About me

The first time I got on a horse, I was five years old and somewhere in the British countryside and I've never really got off.

Horses have been a constant part of my life, and if I'm honest, I've always preferred their company to most people's. As an adult I'd happily drive for hours, alone or with the kind of horse-obsessed friends who need no convincing, just to spend an hour in the saddle, then linger long after the lesson was over: untacking, brushing down, finding any excuse to stay a little longer. Wherever I travel, riding finds its way in, whether it's galloping along the vast Egyptian pyramids, along the sublime Devon coast, or through the stunning beaches of Portugal; It's never just an activity to tick off, it's usually the part of the trip I remember most.

My dream, the one I'm quietly working towards, is to have a horse of my own. To compete, to go on multi-day adventures, to build that bond that anyone who's spent real time with horses will understand immediately and everyone else will just have to take my word for. In the meantime, I'm chasing that feeling wherever I can find it: week-long trail rides, remote mountain routes, adventures where the horse is the whole point. Every time I've tried to plan a trip like this, I've spent hours scattered across the internet, a hundred tabs open, trying to piece together which stables are open, which operators are actually trustworthy, and whether anyone has anything real to say about them. That frustration is what became Saddle & Compass. Everything is in one place: local stables, lessons, single day hacks, and multi day expeditions across countries and continents, with real reviews from riders who have actually been there, so you can spend less time researching and more time in the saddle.

Part of what drives this is a genuine desire to share that passion, with experienced riders looking for their next adventure, but also with people who have never sat on a horse and don't know where to start. Riding has given me some of the most memorable experiences of my life, and I want this platform to be the thing that helps someone else find theirs.

Horse welfare is something I care about deeply, and it's central to every review on this platform. Riders can be honest here, not just about the scenery or the logistics, but about how the horses were treated. Because the best ride isn't just one you'll remember and feel good about.

Happy riding!

- Delfina