Ranch Hand

H-2A seasonal job with NONE. in Shiner, Texas. Pay: $12.27/hr. Work period: 2027-01-01 to 2027-10-31. Positions: 2. About 35 hours a week. The employer's full description is in English on the official DOL job order.

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

Work period: 2027-01-01 to 2027-10-31. Positions: 2.

Requirements: This position entails maintaining, monitoring, and working with expensive roping horses.
Heading Horses Training explosive, flat departures out of the box. Perfecting the "run up" to take a correct position on the left side of the steer. Mastering the move to handle cattle smoothly, creating a clean, consistent corner for the heeler.
Heeling Horses Developing a sharp, immediate "stop" or "slide" the moment the rope is thrown. Teaching the horse to track the steer's right hip and maintain proper spacing. Ensuring the horse stays balanced and reads the steer's hips through the turn.
Breakaway / Calf Roping Conditioning horses for maximum explosive speed over short distances. Training a hard, clean "stop" on the hindquarters immediately upon rope release. Teaching horses to work the rope and keep back-tension until the calf is tied or the rope breaks. Random drug testing and/or background checks will be conducted after hire at the employers expense.