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Cowboy Jobs

3 open listings · updated Sep 13, 2026

33% include housing · Pay report

Cowboy jobs are horseback livestock positions: gathering, sorting, branding, doctoring and moving cattle on ranches, feedlots and grazing associations. The difference between a cowboy listing and a ranch hand listing is that the work is on a horse and the employer expects you to already be a hand.

More About Cowboy Jobs

Big outfits in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming and Montana run remote cow camps and hire day-working and full-time cowboys. Feedlots and grow yards in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado hire pen riders year-round to check and pull sick cattle. Grazing associations and forest permittees hire summer range riders to move cattle and check fence and water on public allotments.

Pay is usually $150 to $250 per day for day work, or $2,800 to $4,000 per month for full-time positions, with a bunkhouse or house, beef, and feed for personal horses. Pen riders at feedlots are often paid hourly, $18 to $25, plus benefits.

Employers want proven riding and roping ability, cattle sense, and the ability to work alone in rough country. Bringing your own horses is a plus on many outfits. This is not an entry-level category; first-timers should look at ranch hand and dude ranch wrangler listings.

Questions About Cowboy Jobs

How many Cowboy jobs are open right now?

3 listings are live on WildWork as of September 13, 2026. 2 state their pay and 1 include housing.

Do Cowboy jobs come with housing?

33% of current listings say the employer provides housing, free or at a charge, and 0% include meals. Each listing shows whether housing is included and what it costs when the employer says.

What's the difference between a cowboy job and a ranch hand job?

Cowboy listings are horseback cattle work: gathering, roping, doctoring and moving cattle. Ranch hand listings include that work but also equipment, haying, irrigation, fencing and maintenance. Cowboy listings expect a proven hand; ranch hand listings are more often open to beginners.

Do I need my own horses?

Not always, but it helps. Many big outfits provide a string of ranch horses. Day-work employers and some full-time positions prefer that you bring your own and provide hay and grain. Listings state whether horses are provided.

What do cowboys make?

Day work is commonly $150 to $250 per day. Full-time cowboys on cattle ranches are typically paid $2,800 to $4,000 per month with a house, beef and horse feed. Feedlot pen riders are usually hourly, about $18 to $25, with benefits.

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