Ranch Hand

Covered Wagon Ranch is hiring for the Ranch Hand position in Gallatin Gateway, MT. This hands-on role supports the operation's day-to-day production and care work. Reliable execution and early communication matter because the work directly affects plants, animals, equipment, coworkers, customers, or the surrounding property. What you will do • Check and care for assigned livestock, water, feed, fences, gates, corrals, and ranch facilities. • Assist with safe livestock movement, pasture work, equipment use, repairs, and seasonal ranch projects as trained. • Communicate animal-health, water, fence, weather, predator, equipment, or safety concerns without delay. • Feed, water, observe, and handle horses and other assigned livestock; clean stalls and waterers; assist with basic doctoring within training; and communicate health, behavior, or facility concerns immediately. • Saddle and unsaddle horses, help prepare horses and gear for the day's rides, keep tack and handling areas orderly, and load or move horse trailers only with the appropriate instruction and authorization. • Maintain fences, grounds, ranch work areas, and firewood supplies, using tools, vehicles, and a chainsaw only when trained and following the ranch's guest, livestock, and work-zone safety procedures. How the work fits together The day begins with livestock, water, and security checks, because those observations determine the rest of the work. The employee then completes feeding, moves, repairs, pasture or equipment tasks, and facility cleanup in the manager's priority order. Gates, animals, tools, and vehicles are accounted for at every transition. At Covered Wagon Ranch, the employer also makes these role-specific priorities clear: Feed, water, observe, and handle horses and other assigned livestock; clean stalls and waterers; assist with basic doctoring within training; and communicate health, behavior, or facility concerns immediately. Saddle and unsaddle horses, help prepare horses and gear for the day's rides, keep tack and handling areas orderly, and load or move horse trailers only with the appropriate instruction and authorization. Maintain fences, grounds, ranch work areas, and firewood supplies, using tools, vehicles, and a chainsaw only when trained and following the ranch's guest, livestock, and work-zone safety procedures. What the employer is looking for • Some prior horse experience is required; chainsaw experience is preferred. Applicants must be at least 18, hold a current driver's license, and be able to pass the ranch's drug screening and background-check process. • Commitment to the full season, calm and attentive livestock handling, physical readiness for active outdoor ranch work, professional conduct around guests, and acceptance of the ranch's housing and personal-animal rules. • Dependable attendance, direct communication, and willingness to follow the employer's safety, quality, and customer- or production-care procedures. • Ability to complete the role's active, in-person work and to ask for instruction before using unfamiliar tools, equipment, products, or animal-handling methods. Schedule, conditions, and compensation The approximate season is June 1 through October 5, and employees are expected to remain for the full period. The ranch provides salary compensation plus room and board, but it does not publish the salary amount, normal shift pattern, weekly hours, overtime treatment, or days off for Ranch Hand. First-year employees may not bring a horse or other pet, and personal dogs are not allowed. Applicants should confirm the current vacancy, exact arrival and departure dates, salary, housing arrangement, meals, ranch-hand rotation, time off, and required personal gear before accepting an offer. The employer does not publish a numeric wage range on this page, so no compensation has been estimated. Applicants should confirm the final hours, overtime treatment, starting assignment, travel or reporting point, supplied equipment, and benefit eligibility directly with the employer before accepting an offer. This is an in-person agricultural and animal-care position with a small operation. Daily priorities can change with weather, plant or animal condition, equipment availability, customer schedules, and the season. The successful person should arrive ready to work, communicate early when a task or condition is unclear, follow the employer's safety and quality procedures, and leave tools, vehicles, production areas, and job sites secure and ready for the next shift. Applicants should expect active work that may include long periods of standing or walking, bending, lifting, repetitive hand tasks, noise, dust, mud, pollen, heat, cold, rain, or work around moving equipment. The exact physical demands differ by assignment. Candidates should discuss any accommodation needs with the employer and confirm the final schedule, overtime treatment, training period, travel expectations, and benefit eligibility before accepting an offer. Only compensation and benefits expressly published by the employer are included here; unpublished terms have not been estimated. How to apply Complete the 2026 employment application embedded on the ranch's employment page and choose Ranch Hand. Provide a complete work history, references, driver's-license information, full-season availability, and accurate details about horse handling, livestock care, saddling, fencing, equipment, trailering, chainsaw use, and guest-ranch experience.