Questions for the stable before booking: twelve questions for your ride
Twelve questions for the stable that you should ask before booking, so that the ride fits you and the horse.
Twelve questions on weight, level, route, group, equipment and cancellation, with examples of how providers answer them in their offers.
How to use the questions
Write the provider a short message with your details (height, weight, riding experience, wish) and ask the questions the offer does not answer. The answers belong to the provider and are the basis of your decision. We give no assurances for individual rides.
Weight and level
1. What is your weight limit? Providers name it differently, mostly under “Not suitable for”. Ask whether the figure applies with or without equipment. You can read the reasons for limits in our guide on weight limits. 2. Which riding level is required? There is no single scale. Describe your experience and ask how the provider chooses the horse. 3. Is there trotting or cantering, and can I stay at a walk?
Route and terrain
4. Where does the ride run? Beach, forest, vineyard, lava, national park. Whether a ride runs in a protected area and which rules apply to horses there is stated by the provider. 5. How long are you really in the saddle? For rides with lunch or wine tasting the share in the saddle is smaller than the total duration. 6. What happens in heat, rain, wind or cold? Ask about start time, water for the horses and whether the ride is postponed.
Group and guiding
7. How large is the group, and how many guides accompany it? Offers name, for example, a small group, private groups or a limit of a few participants. 8. In which language does the guide lead? An offer on Mallorca names English and Spanish as the guide’s languages (according to the provider). Ask about German if you need it. 9. Is there an introduction before the ride? For an offer in Bologna introduction and riding guide are included (according to the provider).
Equipment and conditions
10. What is included, and what do you bring? Helmet, riding equipment, transfer, food. For an offer in Bologna riding equipment is included and long trousers and closed shoes are to be brought (according to the provider), and for an offer on Mallorca tested helmets are included. We give no assurance that equipment protects. Details are in our packing list. 11. Who is the ride not suitable for? Providers name, for example, a minimum age, weight and health. Read the section “Not suitable for” in full. 12. Until when is cancellation free? Ask about the cancellation deadline, about the rule for bad weather and for wrongly stated weight or level.
On the choice of horse: why honest information counts
Weight and experience help decide which horse you are assigned. A study with six horses and four riders of different weights abandoned all tests with the two heaviest riders because of temporary lameness or pain behaviour. Reit-Safari writes that it asks about riding experience and the desired character of the horse so that its partners assign suitable horses. Say early and precisely who you are.
Sources
- Dyson SJ et al. (2020), Equine Veterinary Education 32(10), 527-539, doi.org/10.1111/eve.13085. Abstract read: pure.hartpury.ac.uk/en/publications/the-influence-of-riderhorse-bodyweight-ratio-and-rider-horse-sadd/
- Reit-Safari.de, Reit-Erfahrung, reit-safari.de/reit-erfahrung. Read on 11 October 2026.
- Offers: Viator pool and GetYourGuide hand cards, as of 11 October 2026.