For you Arizonans and visitors alike who may not know, Monument Valley is temporarily closed due to COVID-19. Therefore, it is not possible to tour the sacred site itself. Last June, this information was not as known as it is now, and given our long-standing plans to see Monument Valley, my fiancé booked a horseback tour hosted by Roy Black's Awesome Horse Tours. What has since ensued has been a fascinating exhibition of dishonesty that would be laughable if it wasn't such a waste of time. Read on: | 7/4/20 tour booked on 6/26/20 | It should have piqued our suspicions that Roy Black's website does not provide any means to cancel tours. It does, however, provide ample contact information -- phone numbers and email addresses -- which we deemed sufficient if a cancellation was necessary. On 6/26/20, two one-hour tours were booked for $155.40. | 7/4/20 tour cancelled on 6/27/20 | With more evidence supporting Monument Valley's apparent closure, we decided on 6/27/20 to cancel the tour that was booked on 6/26/20. My fiancé called Mr. Black and left a voicemail. She also left two emails on 6/27, explicitly declaring our intent to cancel the tour, but she did not receive replies for either. How curious. The next action was to contact the bank on the same day; a dispute was filed, and a temporary credit was issued. | 9/1/20: Surely you're joking, Mr. Black! | Per the bank, the temporary credit was reversed! While Mr. Black is a difficult gentleman to reach, the bank had no problem getting in touch with him. He explained that the $155.40 paid on 6/26/20 was nonrefundable given his 72-hour cancellation policy. I'll give you, dear reader, a moment to reflect upon this fatuous remark. For whomever would inconceivably need this to be explained, Mr. Black's claim would only be true if we cancelled on 7/1/20, 72 hours in advance of the 7/4/20 tour we booked. However, we did not do that because -- brace yourselves -- we read the cancellation policy. We cancelled a week in advance of the tour, honoring the policy and cordially informing a strangely-unavailable Mr. Black. | Verdict | So, what happens now? The photos attached to this review will be sent to the bank, another investigation will be launched, and, of course, we will be refunded. Mr. Black's dishonest report to the bank has only served to delay the correct outcome. "Awesome Horse Tours", indeed. Would you like to know what's even more awesome? Honest business, a forthright website (e.g. "Monument Valley is closed, but we'll be glad to book tours when it reopens!"), and the literacy of one's own cancellation policy. As Roy Black has failed to deliver on all of these, I unequivocally do not recommend Roy Black's Guided Tours. Monument Valley will reopen, my friends, hopefully sooner rather than later. When they do, I trust you will join me in booking a tour with an actually legitimate service. Until then, godspeed. read more

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What a wonderful tour we had with our guide, Jim. He made it so interesting with his experiences living in the Monument Valley area. Made it very personal, as well as great driving skills! Highly recommend Jim with Roy Black Guided Tours! read more

I've been meaning to post since 2017. This is hands down the best excursion I've been on. My boyfriend at the time and I still talk about what a wonderful day we had. We went on a 3 hour tour which lasted much longer, and was private. I can't remember our guides name, but he was about as perfect as a guide could get! He brought us around some amazing native sites and told us stories about the culture and where some events took place, he was funny a took pictures of my boyfriend and I the entire time, and he even carried my hat because it kept flying off! On top of that, he was funny and a really cool dude to be around in general. Monument valley is breathtaking, and seeing it on horseback made it exponentially better. I wouldn't do it any other way! We galloped up and down sand dunes, trotted, and walked all throughout the vast landscape. I recommended it to anyone who wants a really unique and authentic experience. So much fun! read more

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Dishonesty !!! Reservation made on September 9, 2019 without problem for July 5, 2020. Cancellation made on April 2, 2020 in accordance with their cancellation policy before the 72 hours preceding the tour. We receive a message on June 7, 2020 telling us that we will be reimbursed within 30 days maximum. We still receive an email on July 5, 2020 confirming our reservation. On July 7, 2020 we also receive a thank-you email for our visit, when we did not do the tour. No refund made in the end. We were robbed of $ 932. We tried to contact them several times by phone without success as well as by email but the only answers are automatic replies from the booking platform. To flee absolutely !!!! Other operators will probably be more honest. read more

Rachel took us on the John Wayne trail. She was very knowledgeable and very friendly. A real cowgirl! My wife is not very familiar with horses but Rachel gave her good instructions and confidence. We'd go riding with them everyday if we could. It was a spectacular journey! read more

The horse ride made my trip to Monument Valley. Riding through the prairie was a lifetime experience. I learned about each monument including their history and story, interesting facts from Tom, our guide. Most importantly it is one of the few horse riding tours in the country that allow galloping. That was the best part! Also you are allowed to take pictures. read more

Broken Collar Bone Do not use Roy Black's Horseback Trail Rides. We had an accident with them resulting in a broken collar bone for my wife. It could have been much, much worst. Before reading on, please check out some of my 334 reviews on Tripadvisor under the username of lm-gym. It is not typical for me to write a very negative review. Here I will do my best to be as negative as possible, because the incompetence and carelessness of Roy Black's operation calls for it. We are beginners with horse riding. The last time we had this experience was in Zion National Park, long time ago. The horses there were tame, and the guide was an expert. We expected a similar experience. We made this abundantly clear to the people running the business, and they assured us that there will be no problem. Boy, they were so wrong! The three of us booked a 2-hour ride for Saturday afternoon, starting at 5pm. We started with a 45 minute delay. Our guide, Kevin, could have used the delay time to adjust our equipment or to teach us a about the horses, but he did not. It was a bit strange to notice that Kevin does not even know the names of the horses. At this point we should have just cancelled the event, but foolishly we continued. He told us that the horses will follow his lead and we do not have to worry about anything. Right from the outset, he was wrong. The first two horse stayed together, but my wife's horse was very interested in chewing the grass. She was always 10-15 yard behind. My horse was just simply very slow, so I was another 15 yards behind her. About half-way to our trip we arrived to an area where we had to cross a ditch, about 2-3yards deep and 10 yards wide. The guide and the second horse carefully went sideways and climbed on the other side. My wife's horse was behind, as usual, and it decided that the best way to cross the ditch is going directly across. It switched from walking to gallop. By the time the horse was in the bottom of the ditch my wife lost her balance, and when the horse started to climb on the other side, she fell off. Fortunately, she had a helmet on and the ground was soft. She broke her left collar bone, but that was not immediately obvious, because initially she was in a shock and she did not feel the pain. Instead of calling help immediately, Kevin wanted us to continue. When my wife finally refused, he called the stables and a car came to rescue us. On the bumpy road out of the valley my wife's pain was steadily increasing. We drove to the hospital in Kayeane (AZ), that serves the Navajo Nation in the area. She was X-rayed and she was told that she will probably will need surgery. We cut our trip short and flew back to New York. We consulted a surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan and he told us that at this point it is better to wait to see if the bone will heal on its own. Who is to blame? 1. We picked Roy Black based on the recommendation of a travel guide book. That was a mistake. 2. We made the stupid decision of initially trusting our guide. We should have left at the first sign of incompetence. 3. Our guide, Kevin, made a huge mistake by letting a distance develop between the horses in the most dangerous part of our trip. 4. In retrospect, it is clear that Kevin was not an experienced horseman. By the end of the trip he was barely able to control his own horse, and he switched over to my wife's former horse. 5. Kevin did not have any education about how to handle emergencies. 6. I blame Roy Black's operation for not educating and supervising the guides. Again, in retrospect, Kevin was so incompetent that I am sure he made bad mistakes before and he should have been kicked out before he met us. 7. The management of the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park should not allow businesses like Roy Black's to operate in the park. read more

My 2 adult sons and I did a three hour tour in mid-May with Russ as our guide. He was knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. We are novice riders and got along very well with our horses. These animals were sure footed and reasonable to handle. Just follow your guide's instructions if you're not sure what to do. This is a great way to see Monument Valley with less noise and dust than by vehicle. read more

Checked off an adventure from the bucket list. Rode three hours across the desert learning about the area and feeling true freedom! Those horses can RUN. We were out for sunset and it was epic. Only side note is to bring cash to pay and tip with! read more

I booked in February for a horseback tour in late June. When COVID-19 happened, our hotel reservations were canceled, so we had to cancel the horseback tour as well. Unfortunately, we were unable to get an answer at the phone number listed on the website. I sent two emails and left several phone messages to cancel our reservation within the 72 hour window required for a full refund. I've heard nothing in response except an automated reminder email the day before our booking and a "thank you for joining us" email the day after even though I didn't join them. So frustrating! Looks like I'm out $400! read more

I had a tour on May 15th 2020 and because of the virus we had to cancel our trip. I sent multiple emails 2 months before the tour and never got a response. Very disappointed with customer service and even more to find out that I gave money to a company that mistreats the horses. Be aware! Do not come here. read more

I was in heaven. We got off the main road and all the traffic that happens in Monument Valley and were able to take a good two hour horseback ride through a little bit of back country. What's not to like. Tooley Sharky was our guide and was great. This was my wife's first time on a horse whereas I am relatively experienced. Tooley was able of making it interesting for us both without scaring my wife off. Personable and considerate to both of us, he was a perfect guide. I highly recommend the experience. If you've ridden before or if it's the first time. These guys at Roy Black's will take care of you. Enjoy. read more

My husband and I are on a road trip for our first anniversary and have been hitting a bunch of different national parks and reservations. This was one of the highlights so far! Sheldon Silversmith took us out and we were so glad he did. He was nice, knowledgeable, very helpful, and made the experience amazing even though it was super cold. We highly recommend! read more

My group went on a tour for about an hour and half or so. It was a really beautiful way to get up close to some of the views in Monument Valley. However, this tour would not be for someone who had never ridden a horse before. It was my first time and I struggled badly to keep up. So bad in fact that they had to tie my horse to the guide. I couldn't handle the bouncing of the horse when it was going faster than a walk. The guide tried to give me tips on how to ride better but I just couldn't do it. There were two guides with us so the one guide took the rest of the group and went on with the tour while I struggled to ride my horse. They were super nice and understanding about it. This experience did not scare me away from riding horses but has motivated me to look into getting lessons. read more

I booked a horse tour in the Monument Valley in January 2020, for my holiday in May 2020. Unfortunately, due to Covid 19, my flight has been canceled, so on March 23rd I wrote an email asking to cancel my booking, and to give me full refund (the policy is full refund if you cancel 72 hours prior the tour). I received no answer, so I wrote again. Only on April 11st I finally received an email suggesting to call a certain Mr Kevin, but with no other information about cancellation or refund. I wrote again asking for an answer by email, because it is very expensive to call the USA from Italy. I never received an answer! Wrost experience ever in booking management! I doubt I will ever get an answer, and obtain my money back! read more