our expedition rides. If you ride western, we suggest taking an English lesson to get comfortable posting in the trot and doing a two-point canter.
