I spent a year working on a ranch, but have not had the opportunity to work as a wrangler. So, to help answer some questions about what it is like working as a wrangler on a ranch, I interviewed my friend Jackie who has been a wrangler at two different guest ranches for almost two years.
Note: Wrangler jobs and responsibilities will vary from ranch to ranch. All of the following information is solely based off of Jackie's personal experience working on two different guest ranches.
Photo Credits: Taylor Brandon
Q: What is your experience being a wrangler?
A: I've been a wrangler for about a year and a half. Before I was a wrangler.... I had been paid to work with horses for 4 years [and] I managed a barn.
[The guest ranch I work on now] is my second ranch. [Here it is not just horse clinics and trail rides, the ranch offers other activities as well.] My last ranch was much more of a working ranch than this one is because we did have to manage cows all season [and] the only activity was to ride. It was a bit different because, for the people that came in, their entire goal was to go hang out with the horses so you handled their entire experience.
[As a wrangler] you're basically trying to give [the guests] the best experience that you can while also trying to keep them safe... to uphold the ranch's expectations as far as safety and having fun at the same time. It is super fun, but a lot of work and a lot of stress too.
Q: How did you find your wrangler positions?
A: I used [the websites] Dude Ranchers Association and Top 50 Guest Ranches.
Photo Credits: Timothy Eberly
Q: When thinking about a working ranch versus a guest ranch, what are the main differences when it comes to a wrangler position?
A: I’ve never worked on an only working ranch versus a guest ranch, but I have been in barns where there were no guests involved and it is easier to just focus on the horses... taking care of them, and riding them, and training them.
I can't say exactly what goes into [a wrangler's] day on a large scale working cattle ranch. But when you have the guest side of things [on a guest ranch], you are always putting on a show and making it look like everything is peachy, everything is great, even when it is defiantly not. It takes the right type of person... to put on a face and work on the emotional side of things.
It is good to be able to expect that difference if [you are] coming from a working ranch or are in a spot where [you] have not had to face guests... it is defiantly more emotionally taxing. You have to pay attention to yourself and the way you interact with others, even when you are not having a great day.
Q: What kind of experience does someone need to be a wrangler?
A: You need to be able to know what you are doing on a horse. As long as you have horse experience and you know the parts of the actual work [side of things]... like saddling horses, cleaning up after them, taking care of their health, riding, and things like that. You should be good.
Photo Credits: Chris Bair
Q: Are there any special certifications you need? Like a CPR certification?
A: Not really. If you are CRP/First Aid certified it would make you look a bit better. Some ranches do require it and some will provide the training for you. Here, we have people with different levels of certification who we know we need to go to for [medical situations]. It comes down to, if you are out on the trial and something happens and you need to help [someone]... it is not a bad thing to know.
Q: On the ranch, we ride Western. Does it matter if your background is English riding?
A: No, I came from english riding [and] the transfer over was pretty simple as long as you know the work that goes into [the job].
Q: Did you feel prepared for the job when you first started?
A: I felt ready because the position I had before I was a wrangler [was] managing a barn. I had seen a lot of it and knew how a lot of it went, but if you are not prepared for that it is going to be tough to get into that mind set of, ‘anything and everything is going to happen and you need to roll with it and keep going'.
Especially when you put the guest ranch side into that. You could have the [worst] morning of your life and you still need to get on a horse and be there for your guests. You need to be present you cant just be like, 'crap that happened', and be in a terrible mood. You have to put it behind you, give them a good experience, then you can get back to it later.
Photo Credits: Taylor Brandon
Q: Are there parts of the job new wranglers are surprised by or do not expect?
A: As long as you have the right horse experience it is not a surprise. I think some people come in with just enough horse experience to get the job and then it is a little more labor intensive than you would think. If you go to a barn, have your lesson, take care of a horse for 2 or 3 hours and then leave…versus if you actually have cared for horses from the beginning of the day to the very end of the day... It is more intensive than some people are used to with horses.
When you are actually taking care of them the full day, you don't know when your day is going to end. You never have any idea of what is actually going to happen. … you show up and a horse is injured, or something happened over night that you were not expecting and you have to deal with that while you are also doing the rest of the job…. [Of course] anything can also happen when you are in the saddle. Some people love it and some people are like, 'whoa, there is a lot to this'.
Q: What does a day in the life of a wrangler look like?
A: There is a structure and a way things are suppose to go. For the basic structure you go in, you saddle horses, get ready for the day [and] make sure everything is set before all the guests get there. When the guests get there you put them on [the horse], send them out on rides, and then you come back [and] have lunch. Same thing in the afternoon, but generally all the horses are saddled already, so after lunch you just reset and go. And then at the end of the day, its untacking the horses, making sure everything is good, putting the horses out and cleaning up and then making sure everything is set for the next day.
Here specifically we start at 7:30am and we bring in the horses in, saddle them, put them out in the [pen] area and sometimes we have a chance to ride horses that need a bit of exercise. In the winter each person saddles between 2-9 horses and in the summer each person saddles between 5-15 horses each day. That varies [depending on] how many horses you need.
Photo Credits: Eleonara
Q: How many hours do you work per day?
A. It is suppose to be 8, but that almost never happens. [At my current ranch] we have a breakfast ride which is a longer day because we start at 5:00am. Then we have [an evening ride] which goes later at night so we end at 8:30 at night on those days. An average day you can expect about 9 hours. If you are lucky you get out early, if you are unlucky you get out later.
Q: How many days a week do you work?
A. It depends. At [my current ranch] we get two days off a week. At my other ranch we were working six days a week. I think working cattle ranches... you are more likely to get 1 day off, if you get a day off, per week. Some of them pack out and they are out on the range for 8-9 days in a row.
Q: How is the pay?
A: Thats a tough one... Different ranches definitely pay different things. You are not going to get rich doing this, that is for sure.
Pay attention to if you get to pocket tips or are they split. I will say I made tremendously more in tips at the place I got to pocket them... a ton more. And the base pay... some places will do it month to month and some places will give you $1,000 every 2 weeks… but do the math on what you get paid hourly or by month… know going into it what you are expecting to get paid.
Q: Is the pay worth it?
A: I think it is worth it if you truly love the job itself. If you are like, 'yeah it's a job, its okay, it can be fun'... then at some point you are going to get burnt out and be like, 'yea this isn't worth it anymore'. And because it is so dangerous you have to have the right mind set of, 'this is what I love to do, so I am okay [with] not being paid a ton'.
But there [are also places] where you get housing and food, a beautiful place to live, and access to the horses all the time. There [are] defiantly perks that make it more livable…but it comes down to whether you enjoy the job enough to make it worth it or not.
Photo Credits: Jon Tyson
Q: Misconceptions about the job... Are you always riding?
A: I think the misconception is that, that is all it is. It is riding a horse in pretty land. Which, it is that for 4-6 hours a day. But while you are riding it is not a fairy tale. You are paying attention to what is going on, you are in charge of anything that could go wrong, and accidents happen... like bees, and random stuff that you have no control over. At a base level [its] being ready that anything can happen and whatever happens you cant loose your cool or loose your mind…
And then the stuff you can control... is everyone sitting up straight, everyone hands on the reins, are the saddles centered, are any of the horses being bothered by anything, is anyone limping… [You are always alert and paying attention. Not just focusing on having fun riding].
Then its stuff like scooping poop... and rounding up the horses which can be an hour or can be 10mins… In the barn you put your head down and get the work done because you are on a time schedule or want to be done for the day. That is the stuff that is less glamours and easy to overlook because [people] see it from an outside perspective. Thats a lot of [the job] and [that part] can be [both] mindless and nice because you are not in charge of anyone.
Q: What other misconceptions do you deal with most?
A: A lot of people say that we look like we live Yellowstone [the TV series], which is wrong. Thats the biggest thing. People think it's like a movie lifestyle and it is not. They are expecting that we run across fields and are badass... herding cattle, and loaded, and ready to defend the ranch. Its not running through the fields or doing badass stuff like crossing rivers… its pretty low key and tame stuff that we are doing. For the most part you are just walking on a trail. The drama in Yellowstone versus the drama we get... like ground bees… [is a] very different type of drama.
Photo Credits: Bailey Alexander
Q: What is the best part of the job?
A: Honestly the perks are when you get to ride and have fun on horses. [At] my first ranch we would go out after work and go bareback riding… at both ranches we do wrangler rides after work [and] you go out and rip it and just have fun. You don't have to worry about anyone else because you are all competent and you can just run around and do your thing.
Access to the horses is huge. Not everyone on the ranch gets that, and not everybody gets to experience that in their life. Especially with a place like [this], we have 100 horses and I can go out, pick one, and ride it any day I want… its pretty awesome.
Then the basics... you get to live somewhere beautiful and you get to experience it in a way that not a whole lot of people do which is really neat. So, that is the glamours side of the job.
Q: What is the hardest part of the job?
A: The worst is... the things you cant control, where the outcome is not good and there is no way to turn it into something good. So whether its... a guest falls off and breaks an arm or something like that... It sucks. It is not fun. We have had a couple horse that... they die…especially with most guest ranches, they have pretty big herds and [horses] are going to get sick they are going to die. Thats tough and you have to know how to move on from it without having it really effect you.
[Another] big thing is other wranglers getting hurt. At my first ranch I had some close calls. One of the kids that we worked with, a horse flipped over on him and he broke his pelvis and that was really tough to see. It was really scary. Here, I went down with a concussion at one point, I saw [another wrangler] break her ankle, [and another wrangler] get stepped on and almost broke her foot. You work as such a close team and it is really hard when a team member goes down.
It's hard to see someone else get hurt doing the job that you are doing. It can kind of mess with you as far as…'wow, that makes me really nervous', or 'that is a new fear I did not have before'. It's kind of scary sometime.
Photo Credits: Ben Shbeeb
Q: What makes someone successful in this job?
A: To be successful as a wrangler I think you need to be able to put on 'that face'. You can definitely do the job without necessarily being super emotionally involved with your guests, but I think guests respond better when you give them something back. I've seen wranglers that don't really talk much on their rides and don't really engage that much. I think [they are less successful].
From hearing and seeing wranglers that get tipped more and the ones the guests seem so attached to... they are the ones that absolutely want to be more involved and in touch with [guests]. I don't know if that is the most important thing but it is high up there. If you want to be the one that is the most requested or the most tipped… you definitely want to be able to connect with people.
Q: What could someone add to their resume to help them get a position as a wrangler on a guest ranch?
A: People and communication skills are huge, especially in an interview. When they talk to you on the phone to be a wrangler, they are not necessarily talking to you to see what you know about horses. For example, our HR does not know a lot about horses. They know the very base level and red flags to [look out for] but they are trying to talk to you and see if they can have a conversation with you, figure out who you are and whether you are going to be the right fit to handle guests.
Any costumer service/anything guest facing that you have done, put that on your resume. Show them you have been in front of people and you know how to handle all that comes with it.
Being a team player. That is a big one! Both ranches I have worked on have been team based. You have to be able to depend on the people you work with, and they have to be able to depend on you. So, being able to communicate, being a team player, and handle high pressure are all really good things.
Photo Credits: Chris Bair
Q: What gear and supplies should someone buy for the job?
A: I struggled with this when I became a wrangler, because I was all English [riding] stuff. Have some really good pairs of jeans, at least 4-5 pairs to start. Get some comfortable boots and make sure your first day on the job is not the first time wearing them. I did that and they hurt. If you do not have spurs you do not need to go buy them. I know very few wranglers that wear spurs.. its kind of rare. I love chaps… its good to have a pair for [bad] weather, if its raining or snowing it helps protect your legs from getting wet, or if you are going through deep brush you don't get scratched up and your jeans are not getting ripped. They are pretty expensive and they are not a must have, you can get by without them.
Get some kind of rain protection like a slicker or a duster. I have a duster its long and covers my legs in the rain and stuff like that. Button down shirts… you do not have to spend $50 on button down shirt. You can go to a thrift store and go to the men's section and buy some button downs that way. You are going to go through them... they are going to get stained, they are going to get ripped. Sunglass are big too, defiantly have a pair of sunglasses.
And then, a hat. For the summer you are probably going to want a straw hat, its lighter, you are not going to sweat as much, [and] it lets you breath a little bit. For the winter you will probably want a felt or wool hat. The felt and wool ones can be more expensive but you don't need a $300 Stetson. You can get a $50 hat.
When I first started wrangling I think my biggest misconceptions was that I had to spend all this money on gear, and you can defiantly find stuff for cheap. [However], the boots and jeans are the most important things that you don't want to go super cheap on. It is worth buying more expensive boots because they are going to last longer and be more comfortable. And you are pretty much on your feet for the 9 hours you are working.
Some ranches, you need to have your own saddle. A lot of places you don't, but it is worth asking. You can also bring basic tack stuff that makes you more comfortable. Most places don't mind if you use your own stuff.
Q: Anything else you would want to tell someone who is looking to become a wrangler?
A: I would say, be prepared to kind of change your life around this job because you pretty much are not leaving [the ranch] for the [entirety of the] guest season. You [usually] have a 3 hour circle of places you can go easily and for 6 months thats kind of it. You are locked in. You are on for those 5 days you are on. And those two days you are off... they may need help on your day off every once in a while depending on guest count.
Depending on where you are from you are probably not going to see your family too much. It is harder than some jobs/lifestyles to stay in touch with others….at least that is what I found. I am sure some people are better at that than I am….but be prepared to lock into the ranch lifestyle.
[Also], don't take anything too seriously… try not to be dramatic about anything. The more that you can laugh about things going wrong, the better this job is going to be for you. If things get in your head really easily it is going to be tough. You have to let things roll off your back a lot. Whether it is something that guests say to you, something that happens in the barn, something your co-workers may have said or attitude you feel… you have to let it roll off your back. You have to buckle down and focus on the job. Being able to laugh things off is huge, thats the biggest thing I found.
Photo Credits: Polina Portnaya
Conclusion
Just like every job, everyone's experience with vary depending on what type of ranch they are on, how things run, and even what guests you interact with. Hopefully the information Jackie provided will help you prepare for working as a wrangler on a guest ranch.
Credits
I would like to thank Jackie for taking the time to answer my questions and provide so much information and details on the realities of her job. I have had the privilege of working with her for almost a year and she is not only a hard worker, but really cares about the horses and the guest's experience.
The photos in this post are not mine. Thank you to the photographers who uploaded their photos for free use on Unsplash. They have been credited under their respective photographs.
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