I had one full day ride booked with Patio as part of my holiday itinerary. We rode through beautiful farmland and woodland before being met for a delicious lunch (with wine) at the top of the trail. My husband, who is a non-rider, was driven out to join us for lunch and so he could enjoy the day too. We later rode down to the east of the island, enjoying phenomenal views of Pico.

My horse, Boneca, was gentle and courteous. She never pulled or ran away with me, and she had excellent steering and brakes. We quickly learned to trust each other. All the horses were in superb condition, as was the tack. Saddlebags were provided.

It rained heavily at one point and Patio supplied us with huge protective coats, so we could continue our ride in complete comfort.

In fact, I had SUCH a nice day, as we were passing in a taxi the day after, we called in to see if I could join another ride on my week in Faial. I could! So I joined another all day ride covering 24kms from east to west of the island. Marvellous!

I very much liked our guide, a young German woman called Laura, who did her work calmly and without fuss. She helped me with with tacking, tethering, getting on and off. She always checked to see that all was well on the ride, and stopping to rest and water the horses.

I wish we had stayed at Patio lodge - it looked so lovely and staff were so friendly and helpful, but we were staying at a hotel in Horta.

Patio has 20 horses to suit all levels of rider, and all those I met were gentle and calm, willing and trustworthy. I highly recommend Patio!

Congratulations and THANK YOU to Victor and the whole Patio team for running such a lovely business and giving me two days with Boneca riding on such glorious trails.