PRIMARY DUTIES:
Workers will perform duties associated with operating a commercial cattle ranch and horse operation in Shiner, Texas. The ranch maintains stocker cattle, a cow-calf herd, and trains roping horses. Employees will assist with livestock care, horse care, equipment operation, facility maintenance, and general ranch operations. Essential job duties include:
Cattle Ranch Operations
• Feeding and watering: Distribute feed, mix rations, place mineral blocks, and ensure automatic water troughs or natural sources are accessible.
• Health monitoring: Check herds daily for signs of injury, illness, or disease, and administer required medications or vaccinations.
• Calving and breeding support: Assist with birthing, care for newborn calves, and monitor cows during calving season.
• Processing and branding: Handle branding, tagging, ear-notching, castrating, and weaning calves at designated times.
• Herding and moving: Move cattle between pastures using horses, ATVs, or trucks to prevent overgrazing
Horse Care and Barn Duties
• Feed and water horses according to established schedules
• Turn horses out and bring them in safely
• Clean stalls, remove manure, strip bedding, and rebed stalls
• Clean and refill water buckets and troughs
• Handle large horses confidently and safely, including draft horses
• Halter, lead, tie, groom, and prepare horses for riding or ranch activities
• Pick hooves and observe horses for stones, cracks, heat, swelling, or tenderness
• Maintain clean aisles, tack areas, feed rooms, wash racks, and storage spaces
• Clean and organize saddles, bridles, grooming equipment, blankets, and other tack
• Assist with saddling and unsaddling horses
• Help load and unload horses when necessary
• Monitor horses for changes in appetite, attitude, movement, manure, hydration, or general condition
• Immediately report signs of illness, injury, lameness, colic, damaged fencing, or unsafe behavior
• Follow feeding, turnout, medication, veterinary, and farrier instructions exactly
• Assist with holding horses for veterinarians, farriers, and other equine professionals
• Help maintain safe and professional horse experiences
Grounds and Property Maintenance
• Mow, shred, weed-eat, edge, and maintain ranch grounds
• Keep barns, roads, trails, entrances, fence lines, and guest areas clean and presentable
• Remove brush, limbs, rocks, trash, manure, and other debris
• Assist with pasture maintenance, weed control, seeding, fertilizing, and erosion prevention
• Monitor and maintain water troughs, hoses, irrigation systems, and drainage areas
• Inspect fences, gates, latches, signs, and livestock enclosures
• Make routine fence, gate, barn, and property repairs
• Maintain the covered arena, including dragging, leveling, watering, and monitoring footing
• Assist with seasonal projects, storm cleanup, freeze preparation, and fire prevention
• Safely operate and maintain tractors, mowers, utility vehicles, trailers, skid steers, chainsaws, and other ranch
equipment
• Complete routine equipment inspections, lubrication, cleaning, and minor maintenance
• Report larger equipment, fencing, water, or facility problems before they become expensive repairs
General Ranch Support
• Engage in equipment operation and maintenance using 75 and 100 horsepower tractors and skid steers. Assist
with animal chores and ranch projects outside the horse operation when needed
• Check gates, water systems, roads, fences, feeders, and ranch facilities
• Help receive feed, hay, bedding, fencing materials, and other supplies
• Maintain clean and organized shops, storage containers, barns, and work areas
• Document completed work and report maintenance needs to ranch management
• Follow ranch safety procedures and equipment operating requirements
• Work cooperatively with management, other employees, and contractors
Employment period: Jan 1, 2027 – Oct 31, 2027
