Private
Northern California private cattle and horse operation seeking a live-in caretaker with part-time duties. No smoking/drugs/heavy alcohol use.
We are a well-maintained, privately owned cattle and horse operation located in Northern California, run by a husband and wife team. We spend half the year at the home ranch in Red Bluff, and move all the animals (except the barn cat) to higher elevation / irrigated ground for summer/fall grazing.
We are looking for a reliable individual (or couple) to live at the Red Bluff location year round to provide part-time caretaking duties and to be on-site during our absence.
- Approximately 15 hours/week from November – May
- Approximately 3 hours/week from May – November
Pay: Housing + all utilities + $1,000 per month year round. Pasture for up to 3 horses provided. Access to covered riding arena and 5,000 acres of trails. Well-behaved dogs allowed upon approval, prefer no cats as current cats are territorial. House is 2bd/1bath 1500 sq ft original ranch house that has been updated and well-maintained, has central heating/air conditioning.
Duties include:
Reliable Presence:
- provide “eyes on the place” during our seasonal absence
Groundskeeping:
- mowing (riding lawn mower)
- weed whacking
- leaf blowing
- keep an eye on storm drains, ground squirrel holes around buildings, etc.
Periodic animal care:
- every other weekend
- full-time when managers are away
- occasionally walk the dogs or put the cats inside if managers are gone for the day
Some manual labor requires physical capabilities:
- dumping manure hand carts into ATV cart
- emptying ATV cart into manure spreader
- occasional lifting of grain or hay
Desired skills:
- Experience handling, feeding, and looking after horses. Ability to identify sickness (ex: colic), haul a horse to the vet in an emergency (ranch truck and trailer can be provided for this), and provide basic medical care such as administering oral medication, cleaning a wound, etc.
- Good communication skills. We appreciate clear, pleasant communication to facilitate a stress-free living and working environment.
- Ability to drive tractors a plus. Not for farming, but to water and drag the arena, empty manure spreader in a field, etc.
This position is best-suited for folks who either work from home or are retired, as although the duties are minimal they may need to happen at various times during the day, and therefore work outside the ranch would interfere with availability. Additionally, folks would need to be on-site during business hours during our absence to be able to interact with folks who stop in at the ranch such as contractors, PG&E maintenance workers, etc.
We are looking for folks who enjoy rural living (we’re 20 minutes from town), are happy to work independently but also able to follow detailed instructions, and who will genuinely enjoy being a part of the ranch. Someone who takes pride in their work and ownership of their duties rather than needing constant reminding. Someone who will look after the animals as if they were their own, and provide clear communication with the managers when they are away. Honesty, integrity, and dependability are a must.
*Not suited for families with children as we are not near schools and pick up / drop off would interfere with the candidate’s availability for ranch duties.
*Not suited for someone looking to run a horse training / lesson program due to liability and interference with current ranch operations.
TO APPLY:
Please email with information about yourself, why you think you’d be a good fit, and any questions you might have. We will respond via email and will pursue phone conversations with strong candidates. References will be checked.
Email
[email protected]
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