About Paws Up Montana:

Paws Up Montana, America’s premier luxury ranch resort, is more than a workplace—it’s a chance to be part of something extraordinary. 

The ranch is located outside of Missoula, Montana and offers those interested (and qualified) the opportunity to hone their own horsemanship skills as well as teach guests, from beginners to advanced riders, how to advance theirs, all while becoming part of a family/community and while experiencing all the fun that Montana has to offer.

Position:  

Wranglers to join our ranch team for 2026/2027 guest ranch season. The position’s core duty is to safely lead guest trail rides and (for those Wranglers that show an aptitude for the job and its expectations) cattle drives. Wranglers must feel comfortable and confident riding at a walk, trot and lope on horses they are not initially familiar with, and in what many would consider a high stress environment (you are responsible for the safety of each rider and horse on your rides). Riders of all disciplines are welcome to apply! 

The Fine Print

The busiest season is May-August so new Wranglers must be able to start no later than May 15th and stay through at least August 10th. Longer contracts are also available, starting as early as March 2026 and going through the Fall, and even into 2027, for the right people. 

Housing is available, and is disccussed at the end of the interview process. Wranglers may bring 1 personal horse to use as their work horse for the season (so long as it meets certain criteria). No pets of any kind are allowed in our seasonal staff housing or at work.

What We Offer: 

• Career Development and Advancement Opportunities
• Employee Assistance Program (5 free counseling sessions)
• Referral Bonus Program (Get paid $250 to recruit)
• Carpool Reimbursement ($5-$20/Day)
• Employee Discounts on Merchandise (30% on select items in our retail store)
• Employee lunch provided

Primary Functions and Responsibilities    

Who you are as a human being matters most. Applicants for this position must:

· Be honest and open

·Be hard working and disciplined

· Have problem solving abilities

· Know how to hold themselves accountable

· Be punctual and consistent

· Have a positive, “can do” attitude and a willing, outgoing personality

· Have a desire to grow themselves as humans and horsemen, and love to learn

·Be humble, patient and empathetic

·Be accepting of others, are judgement free and have a sense of humor (our core group of returning wrangler staff are all pretty quirky and have a silly side)

·And have a deep understanding of and ability to RIDE FOR THE BRAND.

This is not a “nose-to-tail” operation, though our horses will happily just walk straight down the trail if asked; we take novice riders (in addition to very advanced riders from all disciplines) out on trail rides and our aim for any guest who is interested and willing is to challenge the way they think about, and interact with, their horses and each other, through our use of our horsemanship. This means that you must be comfortable with multitasking while on the trail: minding/working your horse, talking with and instructing guests, and being vigilant for potential issues that may arise while riding in all gaits across all types of terrain.

Daily Duties Include                            

• Leading guest trail rides on project horses. 
• Instruct guests on basic horsemanship, assisting guests onto horses, guiding them on rides and conversing about the horses, The Resort and the history of the area to provide an exemplary guest experience
• Prepare horses for trail rides and horse related activities, such as grooming, saddling, bridling, feeding, doctoring and tack repair
• Working horses in the pre-season, using the ranch’s horsemanship techniques
• General ranch chores
• Assist in daily herd health management and identify injuries or soundness issues prior to selecting horses for activities; assist in basic veterinary care as needed.
• Focus on the safety of guests, self, co-workers and livestock while executing daily job duties
• Assist with dispatching rides and assigning horses as needed
• Participate in and follow all health and safety standards, regulations, and policies
• Converse with the guests at a high level, being aware of their needs and fulfill special guest requests as instructed by management or the guest directly
• Ensure confidentiality of guests throughout their stay
• Other duties as assigned

Horsemanship Information

This position is first and foremost a guest service position, thus people skills are a must (the great majority of your time will be spent taking guests out on trail rides and (for some Wranglers) cattle drives). That being said, candidates for this position must also be interested in learning and working at the basics of Vaquero/Natural Horsemanship, chiefly the lineage of the Dorrance brothers, Ray Hunt and Buck Brannaman. In this program, those basics are defined as: Feel, Timing and Balance. We use these tenants, and a focus on biomechanics, to create a softness and willingness of response to aids.

Wranglers can expect to work at:

1. Their feel
2. Their seat and leg aids
3. Lateral flexion
4. Independent movement of the front and hind quarters
5. Keeping horse within the rider’s rectangle
6. Vertical flexion/soft feel
7. Prompt responses to seat, leg and rein cues
8. Setting boundaries
9. Familiarization to flag, tarp, rope, etc.

There is nothing quick about these practices so if you are looking for training exercises that will “fix a problem” or make a certain kind of horse to fit into a certain kind of performance discipline, this may not be the program for you. We believe in focusing on the growth and development of the mind and body of the horse, to create a well-rounded animal that is quiet, willing and freed up.

Wranglers are expected to groundwork their horses at the beginning of each day, using the program approved checklist and, if time allows, put a first ride on them in the arena using the riding checklist. All wrangler horses are destined for the guest string, so all wrangler horses are projects, however the level of project horse given to each wrangler is determined by the individual's interest in, and dedication to, learning and executing our horsemanship methods, as well as his/her abilities and comfort level, amongst other things.

*In addition to a resume, each candidate will be expected to submit the following videos upon request once their applications is received and reviewed:

1. Introduction to you: who you are, where you’re from, why you’re interested in the position and any other talking points you may have
2. Saddling and bridling only (skip everything else)
3. Pretending the camera is a group of novice guests, show and tell them how to mount, and then once on your horse, how to turn, stop, steer, etc. and any pertinent information you would feel you want to give our guests before they get on their horse.
4. Walk trot and lope both directions
5. Explain 1 thing that you are working on with your horse and why, and then show how you are working on it, while talking through what you’re doing and why.

Supportive Functions and Responsibilities

• Display hospitality and professionalism to our guests and team members at all times, take pride in representing Paws Up Montana professionally with our guests and assure that all transactions with guests are handled in a legal, ethical, and confidential manner.
• Maintain a favorable working relationship with all Resort team members to foster and promote a positive working environment.
• Maintain a clean and neat appearance at all times.  
• Perform work in a safe and high-quality manner.

Educational, Experience, Licensure Required

• Horseback riding experience is a must, whether English or Western (riding videos will be requested during the interview process)
• Valid State Driver’s License with two years of driving experience

Paws Up Montana provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.