I did the cookout as part of a recent contiki tour and we had a large group about 32 of us all riding horses so we were all in line going at a comfortable pace. It was slow but i didnt mind as it allowed us to take photos of the scenery, and my horse adair was well mannered. As ive only ridden horses a couple of times i was very comfortable, and the staff were well split up between our group
and were there to help if our horse weren't behaving.

The cookout was amazing the food was great and the steak was tender enough to cut with a plastic knife not to mean the chilli was Delicious. No real issues for me even in a larger group id be curious to experience the longer rides as its a whole another way to get a view of lovely banff.

I did the 2 hour tour and found it plenty long enough, for someone who has not ridden a horse before the staff made me feel comfortable along the way. Worth the money and a couple of hours out of your day.

My wife and I just got back from Banff and Jasper and we decided to do the 7 hour steak lunch cook out ride with Holiday on Horseback. The experience was fantastic, even though part of my body were protesting for days afterwards. Seems that a 7 hour rides does not compare to riding a computer chair day after day. Even though my butt hurt, I wouldn't trade the fun we had. The views more than made up for the soreness and having a steak cooked over a log fire (thanks Sarah) plus all the fixins was just an extra bonus to it.

The staff asked us about our riding experience, matched us up with horses and gave information on riding and any quirks about the specific horse you were given. The horses were very responsive to commands and the ups and downs and steep cliffs added to the journey.

amazing a bit nervous until i arrived and got into it probably did not see to much as concentrating on riding the 3 hr trail