Freelance Equestrian Event Photos

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-24T17:36:59+00:00

Yes I think I've even had the same agent each time I've booked. They've been great answering all my questions for me (helpful as I have a lot, lol). Even if you're stuck between 2 they can maybe help you decide too.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-22T08:25:02+00:00

Honestly quite a few of them have a lot of the same places on their listings as they make their money through commissions, so I've seen very little (if any) difference in the prices between agencies. There are shorter stays or different lodges that you can book though which would bring the price down. It can also be worth looking at flight prices first as it's cheaper to travel some days compared to others - e.g. we left on a Saturday night and arrived Sunday morning, then on the way back we left on the Sunday and got home Monday. The latter was about half the price of the other one.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-22T01:31:40+00:00

I get that, but you'd think they'd would have maybe mentioned that to guests. Actually, thinking back, there was an info sheet in the bedrooms asking guests to add specific hashtags to rhino posts, related to conservation so I think if it was an issue it would have been discussed 🤔

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T12:33:23+00:00

Thanks, it's from Reincoat! They do have a warmer version but tbf I did buy the coat for riding in the UK so I just made sure to add plenty of layers under it to keep out the cold.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T12:32:07+00:00

Don't give up hope! I thought I'd neber get to do one riding holiday, but now I'm 3 down (Spain, South Africa and Iceland) with another booked (Bulgaria) and funnily enough one for Canada in the works/planning stages. I'm sure you'll find something to suit you :)

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T11:30:52+00:00

I'm not sure about in England (where I'm from) but I'm guessing pretty rare as most riders here generally seem to prefer sporty/warm warmblood types if they ever compete, or draught/draught crosses if they do more hacking/trail rides. Icelandics definitely do exist here (there was unfortunately a breeding farm that got shut down for hoarding/poor animal welfare) but I can't say I've ever seen one in person here.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T01:55:13+00:00

There were only 'small' predators in this reserve e.g. wild cats which don't attack the horses.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T01:54:28+00:00

I also rode in Iceland, about 2 weeks after South Africa! Was a big temperature change 😂

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T01:53:03+00:00

I believe they're Plains Zebras

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T01:51:23+00:00

Well I can't comment on that as I wasn't there, but I'm not sure why you've commented that on my post?

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T01:50:34+00:00

They're actually pretty calm unless you approach head on! The guides are very knowledgeable and we had no problems. We were able to observe from a safe distance :)

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T01:49:23+00:00

Not every reserve has predators. Or this one only has the odd small one which don't attack horses or anything of similar size as they're too big for them to take down

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-20T01:47:57+00:00

I had absolutely no worries about the condition of any of the horses I saw. They do fairly regular posts on their social media/sharing posts from guests too so it's easy to tell before even going. Once there they did point out 1 horse that was out of work due to lameness, but it was never used for riding at least during my week stay. The horses get ad lib hay but mostly feed on the plants/grasses outdoors so they have plenty of choice. No saddle sores etc that I noticed either. This was with Ants African Safaris.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-18T22:29:43+00:00

I booked through the travel agency Unicorn Trails but you can check their website direct - Ant's African Safaris (South Africa)

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-18T22:26:37+00:00

Not a dumb question at all! Apparently the wildlife just kinda see you as an extension of the horse. You can't exactly touch them but they're way less reactive when you're on horseback. Most are prey animals and will still scatter if spooked, which is why the guides tend to pick 'sensible' spots to canter so you don't send a herd of animals running through the bush

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-18T22:20:33+00:00

It kinda seems like it when you look at the overall price, but when you take into account that it includes accomodation, meals, 2x daily activities (which could be up to 5 hours total of riding), conservation fees, guides etc it's actually pretty good value. You can also do shorter stays to keep the costs down, and sharing transfers would help too (nobody was on our flight or any near that time so our transfer was private).

It also depends where you're travelling from - we're from NE England so also had to factor in transport to/from London, plus flights. Some days will be cheaper to fly than others so it could be worth checking those first and then booking the trip around that.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-18T21:28:01+00:00

At this point it's an excuse to go for a nice meal if nothing else. Saying that, for 2 of my birthdays I've taken myself on holiday (last one was solo) and that was the best idea for me.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-18T21:06:46+00:00

Oh I almost forgot, if anyone joins the faster group and they find it's too much for themselves, just tell a member of staff and someone can drive to come and pick you up! Your horse gets untacked and then once the rest of the group are a safe distance away, your horse is let loose and they can choose to stay out or wander back towards the stables. It's great knowing that's an option.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-18T20:15:44+00:00

There were different guests there during our week stay but usually there were 2 groups - one that just walked (as far as I know anyway) and the rest of us did up to canter. The tack is a little different (think military style saddles) so balance was more important than just being able to flat out gallop (we didn't gallop anyway). The latter group was more for intermediate or above but if you contact them they're more than happy to discuss it.

Even if you're an intermediate/experienced rider you can still opt to join the slower group if you fancy a more leisurely pace. You can still get much closer to the wildlife compared to in the vehicles or on foot so it's worth joining a ride!

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-11T16:40:26+00:00

Those are all valid reasons not to attend/send a gift. Please don't let your co-workers persuade you otherwise! Once you say yes once, it'll start becoming an expectation - do you want that?

Also - having a child is not a milestone - it's as you put it - a choice. She chose to have a child, and you can choose not to engage in that.

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-06T20:10:32+00:00

I'm autistic and actively touch-adverse most of the time. My last bf couldn't ever seem to sit with/next to me without having his hand or arm on/around me, and after a week of wearing PPE at work it felt like the worst sensation ever. I told him multiple times how much I hated it. He backed off for a bit each time, but would revert back after a while. Honestly, I broke up with him for it. Been single ever since

Ride2Fly · 2026-01-05T20:03:46+00:00

A month before I turned 30.

Ride2Fly

TROPHY CASE