AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL! ABUSE OF ANIMALS DO NOT GO!!!! We went to Jayell Ranch for a horseback ride on our vacation and were disgusted with the habitat for the horses. They were standing in huge piles of feces that had been there for an obvious long time, the smell was horrendous, the horses were covered in flies due to the over abundance of old feces everywhere. Many of the horses had large open sores on them that were covered in flies. They had no bandages covering the sores or anything to help the horses to get relief from the constant swarm of flies feeding off their open flesh. We did not see any water where they were held, the horses were extremely hot, sweaty and put to work right after one horseback ride to another with little to no breaks in between. They were very agitated horses, not happy and were visually in distress. The horses would try to fight each other on the trail due to their unhappiness and discomfort. I've never seen anything like it before, it was scary and I felt so bad for the poor horses. They couldn't keep their legs still because they were constantly trying to shake off the flies and other insects from their wounds. It was extremely upsetting to see this. I have been to many ranches and rode horses all over the country and have never seen any treated like this. The Jayell Ranch is in very bad shape, understaffed and needs a lot of work done if they plan to remain open. The water that they do have there is completely green and disgusting. The managers make excuses to the treatment of their horses saying they are understaffed which is no excuse for animal abuse! Please someone in the area go and try to help these horses get the medical attention and care that they need. I am not the first to notice the abuse, they have reviews stating the exact same thing from other customers. I wish I would have read the reviews before I went at least now I can try to help those poor horses! read more

Went here with my husband and three year old. We went earlier in the day on a Monday. We immediately were able to sign our waivers on a tablet. All we did was horseback riding. We waited on our horseback rides for about 20 mins. We were asked if we had ever rode before and when we told them no they gave us simple instructions on how to help steer and keep the horse moving if they wanted to stop and eat grass. I don't really have a lot of experience with horses so I can't speak on the condition of their horses. None of them stood out as underweight or neglected however they may have seemed a little tired or either bored with walking the same path over and over. We had Waylon as a guide and he was super nice. Kept asking everyone in our group if they were okay during the ride. The horses did try to stop and eat several times but were easily redirected when promoted. Waivers are up all around the place just because you are in animals and not machines. Animals have a mind of their own and obviously an animal as big as a horse had the potential to hurt you. The guides did make us aware that sometimes the horses will pick at each other so they did ask us to try to keep them 6-10 ft apart. We had no issues with this on our ride. Only other issue was that the drive way into the place was hard to turn in with the angle it was and it's in a pretty sharp curve. Other than that the trip here was fun! read more

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Great place I have been coming here for 3 years now and every time is just as much time as the first. horses know the way and guides are great I highly recommend them. read more

Jayell Ranch - ATV Rentals/Tours Near Me - Sevierville, Tennessee

Where to begin... This is a great place to visit if you love watching other people ride horses and being verbally assaulted by general managers. We decided to choose this ranch for horseback riding because the website read, "No need for reservations, we are open from 9 am and stop checking in guests at 5 pm. We are also open year round! Our tours leave out every 15-20 minutes on all three attractions." When we arrived and bought our tickets, walked to the horse boarding area. We were given a number and were told they were a little backed up , but it shouldn't be longer than 20-30 minutes. One hour and thirty minutes later, there were still 29 people in front of us on the list. During our wait, 2 groups left. So, contrary to the websites statement, "Our tours leave out every 15-20 minutes on all three attractions," scientific data tells us that the tours actually leave about every 45 minutes. We went to the ticket counter and asked to speak to a manager. I explained everything to the general manager, she told me all she could do is FIRE the employee that lied to us. I asked if there was another person I could speak with, she told me she couldn't give me her boss' contact information. I would suggest going somewhere with reservations. The group 20ish people in front of us said they been waiting over 2.5 hours. read more

OMG, this "ranch" is an excellent example of how NOT to run a business. Talk about massive inefficiency. Stood in line for over an hour. Filled out a waiver online. Then a lady comes to you while you're in line and gives you a pink slip and has you fill out another form. When you finally make it to the window you fill out Yet another form. When you pay for your ATV/UTV, etc activity, the nice lady behind the counter tells you they make copies of your driver's license and credit card just in case you damage their equipment. But don't worry, they shred your PII and credit card at days end. BUT WAIT, you aren't done. Yep. Another line, and more forms at the top of the stairs where the ATVs are. More than 2 hours later. We finally get to ride the ATVs. I did enjoy the experience, strongly recommend you bring something to cover your mouth and face b/c dust is bad. And it really is rough terrain. I'd ride an ATV again, but not here! read more

I went to the ranch last week with my family. I've been to Gatlinburg quite a few times and was with someone who hasn't been in a long time. They wanted to go horse back riding and zip lining. This ranch had both on location, so it seemed like a good choice. Man was I wrong! My family and I got to the ranch around 10:30-11am and were told by a worker that there was a 4.5 hour wait for horseback riding but we could leave and come back. We decided to do that as we wanted to go do something in the mean time. So, we did the zip lining and then after checking in for horseback, we left. We were told to come back around 4:45. When we came back, there was still a TON of people waiting to go on the ride and the employees were tired and done with working.. So, we ended up waiting another almost 2 hours to ride. When we asked about a refund, as we were getting tired of waiting, we were told there was no manager on site and they couldn't give a refund. Awesome to have teens working with no manager! We also were told the workers were not paid hourly and only were paid in tips. I can see why the workers were very checked out as not being paid sucks. Because there was no refund option, we went on the ride. The horses were being uncooperative as it was HOT and they were constantly being ridden with no breaks. I almost got bitten when my horse got close to another. Our guide told us that the horses were go go go with no breaks, no water access, and no hay. They were in feces covered stalls with barely any space or fans. When my family member called after all of these issues with not only the horses not cooperating but me almost getting bit, she was given a phone number to talk to the manager and apparently this place gets so many complaints, there is a voice mail box to leave your complaints at! I am DISGUSTED with this place and as someone who has worked retail/customer service for a LONG time, I can tell you that this place has the worse customer service and also is just the most unorganized place I have ever seen. DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!!! I would give 0 stars if I could. read more

Extremely slow for horseback riding. They offer No reservations so you have to wait around till it's your turn. An hour and a half wait turned into 3+ hours. They do not leave every 15-20 minutes like the website boasts. read more

Honestly, the staff and guide were very understanding. The system that Jayell Ranch uses is aweful. My party checked in Tuesday at 11. They told us we were gonna ride at 3. Nope, we rode at 11 the next day (Wednesday). It was because of very poor planning, communication, and systems. If Jayell Ranch updated these things and became a reservation only ranch, it would 5 star... but it isn't. Besides the long waits and lack of communication between staff, it was good. The trail was pretty, the horses were more or less docile. The staff were friendly... just Tennessee slow. read more

Waited 3 hours to ride 30 minutes through a gravel road that circles through a field. Our group got cut off by about 15 four wheelers. We had to wait in the dust and fumes with hot irritable horses. My horse would not stop pulling down for grass, as the fields haven't been mowed. Our guide worked hard to manage horses but between my horse pulling me away and others biting/kicking most of the ride, it just wasn't very enjoyable. The trail wasn't that nice either. It was mainly a rough gravel road with views of heavy equipment, litter and high weeds. The focus is more on the four wheelers barreling through the same road as the horses. Our guide was trying to coach us on a hill and we couldn't hear due to the engine noise roaring through the trail. read more

If you want to spend all day waiting in a dusty line in the heat then go here. Service was terrible. Very disorganized and stressful. Don't bother. read more

Went here on a last minute trip and it was an absolute blast. My boyfriend and I had beautiful draft horses that were well trained and the right amount of personality. Pops was our guide, and he made it so memorable. He's funny, smart and witty. Would recommend trying to get pops as your guide. If not, the others there are also super nice and knowledgeable. They give the beginners a run down before you start, and you walk along a pretty trail among the mountains. All of the workers are so kind and the horses so sweet! Thank you for the wonderful experience, will definitely be back :) read more

Jayell Ranch - ATV Rentals/Tours Near Me - Sevierville, Tennessee

Horrible experience at Jayell Ranch. To start off, the parking situation was so disorganized, cars all over the place not knowing where to go. Steep rocky hills that many cars were struggling to get through which was a potential hazard for us while waiting in line. There is only one line which we waited in for well over 1.5 hours, only to have a staff member come up to warn us that there very well may be a 2+ hour wait to do any activities, and that there is no guarantee we would be able to do them because they close at 5pm. We filled out our waivers online, as many other people in the line did as well, so it should've been a speedy process. Long story short, we decided to leave due to the fact that we were still in line for another 30 min after the staff member told us about the wait. I feel they could definitely work on their check in process to not have everyone waiting around for hours especially when you're paying a pretty penny to do the activities here. We were very disappointed that we waisted our last day in Tennessee waiting at this place. read more

After looking at many places, my husband I and decided to go to Jayell Ranch. When we got there the parking was easy, signing the waiver was quick and so was paying and getting the wrist band. The lady that we paid with told us where to go, everything was going smoothly. Then we get to the zip line "sign in", there were so many people hanging around the podium, we just stood in line waiting. We waited at least a hour and a half. When a worker got back I asked what was the next step. Apparently, you have to sign the clipboard and put yourself on the list. It wasn't a big deal, since no one had signed since we were standing there. So they then tells us, we can't take you now, you can wait another 2 1/2 hours or you can go get a refund. There were so many people asking for refunds because the waits were so long. I think people would be more acceptive with the waits, if they are told upfront. This place needs some organization and communication. read more

My family of 4 spent from 12:30pm to 4:30pm for horse back riding and after waiting around all day we was told we wouldn't get to ride. We have 2 upset kids (4 and 10) and majority of our day spent standing around waiting for nothing. We was not the only family turned away they over booked so many people today. read more

We had a great experience at Jayell Ranch! We wanted to ride atv's during our trip to gatlinburg and picked Jayell because it was close by to where we were staying. We got in around 11am on a Saturday and signed up/paid. It was $70 per person. After paying we went straight up to where the atvs were and got started without a wait. The ride itself is an hour long and it was so much fun! It was a little crazier then I expected but in a good way. After our ride there were a ton of people waiting for the atvs and waiting in the main line to pay for the other activities as well. We were so happy we dodged the crowd by getting there early. Definitely recommend but get there when they open so you aren't waiting around forever. read more

Sooooooo much fun ! I forgot the zip lining crew names it was 2 of them with really nice teeth (I know that's off topic butttt just an observation) lol. I would def go back. The only thing I would say is if you've never driven an atv DONT make this your first time. You are liable for ANY DAMAGES done to the four wheelers or any otvs. However, I've been riding since I was 6 or 7 and it was hard for me to not slide and hit something. The steering was out of alignment and we were riding in clay for the most part which is extremely slippery. But all in all this is an awesome spot to smell farm animals, ride atvs, and zip line. read more

Tourists beware and research this company and owner! Deliberately take advantage of tourists with young children and charge unconfirmed damage amounts if child makes any mistakes regardless of how minor. ATVs are NOT appropriate for children under 16. Hopefully my mistake can help others avoid this very unpleasant and costly experience. F grade on BBB with extensive list of consumer related complaints. read more

Today my family arrive at Jayell Ranch (at 12:50), expecting a wonderful time of a six course zip line and a beautiful horse back ride through some trails. To our surprise, we had to wait in an hour and a half line just to get some tickets to wait longer to actually do the things we paid for. Over the phone, the workers told us that it was first come first serve. The workers were few and far between, but the ones that were there were very kind and slow moving. After we got our wrist bands (tickets) we were told to go and sign in. We had to wait in yet another line to sign in which served as a waiting list. Then we had to wait until they called our name which also took a while. Then our name was called but apparently they had called to many families and we were told that we had to wait another 35-45 minutes. So, we were like ok well we've been waiting this long we might as well just wait. We waited for about an hour and our name still hadn't been called. Just before that we went and talked to the workers who were managing the horses and the horse back riding activity. We said the horses are looking a little tired. And this man responded by saying the horses work for a living and everyones' lives are miserable. The horses looked exhausted and disgusting. We decided that we did not want to support that kind of a business. After these experiences we all decided that we wanted a refund. And yet again we had to wait in another line. We were reimbursed with $445, but not our time. We were not the only ones who felt like this, there was a line of just people who wanted refunds. This trip wasted more than three hours of our trip. Overall, this ranch seems pretty nice but it is completely unorganized and disgusting. We thought about going back tomorrow but we would not want to support a business such as the Jayell Ranch. So instead we're going to the Five Oaks Riding Stables. read more

If you can avoid this place, please by any means do it. My friends and I came here for the ATV rides this past weekend and needless to say, the fun was short lived. We came on a day where it had rained the night before and it was cloudy and wet during the day, so naturally we were going to slip, slide and get stuck. Our guide (Nick) who was very knowledgeable and made sure we were comfortable with the ATV's was guiding us through the course when all of a sudden, an older gentleman came by on his own ATV and startling hurling cuss words at us. When we arrived at the shed, he made a racist remark to our group and told us "who the f**ck let you drive" He was angry at the fact that we had brought the ATV's back muddy, and was saying we were driving reckless. We merely followed our guide, and if our guide saw us doing something reckless, he would have pointed it out. There were times where Nick had to get us unstuck from the mud, and the man was angry at the fact that we were going full throttle to do so (this was on Nick's orders) He told us that Nick was just new here and was belittling him, and told us never to come back. Alright buddy, we sure as hell won't! I sure hope the Jayell staff realizes they have a racist, arrogant person running their course. read more

As far as trail rides go (and I've been on a lot of trail rides) it was pleasant. A little short (about 30/35 min) but the scenery was nice and the horses themselves were sweet. However. We waited 2.5 HOURS for this 30 min trail ride. 2.5 hours in 90 degree heat with a water jug that was empty and never refilled the whole time we were waiting there. By the time we got our heads, our kids were tired and overheated and ready to go home (one even fell asleep on her horse). Because you are not allowed to make a reservation, the wait is incredibly long and they are not very efficient/quick with moving forward. There were not many people ahead of us - the fact that it took 2.5 hours is just ridiculous. Pleasant ride, nice stable, but next time we will be looking for a ride that takes reservations, for sure. read more

One of the worst experiences ever, most disorganized true we could not tail time. Arrived at 11:30 did not go on our first ride of zip lining till 430, and eight hours later finally went for a 45 minute horse ride. Plan to waste an entire day of your vacation standing around being told you will be next read more

I came with my family here and everything was okay until zip lines. our instructor was making harassing comments about the 2 girls and I. He asked us our ages and then said "i better keep my mouth shut". He then proceeded to pull the only male in our group to the side saying "girls are hotter in ohio". After finding out all three of us were underage. He kept making comments about us until we left. We called into the place of business wondering if we could get a refund for this experience and we had to pay full price for the zip lines that we got harassed on. read more

my teenage daughters We're being harassed by an employee, absolutely nothing was done about it. Obviously my daughters didn't want to go back and finish and they didn't even give us a full refund. disgusting thing to do. read more

First time zip lining and had a blast. My little ones, age 4,5 and 8 really enjoyed and want to do it again. We also did horseback riding . The staff was great and attentive to the kids. read more

Worst place I've ever been to, very unprofessional. Waited in line forever when there was hardly anyone there!! Finally got to buy our tickets then they tell us we can't do the train anymore, so we have to get a refund. Instead of giving us our refund right then and there, they decided to have us go to the back of the line again!! Very unhappy with our visit! read more

I have nothing but great things to say about this place and their staff! We did the horseback riding and the kids said it was their favorite day ever! Mr. Lloyd made our day! He's hilarious and beyond kind-hearted. He gave very clear instructions which made me feel so much safer with the kids riding. Ms. Paisley was our tour guide. She was so amazing and patient! This is the first time I've felt comfortable while riding horses. All of the staff was friendly. The place was clean. The prices were good. There wasn't really a wait! They did a great job! Thank you to the staff!! read more

We enjoy horseback riding but the wait was insane. We waited four hours to ride. The ranch needs a better way of the way people are called to ride. I complained to one the guides about refunds. The process isnt easy especially when the office was closed. We finally got to ride we ENJOYED the ride. I felt sorry for the 2 guides. ALL other staff left leaving 2 guides for approximately 2o plus people to finish the night. The poor guides got the complaints and had to still do the tour. Would I go again? Only if there was an overhaul of the way things were done. read more

Best place for horse back riding. Very nice and friendly staff. Zip line was cool also. Recommend highly

My family and I went to this ranch at around 12:30. We just left at 4:30 not being able to do what we signed up for. At first we had to wait in line for an hour and a half just to get the tickets. We were going to do zip lining and horseback riding. They told us that the horseback riding was going to take around 3 hours and the zipping around 30 minutes to and hour.We were just fine with that because we were going to be able to go zip lining and kill some time until the horse back riding. 3 hours later we weren't able to do either. They were just too busy and didn't have enough employees. Yes I know with the virus they're are limited. But they were only a few. It was very unorganized and sloppy with slippery mud. They were no staff standing around trying to help direct us around the large ranch. The horses looked very tired and worn out. We asked if they are always like that and one of the staffs reply was that they are always miserable just like everyone else in this place. After these experiences, we and a lot of other people that came around the same time by us had to get refunds because it was almost dark and wasn't able to do any of the activities we came to do read more

The wait for anything is absolutely absurd. 2 hours to even purchase tickets then an additional 3+ hour wait start your activity. Then if you want a refund, you guessed it, another 2 hour wait. Please save your time and look elsewhere. read more

I'm not a negative review person but if I could give this place 0/5 stars I would. I decided to take my 10 year old daughter to this park and ride the horses. Upon arrival, I was surprised by the number of rats out, in the middle of the day. But it is a farm in a VERY populated area, so I shrugged it off. They weigh each person and match that person with a horse that can handle their size--100% reasonable. As we were standing in the loading area I was surprised how the staff had the horses crowded in one area, butt to butt, with the staff taking the horses up the middle. Felt unsafe for the staff and annoying for the horses because they had to shove horses out of their way to get through. But I thought- hey they know the animals better than I do so no need to be concerned. They really had to pull on the horses to convince they to come out of the shed, but it was 85 degrees. I was also surprised about how dirty the horses were. I grew up with horses so I understand the importance of grooming a horse especially under the saddle pad area. My daughter and I were placed on two sweet enough horses, until they placed another male horse next to mine. The horses began instantly biting each other and kicking each other. The staff new this horse did not get along with this group of horses because they had a staff member stand with him the whole time. The poor woman on this horse pleaded with the staff to spread the horses out or to put her on a different horse but they didn't listen. When everyone was done loading, they unhooked the horses and the tour began. We barely made it out of the gate and the horse in front of my daughter's horse kicked my daughter's horse, causing it to rear up and do several side steps. Thank god she had a year worth or riding lessons and was able to stay on the horse and control it; however this the caused the troublesome horse to get agitated and his horse and mine started kicking and biting each other. At that point my daughter and I were not going to risk our safety by staying on them for an hour like this and requested to return to the barn. The guide leader agreed. Of course they refused a refund- which is clearly posted. I did see the woman on the troublesome horse return to the barn too after ~10 minutes. This place is NOT for inexperienced riders - travelers beware. read more

My Fiancé and I went on a horseback ride here yesterday. It was absolutely fantastic! Our guide, Greg, was new to the farm but did such an amazing job. It felt like we had already been friends with him for months, he was so personable. He even took us through the shaded areas as it was very hot and sunny, and went above and beyond to make it as special as possible. The wait was a whole 2 minutes from ticket booth to horseback, and they really do know their stuff around there. The trails were beautiful and the price was fantastic for an hour long ride, especially compared to other ranches we looked at. Their horses are healthy and we learned that they are all rescues from the kill pen, which was so heartwarming. It's Definitely worth your money and time, and I'd strongly recommend it. read more

Jayell Ranch - ATV Rentals/Tours Near Me - Sevierville, Tennessee

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4 stars in the atv rides and zip lines Losing a star due to overall customer service. Employees need more training and a customer service approach. At zipline checkin, one employee was smoking During zipline, 2 guides were vaping Upon check in at zipline station, 2 employees told us they were new and didn't know how to check us in so a super nice girl about 8-10 years old checked us in. She had a great and welcoming attitude. Overall, the employees just seemed tired and worn. A higher up more experienced employee did show up and coordinated all the customers and the employee. He got everything going which "saved the day". I would go back but it's frustrating to explain to my kids why People are vaping and smoking while they work in the vicinity of kids read more

The staff is amazing and they are great with kids on all of the different things there. The only reason that I didn't give them a higher star rating is the zip line experience. 2 of the 6 need to be adjusted, we weren't able to make it to the bottom. I definitely recommend for the horse and ATV. read more

I was very nervous attempting this. Tanner and Shane were the best guides ever. My husband managed to lose his wallet and keys on one line(the lanyard he was wearing broke). We were so upset. With the help of Chad, Shane and Tanner.. everything was recovered!!! All of them work so hard to ensure that all of us on vacation are having an amazing experience. Please remember to tip!!! read more

DO NOT go to this ranch! My family and I arrived at the ranch at 12:45 to do the horse ride and left at 4:40 without riding the horses ONCE! Not even talking about how incredibly disorganized this establishment is but the fact that there were young children not only mine but other families sitting out in the heat for multiple hours and never getting to ride the horses! The staff kept lying to everyone and telling them 20 more minutes when they knew it would be much longer. After my family and multiple others have been sitting in the heat on a bench for more than three hours waiting for the horseback riding a group of more than 30 girls showed up and they let them in front of everyone! When asked why they let these People in front of other families with children that have been waiting for hours even though there are no reservations allowed and they just showed up they said that they were "friends of the managers" and that get to go before all the people that have been waiting! After everyone saw the disorganization that was happening we all went down to the front desk to get a refund and were never apologize to and being treated very rudely by the one staff member that was at the window not to mention that we all had to stand in that long line to wait for a refund after already waiting hours for the horseback riding. This is a incredibly disorganized organization with a rude staff and money pinchers! We all had to pay for wrist bands and wear them and the Group of 30 didn't have any and just got to walk wherever the wanted. It is not only sad that half of the day was wasted on people's vacations instead of them just telling us we would be waiting and making multiple young children that were excited to ride the horses, wait and then not be able to go! I am incredibly upset I will never be going back here! And their next excuse was that it was a school group and they needed to get back to school in time??? It's nearly 5:00 do they go to night school or something?? Their was much more unethical things that I don't think I could even put in here. Understand you'll be treated poorly and wasting your money and time! DON'T GIVE THESE PEOPLE YOUR MONEY! Standing in line for a refund and watched a little kid turn to his dad and ask "are we riding the horses?" Just for his dad to have to tell him he won't be able to is so sad especially sense they traveled from Chicago to do so. To have small children in the heat and be so excited to ride horses and never even get to do so is absolutely PATHETIC! read more

Lines are way to long. Cant check in under 2 hours, just to be told the wait time is another 2-3 hours for your activity. Find something else to do while you are on vacation until they get it together here. Needs some new management to get things flowing smoother and faster! read more

Waiting in 5 hour lines just for a "celebrity" with a group of 20 people to skip everyone and go first. This caused our wait to be an extra 2 hours longer and it was very dark by the time we got to go so it was not even worth it. Did not get to see any views or scenery. read more

WORST PLACE!!! Do Not Go! We purchased our tickets around 1:00 pm. We were told to return at 3:00 pm, which we did. We were then told we'd be riding on the horses around 5:00 pm. Long story short - we didn't start riding until after 6:00 pm. It was pitch black; we couldn't see a thing. Our kids were scared. The ride, which was supposed to be around 1 hour, was cut short to less than 30 minutes. My sons horse attacked my horse, I was scared the entire ride. We had to guidance and could not see. Then they told me they were going to me me my money back and we have yet to get it. We felt robbed. read more

We were there during Spring break and it was insanely crowded. Zero social distancing or masks by employees. We stood in line at 9am, purchased tickets at 10a, and were told we had a 2.5 hour further wait for horse riding, which ended up being 4 hours! We went zip lining (3 line) which had about a 15m wait and the entire thing took about an hour. It's a good course for kids, not too long or high. However we had to wait until 2pm to be seated on the horses, another 15m until everyone in our group was seated and we began our 45 minute ride. The horses are beautiful, but they only have one guide leading 12 people, and it would be better if they had at least one more guide, especially as a couple horses didn't cooperate with the younger riders. Maybe try your luck during an off season or pay a little more and get a reservation elsewhere do you don't spend your entire day waiting for your ride. read more