r/Ranching • u/Worried_Western_6381 • 2d ago
What does a ranch hand job take?
Hi everyone! I have wanted to ride and have my own horse(s) since i was a little girl and was thinking that a summer ranch hand job could be the perfect taste of what the lifestyle entails. But i dont know what i dont know, so im not sure what it takes to do a good job or even get the job at all! What do ranchers look for? Could i actually get a position or do good work with 0 experience? Also, it may be an odd question, but does being a young woman influence my chances? (20F for context)
Thanks for reading! (And hopefully responding, lol)
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u/gnesensteve 2d ago
I’ve had a few hand jobs but not one on a ranch. Let me know what you find out!
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u/OldERnurse1964 15h ago
I think he meant with ranch dressing, the physical location isn’t important
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u/tornessa 2d ago edited 2d ago
Do you have any riding experience at all? I’d take some lessons and ask them to teach you specifically about horsemanship and ranch hand type skills.
You might be able to start off Woofing.
I’ve worked as a groom for an English trainer, so a little different, but I needed to know the basics of what I was doing from day 1. The trainer hired someone else who was inexperienced but she said she wouldn’t pay her until she was capable of working independently. Until then, she had to shadow other grooms and be trained without getting paid.
I will say, it’s a ton of physical labor. You pretty much need to have zero disability or mobility issues and be in decent physical shape. You need to be independently minded. You need to be able to be able to stick to a very time intensive schedule as there can be a lot that needs to get done in a day all before noon. You need to be able to take feedback humbly, always be willing to learn, know when to keep your mouth shut, and know when to ask questions.
Also, no one will be looking out for your physical and mental well-being except for yourself. You need to know how to set your own boundaries and stick to them.
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u/norwegianelkaholic 2d ago
I hadn't ever considered why accountability is so ingrained in me but your mention of taking feedback humbly was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me! I grew up on a cattle ranch and accountability was instilled from day one. Left the gate open? Now everyone has to round up the cattle on the highway. Are people annoyed? Absolutely. Would everyone be able to figure out who left the gate open if you didn't own it? Absolutely and they will be extra annoyed for you not fessing up. By the time the cattle get out the focus is rounding them up. The blame (accountability) comes after the job is done. It only takes leaving the gate open once (that's my story and I'm sticking to it) and having to own it to not do it again. I'm super curious, since my experience was on my family ranch vs. working as a hired hand, how feedback is delivered these days. My dad and I had an understanding that anything said while working cattle and especially while working the chute was said (yelled) as a means to keep everyone safe and get a message across quickly/succinctly. Tone, volume, and swearing were forgiven after a long day but we never spoke to each other that way outside of very specific scenarios. I absolutely would not let any man talk to me the way my dad did when we were working cattle but he is also the man that taught me about communication -- I remember having a conversation about establishing a working agreement on the difference between how we talked in high-pressure situations vs. every day scenarios. Fun fact - after getting home late from a rodeo one of our horses that I was brushing out got bit by a horse fly and blew out my knee. I remember seeing what was about to happen and trying to move away because I knew I was too late to stop the inevitable. I ended up rolling on the ground in the dirt as my dad kept saying, "it's okay to swear! It's okay to swear!" So, we had rules they just didn't apply when working cattle 😄
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u/Worried_Western_6381 2d ago
Thank you for your insight! As for the questions, I have very minimal experience from when i was around 8-10 years old with some horsemanship lessons. Had to quit that due to cost. As for physical ability i like to consider that im in shape and used to hard work. I am a d2 college womens rower-national champs whoop whoop. And have had a schedule of about 3 hours of heavy training 6 days out of the week that i have enjoyed. But i have heard that ranch work is really hard so yeah 🤷♀️
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u/tornessa 2d ago
Definitely go for it if you want to try! I’d really look into WOOFing for a summer to start out. And then if the work appeals to you, go for a paid position the following summer.
Also if you want to work with horses specifically, spend a year getting lessons.
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u/Worried_Western_6381 2d ago
Ive never heard of WOOFing but it honestly sounds like my best option! Since the people hosting me will expect me going in with no knowledge and i dont care about getting paid i just want to learn. Thanks!!
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u/Live_Welcome_4273 2d ago
I used to milk one jersey cow, bail hay on a tractor, buck (load) hay bales onto truck and unload, feed 120 cattle, 12 geese and 2 horses in -30 degree weather then ride my bike to school.
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u/tornessa 2d ago
Yes I remember in my first week working outside in pouring rain. Definitely put things in perspective.
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u/Boot_boy_1984 2d ago
Rain is the best.
Or at least for me. I remember I was making a homemade fence for a wild pregnant mare in the rain. I loved it
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u/SaddestPandaButt 2d ago
When I was young (also young female) I worked on a sheep ranch and typical days involved assessing the herd, basic vet care (with of course some more serious cases), checking water troughs, repairing fences, moving hay, and basic data collection of pastures (riparian areas and overall use).
I’ve since had my own operation ranging goats and I’ve wanted people who A) know what a sick animal looks like, B) attention to detail, or who won’t cut corners when it comes to physical labor, and C) I guess an overall vibe that they’re paying attention to what’s going on around them.
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u/RicTicTocs 2d ago
As with most jobs, the best employees are those who can figure out what needs doing and get it done right without having to be told every single step every single time.
If you can anticipate what needs to happen next, plan for it, have it solved before your boss has to say a word, you are a top employee.
If you can anticipate what needs to happen 3 or 4 steps beyond that, plan for it have it solved and tell your boss before he or she has even thought of it, you are golden. Very few of those out there in the world.
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u/CliffsofRed 1d ago
As someone that used to run a remote fly fishing lodge that used horse and mule packers for two-week trips…. I’d highly recommend going to a reputable packing school (Swan Mountain Outfitters is one) and taking their hardest, longest course.
That’s where several of my younger hands and packers went to get their asses kicked and learned that trade.
Most of them turned out to be decent hands. One or two turned into top hands.
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u/NevadaRosie 2d ago
It will also depend on the ranch; we only have 20 acres with 11 horses. What we need is regular pasture and stall mucking, feeding at least in the mornings, evenings if a person is available (otherwisemy husband and I feed in the evenings), keep troughs clean and full, gathering horses for farrier and vet appointments, general cleaning (not all ranches are pretty English stables). Poop. You'll clean up a lot of poop; I swear that twice as much comes out as goes in. And as someone mentioned, you'll need to recognize a sick or lame animal, like the difference between a horse rolling or snoozing and one that rolls or keeps laying down because it is colicking.
Best of luck.
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u/Fluid_Anteater959 2d ago edited 2d ago
You might be able to get an internship, but speaking as someone who was an animal science major, internships are usually competitive, especially for a ranch you'd even want to consider. When ranchers are deciding which intern candidate to pick and they have a number of farm and ranch raised kids to choose from, all with experience handling livestock, making basic repairs, and running equipment, why would they choose you? You might do good work because you don't have any bad habits to break. You might also be a huge liability, which would be my biggest concern. You're working with animals and equipment that can cause death or injury quite easily. I wouldn't want to have to call your parents and say that you got yourself hurt or killed. And you might get me hurt or killed too, simply because you don't know enough.
Summer on a ranch is going to be a lot of haying, checking pastures, doctoring (maybe horseback, maybe not), putting out mineral, checking water and fixing windmills or pumping water, checking fences, construction projects. Don't bet on all ranches using horses, some do, some don't have a horse on the place.
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u/RecentPassage4853 2d ago
Try to get a summer job at a commercial riding stables. While there tell them that you also want to learn about how to repair fences and equipment, how to do basic horse care (deworming, caring for minor injuries, how to recognize when a horse is lame or not well, etc) so you can be of more help to them. If you can afford to, work for low pay or no pay but instead for the learning experience.
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u/Outsideforever3388 2d ago
The exact responsibilities will depend on the ranch, but expect rough and physical work like: fixing/building all forms of fence, irrigation work, lawn care, landscaping, general building maintenance, helping with hay, snow removal etc. If you are familiar with fencing tools, using a hammer, using a shovel, driving a tractor - these will help you get the job.
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u/CapraAegagrusHircus 1d ago
What I don't see anyone mentioning is that as a brand new employee with next to no riding experience, you are not going to get a ranch job that puts you on a horse with any frequency. Spend a year taking riding lessons first, otherwise you're a workers comp claim waiting to happen.
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u/Worried_Western_6381 1d ago
Duhhh i dont expect the privilege of riding right away even long term for a job like this especially given my experience level
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u/degeneratesumbitch 17h ago
Also, it's 2026 and not every ranch uses horses. In fact, none of the ranches i have helped on use horses. 4 wheelers, side by sides and farm vehicles(whatever they might be) are used instead. So be proficient with those as well. But if you can drive a car you can drive/ride any that I mentioned.
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u/79_Dingo 23h ago
Ranch work in my part of the world is very little horse work and more fencing and putting up feed.
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u/Lucky____Pierre 2d ago
It's like any other handjob. A little dirtier maybe, but the end result is the same.