Banff Trail Riders - Store

This is the best horseback riding adventure ever! It's such an amazing experience that I've returned for the 3rd time. The entire team, this includes the welcoming host, the guides, the cooks, the packers and the maintenance crew, treats us all with such kindness and professionalism. Thank you all again for another extraordinary experience. I will cherish these memories forever!

We joined the 1-hr ride along the Bow River. The event was very well organized. All the cowgirls were very friendly, attentive and patient enough to show us some basic skills on how to control horses. The assigned horses were lovely and very friendly to humans. This is a marvelous experience for us to ride in such a beautiful environment of snow mountains and Bow river. Highly recommend this horse ride to everyone who visit Banff! We certainly look forward to be back soon!

Our three day ride to Sundance Lodge was an amazing experience for myself, my daughter and granddaughter. We cannot than our guide, Lola enough for her attention to every detail, sharing her knowledge of the horse, her explanations along the trail and above all giving a 10 year old an experience she will never forget. The accommodation at Sundance Lodge was above all expectations as was the meals prepared by Hayden. The horses were well matched to the riding skills of each person. This ride went off without a hitch starting with the reservation, the check-in on the day of the ride. To top off a fabulous three days was the perfect weather. First class operation #horsebackbanff

Had a good time here with my sons I'm treaty 7 member there's an old graveyard I thought we would go near that way buy I was wrong I wanted to show my sons where it was but instead Homer,rumor,and cree gave us a hell of a tour in my own back country ishnysh may the creator give these horse strength and people seem lighter to them again staff thank you to the how banff came to be but I know our story here thank you we had fun

Our guide Lola was fabulous. Lola’s attention to detail was superb. A great adventure for all of us and climbing up to the Sundance Lodge was beautiful. The horses are very well behaved and friendly. Highly recommend the adventure!

What a wonderful experience my two adults daughters and I had with Banff Trail Riders. We chose the 1 hour BOW RIVER ride, quickly wished we chosen at least 2 hours, (next time). I had not sat on a horse in 40 years, but immediate felt comfortable. The experience starts with being fitted for a helmet and getting weighed so they match you with the perfect horse( don’t stress the weigh-in is 💯 private. After a safety and “steering” demo, we were matched with 3 sweet boys 🐴🐴🐴. Milo, Wesley and Hondo. These horses are well behaved, well taken care of and very quiet. Our guides were great and we had great interaction with the lead guide JJ, who coincidentally was from Atlantic Canada like us. We were the first three horses behind the guide which was wonderful. It was a nicely paced ride, beautiful scenery and all in all better than expected!! highly recommend !

Over the Christmas holidays, we rented a private sleigh ride for our family. Despite the cold temperature (-25 degrees Celsius) we had a blast. Our driver Michael (I think that was his name) was fantastic - very informative on horses and the scenery, and funny. Our two horses were very friendly. The views were spectacular, and we even saw several elk in the bushes. It was definitely a great way to create some great family memories!

We went on the carriage ride along the Bow River & through the town of Banff. Emma was phenomenal and the sweet horse pulling us was Bart. I highly recommend this experience to enhance your trip to Banff! Banff Trail Riders has other tours that we are exciting to go on in the future as well!

This is the best horseback riding adventure ever! It's such an amazing experience that I've returned for the 3rd time. The entire team, this includes the welcoming host, the guides, the cooks, the packers and the maintenance crew, treats us all with such kindness and professionalism. Thank you all again for another extraordinary experience. I will cherish these memories forever!

We joined the 1-hr ride along the Bow River. The event was very well organized. All the cowgirls were very friendly, attentive and patient enough to show us some basic skills on how to control horses. The assigned horses were lovely and very friendly to humans. This is a marvelous experience for us to ride in such a beautiful environment of snow mountains and Bow river. Highly recommend this horse ride to everyone who visit Banff! We certainly look forward to be back soon!

Our three day ride to Sundance Lodge was an amazing experience for myself, my daughter and granddaughter. We cannot than our guide, Lola enough for her attention to every detail, sharing her knowledge of the horse, her explanations along the trail and above all giving a 10 year old an experience she will never forget. The accommodation at Sundance Lodge was above all expectations as was the meals prepared by Hayden. The horses were well matched to the riding skills of each person. This ride went off without a hitch starting with the reservation, the check-in on the day of the ride. To top off a fabulous three days was the perfect weather. First class operation #horsebackbanff

Had a good time here with my sons I'm treaty 7 member there's an old graveyard I thought we would go near that way buy I was wrong I wanted to show my sons where it was but instead Homer,rumor,and cree gave us a hell of a tour in my own back country ishnysh may the creator give these horse strength and people seem lighter to them again staff thank you to the how banff came to be but I know our story here thank you we had fun

Our guide Lola was fabulous. Lola’s attention to detail was superb. A great adventure for all of us and climbing up to the Sundance Lodge was beautiful. The horses are very well behaved and friendly. Highly recommend the adventure!

What a wonderful experience my two adults daughters and I had with Banff Trail Riders. We chose the 1 hour BOW RIVER ride, quickly wished we chosen at least 2 hours, (next time). I had not sat on a horse in 40 years, but immediate felt comfortable. The experience starts with being fitted for a helmet and getting weighed so they match you with the perfect horse( don’t stress the weigh-in is 💯 private. After a safety and “steering” demo, we were matched with 3 sweet boys 🐴🐴🐴. Milo, Wesley and Hondo. These horses are well behaved, well taken care of and very quiet. Our guides were great and we had great interaction with the lead guide JJ, who coincidentally was from Atlantic Canada like us. We were the first three horses behind the guide which was wonderful. It was a nicely paced ride, beautiful scenery and all in all better than expected!! highly recommend !

Over the Christmas holidays, we rented a private sleigh ride for our family. Despite the cold temperature (-25 degrees Celsius) we had a blast. Our driver Michael (I think that was his name) was fantastic - very informative on horses and the scenery, and funny. Our two horses were very friendly. The views were spectacular, and we even saw several elk in the bushes. It was definitely a great way to create some great family memories!

We went on the carriage ride along the Bow River & through the town of Banff. Emma was phenomenal and the sweet horse pulling us was Bart. I highly recommend this experience to enhance your trip to Banff! Banff Trail Riders has other tours that we are exciting to go on in the future as well!

We did the 4 hour trail ride thru the gorgeous Bow Valley. Lynn was our trail guide and was so knowledgeable about the horses and also about the area itself. All of the horses appear well cared for and the other trail guides were also very helpful and good with the horses as well. We had an amazing time and really enjoyed having a light lunch by the Spray River and crossing the rivers with the horses was so fun! Thank you Lynn, my daughter and I had an amazing time. This was the hi-light of our trip.

So I really want to help fellow yelpers because this ride caused me a lot of consternation. A lot of reviews about not getting back your money if you are disqualified from riding. This is on their website as fair warning. But I think it's a bad policy. Weight. You can't be over 230 lbs. it's for the safety of the horse they say. A lot of folks complaining about how their weight scale is off and all. And not but just a little. Like 10+ pounds. It being on uneven ground etc. So a few days before I actually stopped eating like I normally would on vacation for fear of being disqualified. Not because I thought I actually would be over the max weight (I've never been that heavy in my entire life). But for fear their darn scale would be off. I actually had a dream the night before the ride that they disqualified me. Note they weigh everyone include kids. So the "may" be weighed in their website should probably be changed to "will" be weighed. Also note they decreased the maximum weight from 250 lbs in the past to 230 lbs currently if you read the reviews. So I guess the horses all got older? They're rescue horses though. So I think new ones coming in occasionally maybe. Who knows. Anyway the check in person and weigher denied this. But just have a look yourself on Yelp and Google Maps if you're interested. Also note YMMV on what happens if you're over. Some reviewers got slammed for being just a few pounds over. But I also saw them accept folks when I was there on site that were just a few pounds over. They were actually suggesting to those folks that they weigh without jacket etc. to hopefully make the cut. So it wasn't like they were hoping you'd fail. But if you do it goes to the unseen back office for review. And YMMV. Shoes. You must wear closed toe shoes to the ankle or face disqualification. But they didn't really check the shoes (like hey show me your shoes). I was concerned because I wore aqua shoes that are lower cut than sneakers to the ankle. Some of their notes say the shoes must be ankle height. Time. We arrived really early. You have to be there 30 minutes before the ride or else face disqualification without refund. The safety briefing doesn't start until 15 minutes before the ride. Before that they check if you've done the online waiver, weight, and helmet distribution. I read folks were turned away for not being there 30 minutes prior to the ride. Banff traffic is a B. So make sure you're early. Also there was a lot of construction on 93 and 1 when we were there. Some delays were more than an hour. Come to town early in the day and enjoy the city if you're driving in. You'll thank me later. Tips. Website says it's customary to tip. We had 3 guides. The guides said tipping isn't expected but it is appreciated. But they said it twice so I guess it is expected. They also said the tips go towards helping the cooks. So I guess it's shared and you can give it to whoever? It's confusing who to tip because there was no tip jar at the cookout and the cooks were not one of our guides. They should explain this all better. Or better yet just increase the price, pay them all more, and say tipping is not customary nor accepted as everyone is properly compensated through your generous payment for the ride. Cookout. I told our guide I was really looking forward to the steak because I heard beef is their specialty in Alberta. He gave me a timid yeah I think that might be right reply. We'll realize the steak isn't a premium cut. Event medium rare cooked to order it was chewy. The bread roll - wow that was like rock hard and dry like the Sahara. I could've played softball with it. Cole slaw looked good but lacked flavor. Mini potatoes were ok. Baked beans were meh but I suppose you gotta try them since it's a Canadian specialty I believe. The English do it better IMHO. Brownies were good. I tried to get one when we got our food but was told they'd bring it out to us. Well they called us to go and still no brownie delivered table side. Hmmm. They have gluten free rolls and brownies. Two outhouses are on site at the dinner. Also they have bug spray there. The trail. Ride back is nicer and woodsier. Ride over has more urban features like the paved road and tourists yelling at you. It's a slow pace. The guides are kinda strict compared to other rides we've been on. Lots of yelling stuff like go faster, don't talk so much, don't talk so loud, lean forward more, lean back more, lean to the right more, yada yada. The horses are rescue horses so they're special. And maybe need more TLC and attention and rules. Just consider that when booking.

OMG this was so much fun! My family and I booked this 2.5 hr covered wagon ride and cookout into Bow Valley, and it was so worth it. We totally got the full wagon experience We traveled 3miles traveled through the woods and saw beautiful ice-blue water, opsrey/eagle nests, learned about the mountains and history of Banff. Midway through the ride, we got to chow camp where we enjoyed a delicious cowboy steak dinner. We even got to meet our horses and try our hand at lassoing! Our tour guide has been with the company for 5 years and was amazing!. She was knowledgeable, chill, safe and funny. We highly recommend this tour and would love to come back in the winter for the sleigh ride!

The worst choice for the Banff trip, my friend and I changed the time but they screwed up ，that make us drive 200 miles to here twice， and refused to get us on the horse the next day because we were a few minutes late and NO REFUND！

We took the 3 hour ride with Hannah. The views were amazing!! The horses are so sweet and well trained. Hannah our guide was so nice and very knowledgeable. Overall a great experience I would definitely do it again!

Excellent experience. I hesitated to sign up for this due to several negative reviews here and elsewhere. I am glad I did this because it was a wonderful experience after all. This location is directly behind the tennis courts at Banff Springs Hotel and parking can be either free (if you're lucky) or pay by the hour. We signed up for the 1-hr ride and the entire staff made sure everyone was ready and on time. The trail goes through the woods most of the time but did cross the Bow River twice (no, you won't get wet but the horses will). Overall, I like the experience and highly recommend it.

Horrible customer service. Knowing thwy have a weight restriction. I made sure to weigh myself prior to going on the ride.. it's an extended vacation, and thedre were way too many big meals.... including the one I had right beforebwe went up for the ride. So, I knew I was pushing around 10 lbs under their max. I made sure to weigh myslef, that morning, and I was good. Knowing I was OK I booked for the three of us. I get up there and weigh 3 lbs over. No way. The family behind us all said the scale added 8-10 lbs. The wife and kid, who weigh themselves several times a day were both 8+ lbs heavier than they were this morning. So, for 2.2 lbs, i miss the one "tour" thing we do wbile in Banff, and I wasted 2 hours. The wife and kid aren't very confident on horses, so I always end up helping them. So basically I forced them to go. The best part is, the girl at the desk asked me if they weighed me down where I bought the ticket. They hadn't, so of course I went down there, walking about 40 minutes round trip as it started to rain...... and of course I came in 2+ pounds under. Regardless...... there's no way that 2 lbs ruins a horse...... but it does ruin our families experience in Banff. Go anywhere but here if you're within 10-15 pounds of the limit. To add insult to injury, they won't issue a return. I'll let my credit cards company figbt that... and we'll get a full refund. Also, the 4 people who showed up with about 5 minutes left before the ride, also commented "i guess I ate the whole buffalo... I don't weigh close to this." 2 others in that group as well, said they were 8-10 pounds heavier here.

We went on the one hour Bow Tour. The horses have to travel through foot deep mud. The horses kept going to the side of the path to avoid mud, but then it was too close to trees for the rider. They've had a lot of rain this summer so maybe they need to find an alternate route or lay gravel on the trail for tHe safety of the horses. The leader speaks,but if you are not on one of the first three horses you can't hear anything she is saying. We were a group of nine horses and we were horses 4 and 5 and missed all the dialogue. . You are only along the River 20% of the ride. The staff is friendly and gives a great tutorial before departing. There is no cafe or gift shop. There are no other horse riding companies in Banff so there is no need for this company to provide great service.

We did the Bow River Ride (60 mins) in the last week of May. Our ride was scheduled in the morning ~10 AM. The attraction was booked through Discover Banff Tours, and cost TBA. Check the weather closer to the date to book the ride on a decent day. Parking was right next to the barn - great. The barn area, combined with the rainy mountain climate, gets very muddy - do not wear shoes that you care about. Each rider got a horse, I would say we had around 9 folks in our trail riders group. We got basic instruction on how to make our horse stop, go forward, move to the right/left. It is important to arrive early. We also were given helmets. My biggest hesitation, having never been on a horse, was concern with being able to get on and off the horse, which the staff was very helpful with - providing stepping blocks and instruction. Also, apparently sitting on the horse like you were essentially squatting takes the pressure off of your hips - a key tip! During the ride, we had an Banff Trail Riders staff at the front, middle, and end of the group, as we traveled along the trail on our horses in single file. The trail itself could have been better maintained or changed given the muddy conditions. My horse, whom I loved, kept going off the muddy path and into the sides, where there were many trees with branches that could smack riders (aka me) in the face. The view was breathtaking, as expected, but it took a while to get comfortable being on top of a horse to look around to enjoy it. For the most part, the horses were trained enough to follow the ones ahead of them - assuming there was no mud to get in their way! Among our group, the general consensus was for the general non-rider, 1 hour is a decent amount of time to do this tour but no more. The concept can get a little old, and those who are not used to it may actually find sitting on the saddle painful. Overall, the perfect opportunity to share a photo on your social media with you, a horse, and an iconic caption, "I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road/I'm gonna ride til I can't no more"! Or to get inspired to start watching CBC's Heartland.

My wife planned this trail ride, now to explain why I was hesitant at first. I've been on several horse back trails but this was the very best experience. From the beginning we were treated with a friendly smile and a genuine interest in where we were from. I was told that Canadians were not friendly, that is a misnomer! The first cowboy made sure my kids were comfortable and ready to ride. Our guild Kayla was wonderful. I have never had a crew show so much attention and give information to insure that we enjoyed the experience of the trail ride. We saw some wild life and took some great pictures. We do have one point of negativity that I wish I didn't have to bring out, but on the platform of honesty, one of the individuals that was helping after we mounted the horses was a little nasty. What I mean by that is, she was short and seemed to be put off. Customer service requires patience to those you serve. We are all inexperienced in riding. Give us a break!

They are literally cowboys! Contact you day before to tell you they are overbooked so they are kicking you off the ride you booked months prior. Kids upset, staff don't care that they're ruining holiday. Never book with them, as there is a good chance they will ruin your holiday through their ineptitude

Staff is not accommodating at all and is actively scamming (watch out, tourists). I paid full price for a 2 hour loop but they won't even consider providing a refund or reschedule. They just took my money and are not sorry at all. 1/5, do not recommend. Go to a different horse riding service if you can. edit: The complaint has been resolved. 3 stars for service.

Riding staff was friendly enough but the check in staff weren't as accommodating..overall customer service was below average. They were not willing(or offer to check with a manager) to give us a credit for the 10% coupon we received from our hotel. They shortly responded that the coupon has to be used at the time of booking. Last time I looked credit card merchants offer crediting options for their vendors. Booking ahead was a disadvantage without the coupon, despite being told there were limited spots during the daily rides. $30 might not be much to some people but to us it could have meant a little more spending on necessities like food. The 3 hour ride was about 1.5hr too long. We've been riding all over the world and are experienced riders, this was a rough and redundant ride. Hoping to see more terrain but it was mostly a forest of trees ride.

We booked a sleigh ride with our baby, who was under 1. My husband was away for Christmas, so this was our gift to each other to go on a nice sleigh ride as a family. Unfortunately, the wind had picked up quite a bit when we got there, causing our baby to have issues being out in the elements (struggling to breathe/ catch his breath) We did everything we could to block the wind, but nothing was working. So we decided that going on this sleigh ride wasn't a good idea. I went in and talked to the woman at the desk to explain to her that we couldn't go on the ride. I would think for something like this, there may be a way to compensate like a voucher or put our name on a list so we could come back on a better day. But no, that wasn't the case. It's unfortunate that businesses like this don't have the heart to help people out. These sleigh rides aren't cheap, and for a situation like this, you would think they would be more accommodating.

RUN - DONT GO HERE THIS COMPANY DOES NOT ALLOW FOR REFUNDS, FORCES YOU TO UPGRADE AND WEIGHT SHAMES YOU. They say weighing the customers is for the benefit of the horses and forbid you are one pound over their recommended displayed weight allowance. On June 8 2019 I took my daughter to Warner Stables Banff for a one hour trail ride for her birthday. I booked this tour a couple weeks prior to the event. Upon arrival I seen a sign that stated riders can not be over 250lbs. They had a scale off to the side behind the registration booth. The scale was/is unsupervised and electronic. Any movement on this scale adjusts the weight of the person who is standing on it, is not 100% accurate. (Inaccurate readings from digital scales are not uncommon if the scale is not calibrated property and regularly. If the scale is placed on concrete or another surface, the scale will also produce inaccurate results. When you are using a digital scale on a regular basis, like the one Warner Stables uses, to weigh multiple people on a hourly basis, the scale needs to be calibrated daily, if not weekly // https://www.precisionsolutionsinc.com/scale-calibration-guide/) I watched a couple people before me get weighed and as they moved around the display showed differences in weight. This is typical for an electronic/digital scale like this. When my 14yo daughter got on the scale she weighed in at 107lbs. I know full well from her last doctors appointment, which was a month prior she weighed 98lbs. Being weighed pubicly no matter of gender/height/size or shape is embarrassing. It could also be considered 'weight shaming'. As for myself, I weight on average 250lbs. The scale at the registration booth had me at 263, well that's what the person at the registration booth said. The scales and system being used does not take into account the clothing a person is wearing, whether or not they ate food prior to the weigh-in, and does not take into account the other factors that might cause differences in weight. I was told I could not ride, not given the option to take a refund and was informed that I had to upgrade. I proceed with the upgrade as I did not want to loose out on what I already purchased. Emily Duann in her email to my initial complaint said that I proceeded with the upgrade happily...This is not the case. If they would of allowed a refund I would of happily gone elsewhere. As I was going through the rebooking I watched other people get weighed and noticed mostly the men that came through. Three of the men weighed over the 250lb limit however they were allowed to ride. I also noticed the girls at the registration booth were also showing preference to the bigger women coming through. Also during the rebooking the person I was talking to wanted to charge me full price for the upgrade on top of what I already paid. Eventually I was only charged the difference. When I talked to the on-site supervisor she did recognize the point I was making. I asked the girls working the registration booth and the on-site supervisor how often the scales were calibrated and both did not know how often the electronic scale is calibrated. I also asked to see a document stating that the scales were calibrated, no one had any insight on this matter. I absolutely did not enjoy my experience with Banff Trail Riders and from horseback riding in the past there are many different types of horses for different people. Advertising that Warner Stables has 300 horses surprises me they don't have horses for all types of riders. You can spend your money at a better company that offers similar services.

My husband, mother-in-law and I did the 3 hour steak fry lunch ride today with Dustin, our guide. All the staff are very friendly and helpful. Dustin was really knowledgeable - a true outdoorsman & gentleman. I highly recommend a ride with this company. Gorgeous views, tasty lunch (thanks Mary!) and so much fun being with the horses. Thanks for a fantastic day! Can't wait to return.

We did two horse back riding tours while we stayed in the area. Banff Trail Riders and Brewster Rides Lake Louise Hands down the Lake Louise Ride was superior in every way. Customer Service Rep was not friendly Horse "Stables" aka where you get your horse. The horses literally seemed sad and depressed. They were huddling together and trying to not be selected. No one on site was smiling or friendly. The young woman who gave us our "directions" was not friendly at all. She was lecturing us as if we were an inconvenience to her. She told me to put my self phone away when I was taking a photo. As if I can't listen to directions and take a photo of my kid. I am an experienced rider. Plus the way she did it was lame. She was power tripping because right after she rudely snapped at me she then said we could have our cell phones and take photos just don't let go of your horse. End of lecture. This was the real difference between the two companies. Our guide. Wow. She didn't talk to us. She only said if we had questions to ask. That's it. My 8 and 10 year old we right behind her and she never taught them anything or told them anything about the area. At Brewster our guide turned around and talked to us the entire time. Educating us, being kind to us...you know "GUIDING" us, hence the name "Guide". My daughters left feeling sad and saying they liked the Lake Louise ride so much better. They said "She didn't even talk to us" When we got back a horse almost collapsed from being tired...I thought this was so weird. How many times to these poor horses have to do this? We all felt like everyone who worked here was bothered by us and that they didn't like their jobs. WHAT A DIFFERENCE between this ride and Brewster. Do not go here. Do you research and choose based on reviews. Since we used 2 companies we have insight into both.

Instead of writing a review, I'm going to put the email verbatim I sent ride@horseback.com on 8/13/20 which is the only email I could find to write the company: "Dear Owner(s) of Banff Trail Riders, It was our first experience as a Vancouver, BC family horseback riding and also in Banff, Alberta, which was the first day of our Alberta trip. A highlight of the trip was to go horseback riding and we decided on your Company. The horses were calm, the route provided a chance to breath the fresh air and exceptional views of the mountains, and the signage and introduction to the horses and instructions on steering and stopping the horses were easy to understand. What I did not understand; however, is why, about half an hour in, one of your employees by the name of "Brooklyn" decided to yell at me something along the lines of, "Do NOT stop your horse! You are NOT the guide here -- I am!". Let me explain which I also explained to Brooklyn immediately after I dismounted "Taco": my wife was on "Deuce" and she was always behind me but about 8-10 feet behind me at any given time. Repeatedly she was told by Brooklyn, my friend, and myself to please just kick Deuce's belly to make Deuce trot a bit faster to catch up to the rest of us but she never did catch up the entire duration of the hour-long ride. When I looked back one time to check on her, I pulled on Taco's reins to slow Taco to a stop so she could catch up. Brooklyn then apologized and told me she should not have yelled. At this point, this would have been a non-issue, but she followed her saying "Sorry" to me with "but....you did pull on the reins. I saw what you did". She then told me to step back as I was not wearing a face mask at the time so I did. Having now not appreciating Brooklyn taking back her apology as well as initially being yelled at, I am writing you of my good and bad experience on August 11, 2020. If your guides teach riders how to steer, stop, and moving horses backwards (plus similar instructions are on the sign in front of your business), why would anyone be subject to your same guides yelling at a customer for doing what they have recently been taught? The tone that Brooklyn used was unacceptable. I would never tell my clients and vendors, "You are NOT the expert here -- I am!". I would never tell my patients, "You are NOT the Doctor here -- I am!". I would never tell my staff, "You are not the boss here -- I am!". In hindsight, I could have shouted back at Brooklyn during the ride, "You are NOT the customer here -- I am!" but I suppose I was raised differently and displayed acumen. Was there any harm in stopping Taco in this situation? Was what I did so terrible that I was warranted that remark? Are any of your employees better than any of your paying customers? Understanding there are always three sides to every story, I invite you to discuss what happened with Brooklyn, and if I have missed anything above, or, if she has something to add to the situation, please feel free to contact me. I appreciate your attention to this situation and your time reading this. Regards, Karl." I haven't heard back from them yet (it's now the August 19), so my guess is that I haven't missed anything and/or the Brooklyn didn't have anything to add. Or maybe, just maybe, my email to them was intercepted and didn't get to the owners.

DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN THIS SCAM!! These people are despicable criminals. They have a 250 pound weight limit which was fine with me. The day before I weighed 241 lbs. on the triple beam scale at the gym. On their cheap POS scale, I weighed in at 251.4 and they refused to let me ride. I understand their right to refuse service to anyone for any reason but they also refused to refund my money. They said the booking company needed to refund my money and the booking company said they could not because I was asked if I weigh over 250lbs. before purchase. I still don't weigh 250lbs and am now $50 lighter because of these Aholes.

I really enjoyed the evening spent with Banff Trail Riders, but I'll try to summarize the good and bad aspects of the experience in a few points. The Good: - Horses are really nice and pretty well trained - One of our guides (Max, from Australia) has entertained us for all the first part of the trip with casual chatting and sharing information about the surroundings - The steak was, to quote Gordon Ramsay, was season beautifully and cooked to perfection. I didn't expect such quality from a cowboy cookout - The scenery was amazing The Bad: - You're going to be in a long line of horses going very slow. Even for first timers or real amateurs like us, it could be a little bit boring (sometimes it feels like being stuck in traffic with your car) - Our other guide was so silent that I didn't even got her name - Definitely not cheap, possibly overpriced for its value but it's the only alternative in the area for this kind of experience Compared to many of the other reviews on TA we didn't get any trouble with time of arrival (nor had other people arriving later than expected) and we had very little issues with bugs (1 bite in 3 hours).

I could not have hated this more. Not the guides fault - they were nice and did their best. The trails were so muddy and buggy, it was gross. Also, there were so many people on my tour they had to stop every two seconds to help someone control their horse. Which in turn, made the other horses restless. The guides seemed really overwhelmed. It was so muddy the horses tried to avoid it by walking on the very edge of the trail, which left me with scrapes on my neck and knee from the trees and branches that will probably leave scars. Also there was really only a nice view for 10 minutes, but I was so uncomfortable I couldn't even enjoy it. Wish I could go back in time and get my money back!

2 pounds over weight limit- fine, I enjoyed the last few weeks of vacation a bit too much, so I wasn't allowed to ride. Not a problem. BUT NO REFUND. They said they would and did not. SCAM. The rest of my family went, and had a terrible time. Horses kept taking my son into the trees and bush because they were worn out from the crappy, muddy trails. Waste of money completely.

I wish I was writing a positive review, but we sadly our experience was far from positive. We were a group of 6 (4 adults and two children) who were really looking forward to the ride. Due to road circumstances that were out of our hands, we realized we were going to arrive later for the instructions at 4:30 PM but before the ride started at 5 PM. We called at 4:07 PM to let them know we were running late. The person who picked up the phone told us we should go to the stables anyway but we may or may not get on the ride. Fair. So we rushed, hoping for the "may get on the ride" since we had already filled our waivers in advance and since most of us were already horse riders that we could get an abridged version of the instructions and be able to catch up. We arrived about 8 minutes ahead of the ride to be told that we would not get on the ride because we couldn't make 4:30. They told us we that the person we talked to worked for reservations not for the stables and they're not responsible for what they told us. This was surprising since it would make sense that reservations would call the stables (as outlined in several reviews here). We asked for options, they told us the following ride was sold-out, and that the next day was sold out. We argued that when we called to tell them that we wouldn't be able to make 4:30 PM that we weren't told that it's impossible to get on if we weren't exactly on time, we weren't given alternative options or dates. Essentially, you missed it, tough luck! Had we been told that we simply won't be on the ride, at least we would have made alternative plans or visited different spots instead of wasting our time rushing on the highway to be met with such a cold attitude. I'm surprised to read that others were offered different ride types or rebooking at 50% of the cost because we were offered none of that. The next day, the manager calls us back at 2 PM, we told her we couldn't talk since we were just getting into the water for rafting. We returned their call the next day to be told that their policy was 24 hours to deal with a complaint, and that our file was closed, and when we asked them to be more flexible, we were told "we're just not flexible". Translation: Go bang your head against a wall. This 24 hour/complaint policy was never mentioned even once since we expressed our dismay to 5 different individuals. We're deeply disappointed by this poor level of customer service, and certainly would not recommend booking with this company. Their rides could be decent, but customer service makes or breaks an experience, especially when you're traveling, especially when you have children with you, especially when you have out-of-province visitors, and for many other reasons. If there's any chance of you arriving late at the stables for ANY reason, may as well just light your money on fire, it's the same result. Also, no, BTR, when you miss a flight, airlines offer alternatives, so please don't use that as justification for lazy customer service. I hope you use this review to improve your customer service in the future. Thanks.

45 min group sleigh ride was pretty mediocre. The guide was friendly enough but the staff at check in were awful.

This review is for the Cowboy Dinner leaving from Warner Stables on Sundance Rd. I had never rode before and this evening worked well for me. It was a one-hour ride from Warner Stables, along the Bow River to a Cabin; a delicious steak and baked beans dinner, and a one-hour ride through marsh and then uphill. The event didn't start the best for me, had forgotten how much barns smell, they had run out of size medium helmets, and the safety talk made me think twice about being on a horse. But my horse, Winchester, was fantastic!!! The horses are so well-trained and that was good because we seemed to ride over a variety of terrain. At one point we rode by an elk a few feet away and the horse did not seem distracted. Wish I had brought carrots for Winchester! When you get off your horse at the cabin, they ask you how you like your steak cooked and the food was very good. Delicious steak, baked beans, baked potatoes, salad, rolls, coffee and cheesecake squares.

We got an activity package from Discovery Banff Adventures that included an hour of horseback riding. We did the Spray River ride. We had 5 adults and 4 kids. It was quite an adventure. The terrain was often challenging going uphill and downhill, but you just let the horse do the work. I've never been around horses that were pooping and peeing so much. My horse was named Donny. The names were cute. My horse was good to me. A couple of my nephews are small and had some trouble. The horse would be eating when it shouldn't be. The had trouble controlling the horse at times. Luckily the guides do a good job of watching out and can come to the rescue. I had a lot of fun. We went by rapids(flowing water), a golf course, and galloped through the river. We had an extra wait time before we got started. Kinda annoying, but overall great experience. I love horses!

We got this tour through Discovery Banff Tours that included the one hour horseback ride. At the recommendation of friends, we paid an additional fee to do the Spray River ride. We had 3 adults and two kids. The woman who checks in the riders was not particularly friendly and had no sympathy for our concern about the storm that was rolling in. Ultimately, we got going as the rain came down and they were right -- we got drenched but the rain passed in about 10 minutes. The rest of the ride was gorgeous and our clothing dried out completely. I loved our guides and the horses were wonderful. You are allowed to take your own pictures along the way and they have a photographer that takes pictures as you head out. I requested to have her take a picture of our group of five at the end and she accommodated. I ended up purchasing three pictures (for the price of 2 at $40) that I chose based on the thumbnail on her computer. When I got the pictures, one was totally out of focus, one had a guide in the background, and the only group shot had my face hidden in the shadows. In other words, don't count on the photographer for your photos -- she is little more than a novice. She was super friendly though so no complaint about her customer service. I give the 4 stars for our horses, the guides, and the scenery.

Bulletproof dude horses for these city folk :) We've never had a problem doing the walk-up a half-hour before the scheduled rides - but reservations might be a good idea during high season. Guides are often young folks on work visas, they work hard on ranch chores between rides so consider giving them a tip if they are good with the chatter and assistance on the ride. If you are hoping for a smaller group - go on the shoulder season. We managed to score a private ride at a scheduled regular ride time as no other folks showed up.

Check in was awful all they said was that we were late and did not want to help us schedule a different time or give us any other option even though we paid for the service.

Awesome staff, horses and trail. Thank you so much Noelle for your sharing your knowledge, friendship and professionalism.

Below average service.. scheduled a ride for the next day but it was raining the next day so I wanted to move my ride to a different day.. told me they do trail rides in the rain.. they would not even let me move it to a different time and told me my prepaid money was non refundable... very poor customer service with no accommodation for anything unforeseen.. you would have better luck to check out the trail riding places in Canmore. Banf Trailriders is a monopoly and they treat customers accordingly..

We booked Spray River Ride for 1.5hour. We showed about 4 minute late and they told us horses already left and we will not get refunded nor allow a chance to book another time slot. I thought this was RIDICULOUS! I complained and they kept on saying that they send us email about their policy. Be aware! This place is run by people who just want to take your money. They don't care you have a good time on their tour. Never seen such one sided deal! You at least make people book another day. Not all travelers have an access to internet or have time to check email. Can't believe Fairmont associates with this type of business. I am sure this is not how all Canadian tour works, but this can't be good for tourism in Canada. Makes me hesitant to book more tours while I am here.

Did the lunch ride with the family. Lunch was awesome. Horses were great, but the mosquitos ruined the whole ride. We weren't told upfront to use bug spray or put on long sleeves. We were told by the guides right before lunch that there's spray waiting for us. Should've told us at the start or have a sign posted and we would've went back to our car to spray. Both my girls faces have swollen bite marks all around there faces. One of their hand is twice the size of the other. The ride back from lunch was bearable since we all had spray on. Clouds of mosquitos everywhere feasting on these horses. The horses and guides are great. Just can't believe the mosquitos that spoiled our ride. Only wish they allowed the horses to gallop on the trail somewhere. Great scenery and beautiful location.

What a scam. Arrived a few minutes late and were told we were too late to go on the ride and there would be absolutely NO refund. The group we were to go with were not even on the horses. Wish I had read the reviews of this place before I booked. Staff were not helpful in any way.

Was really looking forward to this until I actually got there. First thing I do is check in and am greeted by an extremely rude and grumpy staff member at the front. My girlfriend and I handed in the waiver and shortly after, a woman came to us and said "I noticed the writing on the waiver". She asked us if we are capable of operating the horse and required my girlfriend to physically move her hand around in order to prove she wasn't disabled. She had to do that in front of a bunch of other customers. This was absolutely humiliating and immoral to do. Based on the fact that she didn't like our writing... This is discriminatory and I highly recommend to anyone ever considering of going here, to save their hard earned money on something else. Absolutely horrible customer service. What a waste of $320!

We had a package that included our hotel, gondola ride and an evening sleigh ride with Warner stables. We arrived for the sleigh ride and were given wool blankets to keep us warm. The brochure suggested that the trip would take us to a location for a bonfire then return us to the stables. Instead we did a loop (all within view of the stables) for 45 minutes. Then had the option of staying to roast marshmallows on their fire next to the barn. If you've never been on a sleigh ride and would like the experience then you should check it out. If you have experienced a real sleigh ride trough the woods before then you could skip this one and try a different attraction in Banff. It wasn't a bad experience but underwhelming.

Very good place for first time riders if you're doing the 1 hour ride (I wasn't a first time rider but all of my companions that day were). The place does let you pet the horses too, which was nice. The trail was scenic and very photo-worthy. My horse Walker was more of a "eater" than a walker so I did have to tug on his reins numerous times to prevent him from eating while on the trail...

The overall experience was underwhelming. My mom and I signed up for the hour and half ride, which upon arrival we were told it was an hour ride. When we asked why we were told they say an hour and half for saddling up but the trail is much longer than an hour. We started on the trail at 2:15 and arrived back at 3:00. So a total of 45 minutes of actual trail riding when we payed for an hour and half. The trail was ok dense forest not many views expect for a small part when you walk by the trail. Overall I would save your money and use it for a more enjoyable experience in Banff.

My wife and I attended the cowboy cook out and wagon ride. The food was great, and the wagon ride was fun. Our wagon driver, Claire, did a great job, and both Claire and Jessica, back wagon guide, were very accommodating and knowledgeable about the operations of Banff Trail Riders, as well as knowledgeable about Banff and the park. They made a great team, and the conversations with them, both out and back, made our trip to Banff park very enjoyable. Our cook, Jenna, did a great job of preparing our steaks to perfection, and was also fun and knowledgeable to talk with. We also enjoyed talking with other staff around the barns. You have a great team.

I've never been for a legitimate horse ride until I came to Banff and went to this spot, I had a great first experience here! We arrived and we were checked in and were greeted by many smiling staff members in the barn. Immediately after we checked in they suited us up in helmets and made sure they fit comfortably. We also met a very nice man who worked there, unfortunately we didn't catch his name but he has worked at Banff trail riders for a while and he owns a pink horse that he let us meet. He was a big help and gave me my horse for the day. On the trail we were lead by a member of the crew named Kayla, she did a great job keeping us all on the path and letting us know what was around us. We took the 1 hour trip and it was the perfect time for a fun horse ride. The horses were also very well trained and listened to our commands with the reins given to us. Overall, if you want a great first experience with horse riding, this is a great place to go.

I planned our entire holiday around this trail ride. We drove from Edmonton through Jasper and down to Kamloops and stayed the night. We woke up at 530 to ensure we had plenty of time to make it to Banff for our trail ride. We booked a 2 hour ride, and had planned on staying the night in Calgary right after and then heading home the next day. When we got there, I showed my confirmation number. They said I had booked it for the day before. My heart sunk. They couldn't fit me into any of their rides that day. They gave me a number to call to try to get reimbursed. By the time I got to my vehicle to call, I was tearing up. I called the number and told them my story - that this whole trip was planned around this ride. They wouldn't reimburse me. I'm fully aware that this is my mistake, but you would think they would empathize... I didn't intentionally miss my appointment. I had my heart set on this. $160 down the drain... I won't be coming back... (Background story - I'm originally from the NWT and grew up riding horses. They have an extremely special place in my heart and I haven't been able to ride in years. Hence why this trip meant so much...)

I went on the family sleigh ride for Valentine's day with my mom, brother, and stepdad. We were hoping to go on the 12 o clock ride but due to an incident where Jason was eager to step onto a patch of ice on Vermilion lake, and almost fell through it, soaked wet,leading to an impromptu purchase of $80 worth of girl tights and girl boots( no, not on purpose, it was the only option, no boys clothes available) Anyway, back on topic. We went to the stables right away and secured 4 spots for the 2pm ride. So we grabbed McDonalds, ate in the car and then showed up at 1:15. They recommend being there 15 min prior to the ride time. If you have extra time to wait.. drink some hot chocolate or hot apple cider( I only had half a cup and it was delicious). Also, for the kids, there is this hay couch and stage to run around on, and a carriage to sit in if you want to take some pics. Bathrooms are available, not in the stables but it's outside, portable bathrooms. Make sure you go if you need to because there are no breaks during the ride. Each passenger must fill out an liability release form. Oh and the prices $32 adult $27 kids( 4-12) Under 3 is free but the little ones can't really sit still and will likely have to be on your nap. Then, a lady will come, and call out groups( by last name) to go on the first sleigh, there are 4 sleighs in total. When your group get called be sure to grab everyone a blanket, and put on your outdoor gear, as the blankets don't really provide much warmth, only helps a little. The day we went it was windy but at least above 0. Then after about 10-15 min another lady will come in to call out the groups of the next sleigh The four groups/sleighs don't leave at the same time to avoid a jam. They assign rows so you can't really choose. We were in the second row which is good. If you are in the front row you can chat with the driver a lot. As far as the ride, it goes around in a big circle in the field, not really into any woods( except a small bush of trees). Before you leave, a photographer will take a picture of each group individually and then the whole sleigh. If you want to be in the sleigh pic be sure to sit closer, or at the right side, as they only take the sleigh pic from the right side. Your photos will be available at 6pm, there are instructions to order it online. Your tour guide will point out all the mountains and interesting facts about them. You can take pictures on the sleigh of the scenery or others in your group, if you can manage, but it's best to purchase the group pic. After the ride, you can roast marshmallows, and drink more cider or hot chocolate before you leave. Now, here's the only thing that makes this 4 stars instead of 5. It has more to do with the photography, but it would be better if we could purchase a 4X6 photo after the ride, and then we can take pictures of that and post on facebook. Instead, the online ordering website is really easy to navigate, but the prices are outrageous, like cheapest is $25 for a 8X10, same price for 2 5X7. Also, we ordered a digital copy of the sleigh pic, which i now kind of regret because the pic is taken from a far distance. The digital copy is just $25 for them to send the pic to you by email. Also, if you save it onto any device for personal viewing it is very clear, good quality, but if you try and upload it onto facebook or any other media, the GB of the pic is too large and your pic will be blurry on facebook. Also, a simple idea is to save the preview onto your device( but it will have a white copyright mark on it, if you order the digital the copyright mark will be removed) we should totally have gotten the family pic on the sleigh but I'm not going to be buying another pic and spending $50 total on two pics. I recommend just getting the group pic and saving the preview of the sleigh pic. The sleigh pic is taken with good scenery( mountains etc) just too far of a distance. One last thing, for everyone's safety please use caution when walking to the stables, for the sleigh ride purposes, they have purposely turned the pavement between the parking lot and the stables into a mini skating rink( grab your skates to skate the 15m if you want..but nah it's not worth it) just be careful, very slippery!!

I never post on yelp, but I have been given good advice so often I felt compelled to write. My husband and I fortunate enough to have taken many outdoor vacation excursions, hiking, rafting, glacier climbing, cave climbing and snorkeling. The seven hour trip was booked by another member of our party and I did not read all the info on the site- my sad mistake. We stood off to the side while the different trips were saddled up and sent on their way. If one of the cowboys had come by and said, "If you have rain gear we can rent you a place to put it, our you can ride with a fanny pack", that would have been great to know. Since it was sunny and we had no place to store our extra layers we left them in the car. One person was so ill attired that someone should have offered him a horse blanket or something. We got less than two minutes of instruction. Not even a check to see if anyone had been on a horse before. I have done a few horseback trips before and taken lessons as a kid and these horses were great to ride. After about two hours of jostling along, all the remaining coffee from breakfast was looking for a home. We actually rode by a public restroom where on brazen individual was allowed to dismount and pee at the edge of the parking lot. When I asked if I could make a stop I was told that there was not enough time for me--but lunch would be soon. We traveled through narrow steep trails that had scenery much like the first two hours, I got the chance to contemplate if any one would notice if I peed on my saddle. The horses are not shy and I saw a great deal of horse poop and pee at close range- I was wishing for the same opportunity. After about 2 more hours of riding we FINALLY stopped for lunch. I hoped the look of imminent embarrassment would cue the guide to let me down first, but it did not. When I reached the "bathroom spot" it was littered with old toilet paper wads that gave the National Park a less than pristine look. Lunch was good the guides fixed steak with all the fixings. I did not drink much water because I am a fast learner. We spent 45 minutes having one guide teach the other how to pack the mule. I swear I would have only needed five of those minutes for my bathroom stop. We got back on the horses at about 2:30 and a half an hour later it poured rain for about an hour. We were all very sad. I take the liberty of saying this since two ladies in our party nearly had to be dragged to their cars, once off the horses. Some events turn out to be more fun than others, and my sore butt is not the fault of Warner Guiding and Outfitting. But we are humans and having the opportunity to relieve ourselves should be factored into the event. Also this company calls themselves outfitters, if they mentioned we could have rented a saddle bag, or asked us to consider some items they had for rent or sale, this trip would have been much more tolerable. We ate lunch by a service road, I would have happily paid AGAIN to the staff ferry us back to the starting point. Yes, that is because we shouldn't have signed up for this trip, but we are basically riding in a loop. Maybe an after lunch tally of take the long or short way back. So if you want to ride well trained horses on roads, service roads, past golf courses, a wedding, a little league game and in dense forest with very similar views and you can control your bodily functions to once in seven hours go for it.