Doble H Ranch
Position Summary
Doble H Ranch is seeking a full-time Ranch Horse Manager / Ranch Operations employee to take primary responsibility for the development, care, training, conditioning and management of the ranch’s horse program while also contributing to the broader operations of a working cattle ranch.
The ranch currently maintains five horses of varying ages and training levels, with existing facilities for up to eight horses. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to take ownership of the horse program from its current relatively small scale and develop it into a well-managed, professional ranch horse operation.
The primary objective is to maintain safe, healthy, well-trained and properly conditioned horses available for cattle work, ranch use, family recreation and guests.
Over time, the position may also have the opportunity to help develop horse-related revenue opportunities including training, developing and selling ranch horses, breeding and raising young horses, outside training, lessons, clinics or other approved equine activities.
The Ranch Horse Manager reports to the Ranch Foreman.
Primary Responsibilities
Horse Management
Take primary responsibility for the day-to-day management and welfare of all ranch horses.
Responsibilities include:
- Daily evaluation of horse health and condition.
- Feeding and nutritional management.
- Pasture and paddock management related to the horses.
- Grooming and routine horse care.
- Scheduling and coordinating farrier services.
- Scheduling and coordinating veterinary care.
- Vaccination, dental, deworming and preventive-care schedules.
- Maintaining appropriate horse health and management records.
- Maintaining tack, saddles and horse equipment.
- Maintaining the barn, stalls, wash bay, tack room, paddocks and horse-related facilities.
- Maintaining horse-related inventory and supplies.
- Developing and managing the annual horse operating budget.
The employee is expected to recognize health, soundness, behavioral and management problems early and take appropriate action.
Training and Conditioning
Develop and maintain ranch horses that are safe, useful, responsive and appropriately conditioned for their intended jobs.
Responsibilities may include:
- Regular riding and conditioning.
- Ranch and cattle work.
- Corrective training.
- Addressing behavioral problems.
- Developing green horses.
- Training and developing young horses.
- Ground work and lunging.
- Evaluating horse suitability for particular jobs and riders.
- Maintaining horses at an appropriate level of fitness for regular ranch use.
The successful candidate must be capable of independently evaluating a horse and developing an appropriate training and conditioning program.
Cattle and Ranch Horse Work
Cattle are the ranch’s primary livestock operation.
The employee must be comfortable using horses around cattle and other livestock and should be capable of developing horses into dependable working ranch horses.
Horseback responsibilities may include gathering, sorting, moving, checking and working cattle and other normal ranch activities.
Family and Guest Riding
The ranch horses are also used by ranch family members and guests with varying levels of riding experience.
The employee will be responsible for helping provide a safe riding environment, including:
- Evaluating horses before use.
- Matching horses appropriately with riders.
- Preparing and saddling horses.
- Lunging or exercising horses before use when appropriate.
- Evaluating tack and equipment.
- Assisting inexperienced riders.
- Providing basic riding instruction when appropriate.
- Accompanying riders when needed.
- Recognizing when a particular horse, rider or situation presents an unacceptable safety risk.
Safety and sound judgment are essential components of this responsibility.
Horse Acquisition and Sales
As the horse program develops, the employee will participate in and may take primary responsibility for evaluating potential horse acquisitions and recommending purchases and sales.
This may include:
- Evaluating prospective horses.
- Riding and assessing horses before purchase.
- Estimating training needs and suitability.
- Assessing market value.
- Recommending purchase or sale.
- Developing ranch-owned horses for eventual resale.
Final major purchase and sale decisions will remain subject to ranch management approval.
Horse Program Development
The employee will have the opportunity to help design and develop the ranch’s horse facilities and long-term horse program.
Potential projects include:
- Designing and developing a round pen.
- Improving paddocks and horse fencing.
- Evaluating future arena needs.
- Improving the barn and horse facilities.
- Developing horse handling and training systems.
- Recommending future horse acquisitions.
- Developing a breeding program if economically and operationally justified.
The ranch currently has an eight-stall horse barn with wash bay and tack room, horse paddocks and access to a nearby arena for ranch use.
Potential Revenue Development
The employee’s first priority is developing and managing an excellent internal ranch horse operation.
As that objective is accomplished, the ranch is interested in evaluating appropriate opportunities to create additional revenue from its horses, facilities and horsemanship capabilities.
Potential opportunities could include:
- Purchasing, developing and selling ranch horses.
- Breeding and raising ranch horses.
- Developing young horses for sale.
- Training outside horses.
- Riding lessons.
- Horsemanship instruction or clinics.
- Ranch and riding experiences.
- Limited boarding where capacity permits.
- Other horse-related businesses proposed by the employee and approved by ranch management.
Revenue generation is a secondary responsibility and is not expected to interfere with the ranch’s own horse or cattle operations.
An employee who successfully develops profitable horse-related operations may be eligible for additional performance-based compensation.
General Ranch Responsibilities
When horse responsibilities permit, the employee will work as a member of the ranch crew under the Ranch Foreman.
Work may include:
- Cattle operations.
- Fence construction and repair.
- Tractor and equipment operation.
- Skid steer and UTV operation.
- Mowing and shredding.
- Spraying.
- Brush and tree work.
- Chainsaw operation.
- Road and pasture maintenance.
- Water systems.
- Barn and facility maintenance.
- Basic mechanical work.
- Welding.
- Construction and improvement projects.
- General ranch maintenance.
- Other projects as needed.
The position requires someone who enjoys being part of a working ranch and does not consider general ranch work outside the scope of the job.
Supervision and Independence
The Ranch Horse Manager reports to the Ranch Foreman.
The employee must be capable of working independently and taking ownership of the horse operation while also working effectively as part of the ranch team.
The position may occasionally involve directing or working with interns, day laborers or other temporary employees assigned to horse or ranch projects.
The successful candidate should be capable of recognizing what needs to be done without waiting for detailed daily instructions.
Qualifications
Formal education or equine certifications are not required.
Demonstrated ability, judgment, character and experience are considerably more important.
The ideal candidate will have:
- Strong practical horsemanship.
- Experience training and developing horses.
- Experience correcting horse behavioral or training problems.
- Experience working cattle horseback.
- Ability to evaluate horse health, soundness and condition.
- Knowledge of horse nutrition and routine care.
- Experience working with veterinarians and farriers.
- Ability to safely haul horses and livestock.
- Experience operating ranch equipment.
- General ranch maintenance skills.
- Strong work ethic and personal initiative.
- Ability to work independently.
- Ability to work effectively under the Ranch Foreman and as part of a ranch crew.
- Good judgment around animals, equipment, family members and guests.
- A valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record.
Experience developing young horses into useful ranch horses is strongly preferred.
Schedule
This is a full-time ranch position.
The normal schedule will primarily be during the workweek, but livestock and ranch operations do not always follow regular business hours.
The employee must be willing to work nights, weekends and holidays when reasonably required for horse care, livestock needs, emergencies or ranch operations.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation will depend upon experience, horsemanship, training ability, ranch skills and the overall compensation package.
Potential compensation components may include:
- Competitive hourly wage or salary.
- Ranch housing.
- Health insurance.
- Ranch vehicle for ranch-related activities.
- Paid time off.
- Performance-based compensation.
- Horse-program profitability incentives.
Housing on the ranch may be available and can be incorporated into the overall compensation package.
The ranch may also consider allowing the employee to keep an approved personal horse on the property.
Opportunity
This position offers more than maintaining an established horse barn.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to help build the ranch horse program from the ground up.
For the right individual, the position can grow from responsibility for a small group of working and recreational ranch horses into responsibility for developing horses, facilities, breeding, training, sales and potentially a profitable horse-related business within the larger ranch operation.
The immediate priority, however, remains straightforward:
Develop and maintain safe, sound, well-trained and properly conditioned horses that are ready when the ranch needs them.
TO APPLY:
Forward cover letter & resume to our email address. Or call for more info.
Email
[email protected]
Phone
682-583-1224
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Administrative/Operations Jobs, All Ranch Jobs, Barn Hand / Horse Groom Jobs, Barn Manager Jobs, Cattle Ranch Jobs, Equestrian Ranch Jobs, Equine Jobs, Family Ranch Jobs, Groundskeeping / Land Management Jobs, Guest / Dude Ranch Jobs, Horse Boarding Ranch Jobs, Horse Care / Training Jobs, Horseback Riding / Trail Guide Jobs, Loper / Cutting Horse Jobs, Ranch Hand Jobs, Ranch Handyman / Maintenance Jobs, Ranch Jobs with Housing, Ranch Manager Jobs, Resort / Recreational Ranch Jobs