• There are a variety of jobs on a ranch.ranch image by nutech21 from Fotolia.com
  
  Ranches, whether dude ranches, which function as vacation getaways for city slickers, or working ranches, which raise livestock and horses, are complicated entities that require the work of many different hands. Jobs on a ranch range from those that involve working directly with animals to those that provide ancillary services.
  
  

Ranch Hand

• Ranch hands are hired hands who do whatever ranch-related manual labor needs doing. A ranch hand will typically feed the animals, tend plants, mend fences, dig ditches, build and repair buildings, and brand cattle and horses.
  
  

Wrangler

• A wrangler is a kind of cowboy, one who is in charge of rounding up a ranch's horses and cattle. Wranglers are generally expert riders and are skilled at roping and in the driving of herds. On dude ranches, wranglers are responsible for taking guests on trail rides.
  
  

Foreman

• A foreman is a ranch's manager, the supervisor in charge of wranglers and ranch hands who makes sure that all the ranch's affairs are running in proper order. The foreman also is usually responsible for servicing and maintaining heavy equipment and infrastructure.
  
  

Horse Trainer

• Horse trainers are responsible for breaking wild horses--training them to be saddled for riding by novices. Trainers will also be partly responsible for the care of the animals, including making sure that they receive proper exercise and food.
  
  

Veterinarian

• Veterinarians are animal doctors, responsible for the health and well-being of a ranch's horses and livestock. In addition to supervising day-to-day care, vets are responsible for diagnosing and treating sick or injured animals, as well as supervising the delivery of animals' young.
  
  

Activities Coordinator

• On dude ranches, an activities coordinator is the individual responsible for planning and supervising activities and events for guests. These usually entail trail rides and nature walks, and sometimes include swimming, hunting and tennis.
  
  

Administrator

• Most ranches require a person to handle the paperwork, including the ranch's accounts, inventory and legal matters. This job usually falls to an administrator, one who is generally trained in basic accounting and filing and who works within the ranch's office.
  
  

Marketer

• Dude ranches require guests to turn a profit. To attract guests, many ranches hire a person to coordinate marketing. This can include designing and posting advertisements, as well as handling relations with the media.
  
  

Chefs

• Given that many ranches are miles from the nearest restaurant, no ranch is complete without a person to cook its food. Chefs either prepare food only for staff or, on dude ranches, for guests as well.