Travels on horseback

Frequently Asked Questions

So, if you have any questions about our holidays, it’s possible they’re answered below. If not, please do just give us a call or drop us an and we’ll get right back to you with whatever you want to know.

Arriving in Somerset…

If you’re coming by plane or train, we’re really happy to collect you from the terminal - just let us know. If you’re driving, we’ll give you directions you can trust, and if you’re bringing your own horse, rest assured your horsebox will be parked securely on our property whilst you are off having fun!

Your riding group and your horse

You can bring your own horse on holiday, or ride one of our fit, happy horses. Whichever you do, we promise to give you a fantastic holiday spent only with your party, we do not put people together into big groups.
If you’re riding one of our horses you should also be pretty fit and a confident rider at all paces.  If you’d like to holiday on your own horse, all you have to do is box yourself over to Somerset and we’ll do the rest.

Riding

The riding is wonderful. Many people haven’t heard of the Quantocks, but we hope our trails page will give you a taster of the riding we can offer. You can see how beautiful it is up there by taking a look at our photos. A typical day will see you ride through fields, parkland, forests, streams, open moorland, up and down the combes of the Quantocks and, if you’d like it, onto the sands of the West Somerset coast…

Guides

If you are riding our horses, your party must take a guide, the cost of which will be shared amongst you. This is to ensure the safety of all our guests and our horses. If you are riding your own horses, your can ride guided or unguided. Rates can be found here.

Guides travel with you, take care of the route finding, help you with horse care each evening and morning, and are generally your helpful friend. If you are riding your own horses and choose to ride unguided, we will provide you with annotated maps and everything else you need, and you will set off alone. This means your party must be able to map read, use a compass, and take responsibility for following the trail. It’s open countryside up there, so much like if you were on a walking holiday, you’ll have to read the map and the lay of the land to successfully arrive at your destination. It’s exciting! The thrill of finding your way is what some of our guests love, but if you don’t feel confident with this, we suggest hiring a guide.

Equipment

You can find out what we provide (lots), and what you’ll need to bring (not much) on our Equipment page. Once you’re here, we help you transfer your luggage to our pretty roomy saddlebags. Believe us, you can get enough for six days into these things, and on long trails, your hosts will graciously help you out with laundry if you run out of smalls.

Overnight stops for you and your horse

We know you will love the accommodation and food and there’s some information on some of them here: Comfort & Food.  At each stop we have arranged either stabling or pasture for your horses. So, when you arrive in the afternoon, either your guide (if you have booked one) or your host will be there to greet you and show you where everything is. You first untack and leave your equipment in a nice dry room provided for us. Then you feed the horses (food ready and waiting), and finally turn them out into their field or stable. In the morning, after breakfast you catch, feed and tack up horses in your own time and make your way back onto the trail.

Pubs and other stops

We’ll work pub stops into your trail if you’d like. Each of them has been thoroughly checked out as horse-friendly by Travels on Horseback, and tie-ups are ready and waiting for you in courtyards or carparks. The landlords will be only too happy to tell you where to park!

Other activities

Visit our Relax, Refresh, Revive page to see how easy we make it to kick back and relax.

The weather

If you’re wondering what the weather will be like for your holiday, you can check out the forecasts and weather patterns here. You’ll be pleased to know that the West Country has over 200 hours of sunshine every month in the summer - well above the national average!

What’s included?

You can find out exactly what is included in your Travels on Horseback holiday here.

Learn more about our hotels and recommended restaurants

How we help you to rest and feel revived

Our mission is to give you the best riding you’ve ever had

Read testimonials about Travels on Horseback

Download our 2010 brochure

Explore our trails through Somerset

Learn about our horses before you ride!

We think we may have the fittest horses in Somerset. They work hard for us, and enjoy their natural lifestyle to the full. All our horses live out, day and night , 365 days a year - we believe it’s important for their well-being. So come and visit them, they’ll be delighted to see you!

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Read about trail riding holidays

Read testimonials about Travels on Horseback

Privacy Policy

Information Collection and Use
Travels on Horseback Ltd is the owner of the information collected on this site. We will not sell or rent this information to others.

Personal Information
We request personal information from you on our forms on this website and possibly via email. This information is used to fulfil your enquiries, make reservations and for billing purposes only.

Cookies
A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user’s hard drive containing information about the user. Usage of a cookie in no way links you to any personally identifiable information while on our site.

Links
This web site may contain links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy policies of other sites. Should you leave our site through an external link, we encourage you to be aware, and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies only to information collected by this web site.

Emailing and promotional emails
If you make an enquiry or a booking via the ‘Reserve’ section of our website, you will automatically be opted in to the database. By opting in to the database you are agreeing to receive information such as news and special offer alerts.
Alternatively you can opt in to our database via the ‘Travel With Us’ function on the ‘Make Contact’ section of our web site, where we ask for contact information such as your name and email address so that we can contact you with news and special offer alerts.

Opt out
If you do not wish to continue to receive newsletters keeping you updated on special events and offers, you can either:
• use the “Unsubscribe” facility on any promotional email
• email us to let us know you would like to unsubscribe or opt out

Notification of Changes
If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on our web site so you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify you by email. You will have a choice as to whether or not we can use your information in this manner.

Complaints
In you think that Travels on Horseback Ltd has not complied with the terms of this privacy policy, or are otherwise concerned with our treatment of personal information, please contact us at Travels on Horseback, 47 Farringdon, North Petherton, Bridgwater, TA6 6PF, Somerset. Complaints or requests for information shall be the object of an investigation or response within 30 business days. If the complaint is justified, Travels on Horseback Ltd will take the appropriate measures to address the complaint, including access to the requested information, by proceeding with rectification or, as the case may be, by amending our policy and practices.

Terms and Conditions

Anyone booking a holiday with Travels on Horseback agrees to the following terms and conditions. Together with all information contained in our website, these Terms and Conditions form the basis of your contract with Travels on Horseback Ltd. Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations.

1. Your party
1.1.The person making the booking must be over 18 years old and all children must be accompanied by a person over the age of 18.
1.2. You must take out a suitable travel insurance policy that will protect yourself, your equipment and luggage. Travel Insurance can cover unexpected costs due to illness, accident, trip interruption or cancellation. Overseas residents must obtain insurance cover in their home country.
1.3. A damage deposit is required for the equipment supplied by Travels on Horseback to you. The deposit is £100 per person and will take the form of cheque or cash. The deposit will be restored to you upon return of all the equipment in a satisfactory condition. We reserve the right to make a deduction from the deposit to cover the cost of replacing or repairing any damaged or lost items or equipment. If damage sustained to Travels on Horseback equipment exceeds the deposit taken for your party, we will ask you to pay the difference in cash before you leave. If you do not pay the difference before you leave, we will make a claim for the amount from you.
1.4. It is your responsibility to ensure that all riders are adequately fit and experienced (i.e. safe and competent on horseback at all paces) to come on a riding holiday with Travels on Horseback. You must accept that horse riding is a risk sport and that the sole responsibility for your personal safety remains with you.
1.5. All members of your party must be suitably equipped (e,g. wearing appropriate boots and riding hats).
1.6. If you are riding your own horse(s) you must be riding horses you can comfortably control.
1.7. If you are riding horses from Travels on Horseback, you undertake to honestly and fully inform us of your riding experience and fitness when booking your holiday. Based on this information, we will endeavour to make a suitable mount selection for you. When you arrive, we will assess your riding and your suitability for the horse which has been chosen for you. To do this we will either (a) take you out for a hack the day before your expedition starts, or (b) assess you during the first hour of your expedition.
1.8. If after our assessment we do not believe you are competent to ride on an expedition, we will tell you so, and will not hire you a horse. We regret that in these circumstances there can be no refund to you. We will provide you with maps so that you can meet the remainder of your party at each nights’ accommodation by alternative means.
1.9. If after our assessment we do not believe you are capable of riding the horse that has been chosen for you, we will tell you so. The provision of an alternative horse is entirely at Travels on Horseback’s discretion, and if no horse is provided, we regret that there can be no refund to you. We will provide you with maps so that you can meet the remainder of your party at each nights’ accommodation by alternative means.
1.10. If you are riding our horses your holiday must be ridden with a guide. Guides travel with your party, take care of route finding and help your party with horse care each evening and morning.
1.11. If all the members of your party are riding their own horses, you can ride guided or unguided. If you choose to ride unguided, we will provide you with annotated maps, saddle bags, a compass and other useful equipment and your party will set off alone. This means your party must be able to map read, use a compass, and take responsibility for following the trail. If your party does not feel confident with this responsibility, we strongly recommend that you hire a guide.
1.12. Although Travels on Horseback will endeavour to make your holiday as safe as possible, whether or not you are riding with a guide you must accept that the sole responsibility for your personal safety remains with you. In the interests of safety you must undertake to follow the advice of your guide if you have one, or the advice in the route notes we have provided. You must also heed any warnings or notices encountered on your ride.
1.13. All riders must acquaint themselves with the Countryside Code and The British Horse Society Code for Riding & Driving Responsibly and undertake to follow them throughout their time in Somerset. Click here to read the BHS Code.
1.14. In the unlikely event that you have any reason to complain or experience any problems with your holiday, you must contact us immediately and we will do our best to resolve the problem straight away. Should it not be possible to resolve your complaint immediately, you should write to us, giving full details, within 14 days of the holiday’s conclusion. Complaints received after this date can be difficult to investigate.

2. Your horse(s)
2.1. All your horses and riders must have public liability insurance (click here to see sample providers).
2.2. It is your responsibility to make sure all your horses are wormed and vaccinated against equine 'flu and tetanus for the duration of the holiday.
2.3. It is your responsibility to make sure all your horses are free from major vices and happy and controllable when encountering new horses and new situations.
2.4. The safety, health and welfare of your horse(s) remains, at all times, your responsibility.
2.5. If you engage the services of a third party (such as a vet or farrier) you will be responsible for payment of any such services.

3. Our horse(s)
3.1. Our horses have public liability insurance.
3.2. Our horses are wormed and vaccinated against ‘flu and tetanus.
3.3. It is your responsibility to inform the guide on your holiday of any injury, damage or illness to the Travels on Horseback horses(s) being ridden by your party as soon as you are aware of it.
3.4. You will be held solely responsible for, and liable for any costs resulting from, injury, damage, illness or death of the Travels on Horseback horses(s) being ridden by your party whilst you are on your holiday, and for any injury, damage, illness or death which is discovered upon the horses’ return to Travels on Horseback.
3.5. Travels on Horseback may take out a claim against you in result of the injury, damage, illness or death of one of its horses.
3.6. If the Travels on Horseback horse(s) you are riding suffers injury, damage, illness or death, Travels on Horseback may provide you with an alternative horse for the remainder of your holiday, if more than 24 hours remains before the end of your holiday. The provision of an alternative horse is entirely at Travels on Horseback’s discretion, and if no horse is provided, we regret that there can be no refund to you.

4. Your booking
4.1. When you book a holiday we will confirm your reservation using your preferred method of communication and send you an invoice.
4.2. When you have received this confirmation, you undertake to pay the deposit (20% of the total) within one week, and the balance of the holiday price (80% of the total) no later than four weeks before the start of the holiday.
4.3 All prices are quoted in Pounds Sterling and are payable in that currency.
4.4. Whilst we make every endeavour to ensure that the information on our website is carefully checked and accurate, the published prices shown may alter. Enquires should be made at the time of booking to confirm prices.
4.5.The balance must reach us at least four weeks before the start of your holiday. The date on which the final balance of your holiday is due is shown on the invoice. No further reminder is sent. If the balance is not paid in time we reserve the right to cancel your booking, retain your deposit and apply cancellation charges as set out below.

5. Changes and cancellations by you
5.1. If one of your party is unable to come on your holiday due to serious illness, jury service or other emergency reason, their booking can be transferred to another person, providing the replacement person pays a £50 transfer fee and duly accepts our Terms and Conditions.
5.2. If everyone in your party is riding your own horse(s) and would like to make any other changes to your booking aside from those outlined in (5.1) above, we will make all reasonable efforts to help, subject to an administrative charge of £50 per person, and the repayment by you to us of all reasonable costs incurred by us on your behalf. Reasonable costs include deposits which may have been made on your behalf for accommodation for your holiday, hiring of equipment, travel expenses and any other costs directly related to your booking, or the rescheduling of your booking.
5.3. If anyone in your party is riding one of our horses and you would like to make changes to your booking aside from those outlined in (5.1) above, if it is prior to the due date for payment of the balance of your holiday (four weeks before the start of the holiday), we will make all reasonable efforts to help, subject to an administrative charge of £50 per person , and the repayment by you to us of all reasonable costs incurred by us on your behalf. Reasonable costs include deposits which may have been made on your behalf for accommodation for your holiday, hiring of equipment or horses, travel expenses and any other costs directly related to your booking, or the rescheduling of your booking. Alterations after this date will be treated as a cancellation of the original holiday and a new booking for a different holiday, and the charges set out below will apply.
5.4. Should you, any member of your party or the entire party be forced to cancel your booking, you must do so in writing (an email will be accepted). The cancellation will take effect from the date that such written cancellation is received by us. For a cancellation received more than four weeks before the start date of the holiday the deposit will be forfeit, but any other payment towards the cost of the holiday will be refunded. For later cancellations the deposit will be forfeit but any payment towards the holiday will be refunded less the following charges: 31 – 21 days before the start: 50% of the total cost of the holiday 20 – 15 days before the start: 75% of the total cost of the holiday
5.5. No refund can be given for a cancellation 14 days or less before the start of a holiday or whilst the holiday is in progress.

6. Changes and cancellations by Travels on Horseback
6.1. Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations we reserve the right to do so.
6.2. If we have to make a change to the particulars of your holiday before your booking is complete, we will communicate this to you at the earliest opportunity before your booking is concluded.
6.3. If we have to cancel your holiday or make a significant change before your departure (such as a significant change of route, or a change to the date of departure) we will tell you as soon as possible and you will have the choice of: (a) accepting the changed arrangements, or (b) booking an alternative holiday, or (c) cancelling or accepting the cancellation and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. Acceptance of one of these options constitutes full settlement.
6.4. Please note that the above options are not available where any change is a minor one (i.e. any change not mentioned above).
6.5. We regret we cannot pay any expenses, costs or losses incurred by you as a result of any change or cancellation. No refund will be payable if we cancel as a result of your failure to comply with any requirement of these terms and conditions entitling us to cancel, such as paying on time.
6.6. We do not accept any liability where the performance of Travels on Horseback’s contractual obligations is prevented or affected by, or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss as a result of, force majeure. Force majeure means any event which we, or the supplier of the service(s) in question, could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events include war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorist activities, industrial disputes, fire, plague or widespread infectious diseases, natural or nuclear disasters, adverse weather conditions and all similar events outside our control.
6.7. Where we have to cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances or force majeure you will have the choice of: (a) booking an alternative holiday, or (b) cancelling or accepting the cancellation and receiving a full refund of all monies paid less monies expended on your behalf which are not recoverable.

7. Hacking
7.1 All hacks must be paid for in advance.
7.2 If you cancel within 24 hours of the hack start time we reserve the right to apply a of 50% cancellation fee. The 50% fee applies to everyone in your hacking party who did not cancel more than 24 hours before the start of your hack. It also applies to the value of a gift voucher, if that is how you have chosen to pay for your hack.
7.3 If you wish to re-book your hack, we will require this fee to be settled before we will make another booking for you. If you do not wish to rebook, the cost of your hack will be refunded, less the 50% cancellation fee.
7.4. Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations we reserve the right to do so.
7.5. If we have to make a change to your booked hack, such as a change of time or day, (including a postponement which we think is necessary due to adverse weather conditions) we will tell you as soon as possible and you will have the choice of: (a) accepting the changed arrangements, or (b) booking an alternative hack. Acceptance of one of these options constitutes full settlement.
7.6. We regret we cannot pay any expenses, costs or losses incurred by you as a result of any change or cancellation.
7.7. We do not accept any liability where the performance of Travels on Horseback’s contractual obligations is prevented or affected by, or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss as a result of, force majeure. Force majeure means any event which we, or the supplier of the service(s) in question, could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events include war or threat of war, riots, civil strife, terrorist activities, industrial disputes, fire, plague or widespread infectious diseases, natural or nuclear disasters, adverse weather conditions and all similar events outside our control.



8. Exclusions
8.1. We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss, damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of any description whatsoever if you should deviate from the route which we provide for you or any instructions which we give to you, or which results from any fault on your part.
9.2. We cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional services or facilities which your hotel or any other supplier such as a farrier agrees to provide to you.
8.3. If you engage the services of a third party (such as a vet or farrier) you will be responsible for payment of any such services.
8.4. Except in respect of death or personal injury caused by our negligence or as expressly provided in these Terms and Conditions, we will not be liable to you by reason of any representation (unless fraudulent), or any implied warranty condition or other term, or any duty at common law, or under the express terms of any contract with you, for any loss of profit or other indirect special or consequential loss, damage, costs, expenses or other claims (whether caused by our negligence or otherwise) which arise out of, or in connection with, the provision of our service to you or any equipment supplied by us, and our liability to you in any such case shall not exceed the price agreed to be paid for the holiday.
8.5. Any claim or claims which you may have against us other than claims in respect of death or personal injury shall be limited to any actual economic loss.

9. Jurisdiction
9.1. All matters arising from your contract with us are governed by English Law and are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Our trails through the Quantock Hills

Westward Ho!  – 2 days riding, 2 nights

A wonderful package for beach lovers! Our Westward Ho! holiday will take you on a two-day trail staying in two gorgeous country hotels, and finishing with a ride on a beach.

Day one will take you from the Quantock hamlet of Farringdon, through forests, farms, hills and parkland to Over Stowey, where we stay in an organic farm with fantastic views and food to match.
Day two sees you ride up the valley and onto the very top of the Quantock Hills. From here we will follow the spine of the Quantocks all the way west to the sea. In the afternoon we will arrive at a private guesthouse with its own access to famous St Audries Bay. The afternoon is spent cantering on the beach and the evening relaxing with a complimentary bottle of champagne!

Westward Ho! Rates*
Our horses: £550 guided
Your own horses: £240 unguided; £390 guided

Quantock Trail – 3 days riding, 2 nights

Day one will take you from the archetypal Quantock hamlet of Farringdon, through forests, farms and hills to the stunning village of West Bagborough, where a most welcoming farmhouse awaits you and your trusty mount.
Day two sees you ride up the valley and onto the very top of the Quantock Hills. From here we will descend to the picturesque village of Holford, rise up to an iron-age fort and then skirt the edge of another hill before descending to Over Stowey for the night.
Day three completes the circle to Farringdon via the southern hills of the Quantocks, some beautiful parkland and a glimpse of the wild horses if you are lucky!

Quantock Trail Rates*
Our horses: £690 guided
Your own horses: £270 unguided; £455 guided

Poets Trail – 5 days riding, 4 nights

Day one will take you from the archetypal Quantock hamlet of Farringdon, through forests, farms and hills to the stunning village of West Bagborough, where a most welcoming farmhouse awaits you and your trusty mount.
Day two from West Bagborough, traverse the Quantocks and the deer park, experiencing the vistas so admired by Wordsworth and Coleridge. In the afternoon you will arrive at a private guesthouse with its own access to famous St Audries Bay. The afternoon is spent galloping on the beach.
Day three take a half day of rest from riding for you and horse – explore the beach for fossils and wildlife, investigate nearby West Qauntoxhead village and enjoy a surfeit of poetry as you relax in beautiful farmhouse surroundings. In the afternoon we will ride across farmland for stunning views of the west Somerset coast, and down onto the beach again for more sea action!
Day four You will hit the trail again, cantering up beautiful valleys to reach the highest peak of the Quantocks, Bicknoller Point. From here you will follow the ridge, and possibly some wild horse herds, via an iron age hill fort and Dead Woman’s Ditch to charming Over Stowey in the east.
Day five your final day’s trail will take you through parkland and past the famous Quantock Lodge, via Cothlestone Hill back to the Travels on Horseback yard in the afternoon. You will arrive back at Farringdon with humans and horses happy and pleasantly tired!

Poets Trail Rates*
Our horses: £1185 guided
Your own horses: £490 unguided; £790 guided

*Rates are per person, assuming two people sharing. For varying options and rates, please visit our Rates Page

The holiday your horse would choose…

The only trail riding holiday in England, and you can finish with a gallop on the beach!

Take a look at some of our suggested trails

View our rates

Download our 2010 brochure

Residential Holidays

We do residential riding breaks too, because not everyone fancies a trail ride. Come and stay in a beautiful farmhouse and let your loved ones have their fun in Somerset whilst you ride! to let us help plan your trip.

Learn more about our hotels and recommended restaurants

Read testimonials about Travels on Horseback