Pen Rider – Burlington Feeders
Cactus Feeders
Burlington, CO
$15.16 to $20 per hour
Full-time
Cowboy Jobs
11 open listings · updated Oct 29, 2026
Median posted pay $16.87/hr (6 listings) · 5% include housing · Pay Report
Cowboy jobs are horseback cattle positions: gathering, sorting, doctoring, branding, weaning and shipping cattle for ranches. Some ranches keep this separate from general ranch hand work. A September 2026 Sheridan, Wyoming listing for an all-around hand running equipment, fence, irrigation and welding said plainly it was not a “Cowboy” position, even though some duties involved livestock.
More About Cowboy Jobs
A lot of cowboy work is day work. Western Life Today describes freelance day workers who load up their horses and dogs and hire out by the day for gathering, sorting, shipping, doctoring, vaccinating, branding, castrating and weaning. One Florida day worker it profiled works for at least 100 operations a year, mostly within 60 miles of home, and keeps a string of two to four horses. The busy stretches follow the herd: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln calendar for a March-calving herd puts branding in May and weaning in October or November.
Pay depends on the setup. Western Life Today reported in June 2025 that a good day worker in south Florida averages $200 a day, up from $65 when its subject started in 1987. Full-time cowboys fall under the BLS occupation for farmworkers who tend ranch animals, which lists cowboy among its job titles. Its 2025 median was $17.63 an hour, or $36,670 a year, with state medians of $18.71 in Wyoming and $16.31 in Texas. See ranch hand pay for how housing changes the math.
Cowboy jobs expect you to already be useful horseback around cattle, and one day worker Western Life Today profiled has been day-working for pay since age 16. If you are still building that record, read cowboy and ranch hand jobs and how to become a wrangler, or browse ranch jobs.
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Feed Yard and Calving Hand
Smith Cattle LLCMilesville, SD$17.48/hrSeasonal -
Feedlot Livestock Worker
Blue Hill Ranch Feedlot, Inc.Carson, ND$12.31/hrSeasonal -
Ranch and Livestock Worker
Diamond Cattle Company LLCSpringview, NE$16.25/hrSeasonal -
Pen Rider / Vaquero
J.R. Simplot CompanyBurbank, WA$21.52 an hour, with medical, dental, vision, 401(k) and paid holidaysFull-time -
Winter Range Cattle Herder
Kip O'Brien Livestock LLCCoalville, UT$2,132.41 per month, plus room and boardSeasonal -
Range Winter Livestock Worker
S. Martinez Livestock INC.Moxee, WA$2,132.41 per month; employer states it provides housing and boardSeasonal -
Cowboy
HAB Cattle Company LLCPearsall, TX$15.79 per hourSeasonal -
Range Livestock Herder
Bar Two Bar Ranch LLCLa Jara, CO$2,686.85 per month, plus room and boardSeasonal -
Winter Range Cattle Herder
L. Richins & Sons, LLCHennefer, UT$2,132.41 per month, plus room and boardSeasonal -
Winter Range Livestock Herder
Julian Land & LivestockKemmerer, WY$2,132.41 per month, plus room and boardSeasonal
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Questions About Cowboy Jobs
How many cowboy jobs are open right now?
22 listings are live on WildWork as of October 29, 2026. 11 state their pay and 1 include housing.
What do cowboy jobs pay?
The median posted rate is $16.87/hr across 6 current listings that state pay in that unit, with posted rates from $12.31/hr to $21.52/hr. These are advertised rates; tips, overtime and room and board are extra where the listing says so.
Do cowboy jobs come with housing?
5% 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 is the difference between a cowboy and a ranch hand?
A cowboy job centers on horseback cattle work, while a ranch hand job covers equipment, fence, water and buildings too. BLS counts both titles in the same occupation, farmworkers who tend ranch animals. Listings draw the line themselves: a 2026 Sheridan, Wyoming ad for equipment, fence, irrigation and welding work said it was not a “Cowboy” position.
What is day work?
Day work is freelance cowboying, hired by the day. Western Life Today describes day workers who haul their own horses and dogs to ranches for gathering, sorting, shipping, doctoring, vaccinating, branding, castrating and weaning. One Florida day worker it profiled works for at least 100 operations a year, mostly within 60 miles of home, and keeps two to four horses.
How much do cowboys make a day?
A good day worker in south Florida averaged $200 a day in 2025, according to Western Life Today, up from $65 a day in 1987. For full-time jobs, BLS 2025 data for farmworkers who tend ranch animals show a median of $17.63 an hour, with the top 10 percent earning more than $26.00 an hour.
Do cowboy wages vary by state?
Yes. BLS 2025 medians for farmworkers who tend ranch animals were $18.71 an hour ($38,920 a year) in Wyoming and $16.31 an hour ($33,920) in Texas, against $17.63 nationally. These are cash wages only. Full-time ranch offers can add housing, as a 2026 Sheridan, Wyoming listing did with a house, paid utilities and half a beef a year.
When is the busiest time for cowboy work?
Branding and weaning. For a March-calving herd, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln beef calendar has calving through March and April, branding in May for ranches in brand areas, and weaning in October or November. Day workers hire out for the gathering, sorting and shipping that come with those jobs.
Sources: O*NET OnLine, 45-2093 Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals (BLS 2025 wage data); O*NET OnLine, 45-2093 local wages, Wyoming; O*NET OnLine, 45-2093 local wages, Texas; Western Life Today, Modern Day Freelance Cowboys (Jun 25, 2025); University of Nebraska-Lincoln Beef, Beef Production Calendar; RanchWork.com, Ranch hand needed near Sheridan, Wyoming (posted Sep 3, 2026).