Barn Manager and Trainer

Denali Natural Horsemanship is a boutique lesson and membership riding facility in the hills of NW Portland. We have 7 horses and an established list of riders. Our focus is providing riders with a beautiful place to enjoy horses and nature, while schooling them in natural horsemanship, English dressage and trail riding. We are seeking a new Barn Manager and Trainer willing to commit to long-term employment at our facility.

Who we are

We are a small-scale operation located on 21 picturesque acres in the hills West of Portland, Oregon. Owner's live on site and all horses used in our program belong to us. Our focus is to provide a casual and relaxed setting for riders to connect with horses and nature. We are not a competition barn and do not want to be.

Our horses are trained in the English discipline, using natural horsemanship concepts taught by Clinton Anderson. We seek to provide our riders with calm and sensitive horses that respond readily to bridle and leg. We sometimes take our horses camping at nearby state parks that have equestrian accommodations. Riders with enough experience are invited to come. We practice trail riding in an adjacent nature area that is government owned.

Horses are turned out daily into mud-free paddocks equipped with rain shelters. We clean stalls and paddocks daily. Horses enjoy pasture in the summer and fall months, up until the start of the rainy season.

Facilities

Our facilities are comfortable and small scale.

1. Our main barn houses 7 stalls, tack storage and feeding station.
2. The adjacent smaller barn is used for hay and equipment storage and also has a washer and sink.
3. Our 100 x 200 outdoor riding arena is surrounded by tall Douglas Fir trees. Wildflowers grow along the arena edges.
4. A 10 x 14 viewing room looks out over the riding arena.
5. 21-acre property is heavily forested with 6 acres devoted to pasture, barns, paddocks, riding arena and homesite.
6. Adjacent nature area is owned by regional Government and includes a two-mile gravel road that is open for use by our riders.

Our horses:

1. Four pure-bread Arabians ranging in age from 8-25 years (1 mare, 3.geldings)
2. A gaited American Saddlebred mare, age 11
3. A Ster Friesian mare, age 6
4. A Shagya Arabian Gelding, age 4

The Barn Manager and Trainer position will be supported by:

1. Owners, who live onsite
2. Farm hand/assistant trainer who helps with stall and paddock cleaning, farm maintenance, horse-training and lessons as needed.
3. Part-time English Dressage riding instructor

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Attend to and monitor the care of horses, including but not limited to, feeding and medications, stall and paddock cleaning, farrier work, veterinarian scheduling, fence maintenance, etc.
2. Teach English horseback riding lessons using natural horsemanship methods
3. Meet with new and prospective members to introduce them to our riding program.
4. Ensuring all riders, staff and guests observe safety protocols while on premises, including completing and signing release forms and membership agreements
5. Supervise farm hands and help with barn and farm chores to ensure property and barn are clean, tidy, and in good operating condition
6. School and train our amazing lesson horses
7. Communicate daily with owners about status of horses, riders and staff

Qualifications:

1. Dependably able to arrive to work at 7am each day, rain or shine
2. Local to the Portland metro area
3. 3+ years of experience managing care of multiple horses including solid working knowledge of feed, supplements, first aid, and equine behavior and movement
4. 3+ years of experience in training horses and giving riding instruction.
5. 10+ years riding experience
6. Interest in natural horsemanship methods, particularly Clinton Anderson Methods
7. Ability to prioritize responsibilities, organize workload, and respond promptly to urgent situations
8. Ability to train and supervise barn assistants
9. Ability to lift at least 50 lbs
10. Detail oriented
11. Strong follow up and organizational skills needed
12. Ability to stay on site overnight when owners are out of town

Pay and Hours

1. Pay: $23.00 - $26.00 per hour
2. Expected hours: 30 – 45 per week

Benefits:

1. Dental insurance
2. Health insurance
3. Paid time off
4. Vision insurance

Work Schedule

1. Every weekend
2. Year-round position