How to Work Ranch Jobs

Ranch jobs are often idealized as riding horses into the sunset and wooing women with rugged looks and a cowboy hat. Yet ranch workers are usually "jack-of-all-trades" who know how to repair water fixtures on troughs, replace parts on windmills, weld and wire fences and nurse sick cattle or livestock. Learning how to work ranch jobs takes dedication. You must learn a variety of trades in order to enjoy the life of a ranch worker.

Instructions

1. Learn everything you can about horses, including how to ride, saddle and train a horse. You'll also need to know about horse illnesses, treatments and temperaments. Ranch employees ride horses on a daily basis to perform ranch functions like checking water troughs and herding livestock.

2. Educate yourself about all aspects of the livestock industry. The majority of ranches specialize in raising cattle, but many also raise sheep as a primary livestock. Ranch managers prefer employees who have knowledge of the livestock's common illnesses, treatments and the best way to raise profitable specimens.

3. Learn the mechanics of water troughs, windmills, feeding machinery, vehicles, tractors and any other mechanical component related to ranching. Ranch managers want someone who can not only ride a horse, but perform repairs on ranch equipment.

4. Learn to build and repair fences. Depending on the landscape, fences can be built with wooden posts, metal pipe posts, barbed wire and regular wire.

5. Dress the part. Cowboys do not wear tennis shoes and shorts to ride horses and build fences. Get a durable pair of cowboy or work boots, blue jeans suitable for wearing with boots and a long-sleeved shirt to protect your skin from the sun and brush. Cowboy hats aren't just for looks, get a hat to protect your face and ears from harsh sun exposure.

6. Wake up early and work hard all day. The ranching life isn't for slackers. Ranch jobs require hard, physical labor in any kind of weather, seven days a week, all year long. Many ranch jobs do not have scheduled days off, as ranches require maintenance on a daily basis.