What are the responsibilities and job description for the 2026 Trail Ride Wrangler position at Swan Mountain Outfitters?
Position
Our wranglers are essential to creating a memorable experience for our guests. Wranglers will greet visitors, check in trail ride guests, give instructions in basic horsemanship, and lead guests through Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest while creating a safe environment in which guests can learn and make lifelong memories.
Current CPR, Wilderness First Aid, and Food Handlers Safety certifications preferred.
Our season runs from May - October 15.
All of our early-departure positions have been filled. New applicants must be available through at least September 15.
Primary Functions and Responsibilities
Wranglers work 5-6 days a week, 12-14 hours a day.
Daily tasks include:
- Preparing all horses for trail rides (ie. grooming, saddling, etc.)
- Leading guests on trail rides during which you will assist guests onto their horses, share interpretive information, converse with guests, and strive to be the highlight of our guests' trip
- General office help (assist with check-in, answer the phone, help walk-up guests make a reservation)
- General horse chores (scooping manure,throwing hay, cleaning troughs, fix fencing, feed grain, etc.)
- Assist with herd health management (identify lameness/injury/illness, provide basic veterinary care as needed)
- General operations maintenance (trail work, tack repair, coordinate with maintenance team for repairs,etc.)
- Splitting cooking and housekeeping duties with coworkers
- Other assigned tasks
Our Rides and Horses
First and foremost, this is a customer service position. Wranglers can expect to be in the saddle leading guests 4-8 hours a day and must be able to provide a safe, enjoyable, educational experience while maintaining an upbeat, professional attitude.
Our rides range from 1-8 hours in length and cater to first-time riders. All of our rides are conducted strictly at the walk. Terrain varies from relatively-flat dirt to steep, rocky switchbacks up a mountain.
Please note that we are a "nose-to-tail" trail ride operation. We do not start young horses or do any arena or ranch work.
Applicants should be able to:
- Catch, groom, tack up a horse (all disciplines welcome, we can teach Western tack)
- Ride at walk, trot, canter
- Confidently ride a variety of horses they are not familiar with yet
- Identify signs of illness/lameness/injury
- Multi-task while riding
- Work through any problems calmly and professionally
Compensation
- $2,000/month tips
- Room and board
Salary : $2,000