Tyson & Melanie
Hi there, our names are Melanie and Tyson, we are experienced caretakers (10 years) looking to live, manage and work on another ranch, large property, privately owned retreat, shareholder’s vacation lodge, or second home. We are a stable, happily married couple of 15 years, with no children. We would be an asset to most any ranch with an equestrian aspect. With our specialized experience, we would benefit your privately owned horses, show horses, small hobby breeding and foaling operation, or privately used trail horses.
We previously managed a ranch in Northern California with out-of-state owners (Texas) who visited periodically. This ranch was rural living, situated in a wine-growing region. We maintained all upkeep and improvements of the property along with any repairs that were needed. We provided on site presence and security. We managed positive relationships with vendors, surrounding neighbors as well as the owners. Tyson graded and maintained all interior access roads installing either a crown or superelevation to mitigate water damage as well as grading a pad for a horse round pen. Many of the property access roads needed regrading and cleared of overgrown brush to allow as additional exits from the property and fire equipment access in the event of wildfire. Over the years he repaired fences, repaired indoor/outdoor plumbing, and did light electrical. He is skilled in timber and brush work, which has proved beneficial to regenerating the land and tree’s health on the ranch. We have experience in spraying for noxious weeds, overseeding pasture, creating defensible space/shaded fuel breaks. We arranged for a small herd of cattle to graze the land for wildfire fuel reduction. We successfully reclaimed livestock pasture from invasive thistles. We have experience protecting livestock from predators such as bobcat, coyotes, bear, racoons, skunks, and fox.
Tyson has a wide array of skills that will benefit any ranch. He has been described as a loyal, hard worker, he researches ways to improve his skills and has a keen eye for problem solving. If he doesn’t already know how to do it, he will learn how. He is able to proficiently and is a formally trained and a Certified Heavy Equipment Operator. He can safely secure and transport equipment, pull trailers, such as a flatbed, dump trailer and horse trailer. He rebuilt a 1975 Jeep CJ5 from the frame up, a 5-year project. He powder coated and sandblasted many of those parts. Much of those skills are second nature for Tyson as he grew up with his dad who was a heavy equipment mechanic for the state of California. He is able to do all preventative maintenance on ranch equipment such as UTV’s, ATV’s, tractors, heavy equipment and ranch vehicles. Tyson has also built a self-employed janitorial business from the ground up and maintained the same happy clients the last 23 years. His clients are commercial but he has also included window cleaning, construction and rental cleanouts. Tyson maintains all his business records, manages an employee, billing, and does product ordering for several locations. Tyson also has 12 years of working in the winery production industry which would serve both industrial and hospitality needs of your location. He has experience with shipping/receiving bulk tankers and fruit, as a weigh master weighing incoming trucks, crushing and processing grapes, bottling, and every aspect of making wine. He also has trained and managed temporary harvest staff.
Melanie’s experience and love are surrounded by animals. She owned horses since she was 11. She has apprenticed under a natural horsemanship trainer colt starting and has worked for a 6-time world NCHA champion cutting horse trainer loping horses. Melanie can safely drive a trailer and haul horses. Melanie has been a pet sitter, and ranch sitter for many clients. Melanie’s longest ranch-sitting client (10 years) is an equine veterinarian. She has also helped on mobile veterinarian ranch calls to assist with x-rays and pre-purchase exams. She can blanket, bathe, groom, saddle, clean stalls, and use a manure spreader. She is able to administer medication such as injections, worming, and supplements. She can maintain farrier schedules, dental appointments, and yearly vaccine protocols. She has experience exercising horses using both a euroXciser, lunging, and turnouts. Melanie has great relationships with horses and maintains a strong connection and soft feel in ground school. She has experience halter-breaking weanlings and colts. Melanie has done show help for a couple of cutting horse trainers but genuinely loves to do the at-home care and is well trusted. She has a natural sense of animal husbandry and is capable of managing equine herd dynamics. She is capable of jumping in at most any training program and hitting the ground running. At various times of her life, she has pulled a calf from a heifer and saved a newborn bummer lamb. Animals have always come first and her general sense of healing has helped many creatures. In her free time, she loves to garden and grow a variety of vegetables and fruit. She also loves to cook and bake sourdough bread.
We work well together as a team and support each other’s skills well. Melanie and Tyson are both computer literate and responsive to text and email. Ideally, there would be storage for Tyson’s healthy tool supply to complete ranch projects. We are hoping the property be horse friendly as we have our own horses as a hobby and enjoyment (three) and are diligent with all of their needs. We are seeking live on-site, salary and preferably health benefits and are open to discussing these details further. We have a clean background, clean driving records, don’t smoke, do drugs, or drink excessively. We also have 2 indoor/outdoor cats who are well trained and no plans for any additional animals.
Over the last 10 years, we have discovered caretaking and practicing good stewardship of the land using regenerative practices, animal husbandry, and ranch management to be our passion and niche. Let us do all the upkeep and work to keep things running smoothly for you. We are able to help you by caring for your ranch, and doing what we do best, while we plan and continue to build for our future ranch.
We are looking for a long-term, stable opportunity. Ideally, we would be looking for a couple’s position. Please contact us if you think we’d be a good fit. Our resumes from previous ranch management experience and stellar letters of recommendation are ready to go.
Thank you very much for reading.
We are willing to relocate to the following states: CA, OR, WA, NV, MT, UT, ID, CO, WY
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