How To Become A Wrangler: What It Is and Career Path

What is a wrangler and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

If you're looking to have a hand in working with animals, a Wrangler is an intensive job that lets you work alongside various species. You'll have the opportunity to work with dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, and more.

The animals you work with will depend on what all your company covers. While coming in with a basic understanding of animal needs and medical information will be important, you'll get plenty of on-the-job training. You may be expected to guide horseback riding, assist in ranch or barn maintenance, or help bring sickly pets back to their full strength.

As you can expect, with such a vast availability to apply for, different employers will be expecting a range of education. On average, companies will be looking for vocational training or a bachelor's degree. A Wrangler can expect to make between $15,000 to $61,000 per year.

ScoreWranglerUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,274

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.15%

Asian 1.78%

Black or African American 4.09%

Hispanic or Latino 22.05%

Unknown 3.04%

White 67.89%

Gender

female 62.33%

male 37.67%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a wrangler

Explore wrangler education requirements

Most common wrangler degrees

Bachelor's

57.0 %

High School Diploma

16.7 %

Associate

15.4 %

Start to develop specific wrangler skills

Skills	Percentages
Tack	27.04%
CPR	26.40%
Guest Safety	18.64%
Customer Service	9.70%
Trail Maintenance	5.72%

Complete relevant wrangler training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New wranglers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a wrangler based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real wrangler resumes.

Research wrangler duties and responsibilities

Instruct multiple rodeo camps and lead bible studies weekly.
Perform animal grooming duties such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats.
Perform animal grooming duties including washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, cutting nails, and cleaning ears.
Train in first aid, CPR, and youth protection.

Prepare your wrangler resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your wrangler resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a wrangler resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable wrangler resume templates

Build a professional wrangler resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your wrangler resume.