Land and Estates - Horse Team - Ride Leader and General Hand

RIDE LEADER AND GENERAL HAND SOUGHT TO JOIN LAND AND ESTATES TEAM IN THE SUMMER ISLES

We are a large-scale restoration and hospitality project in the Northwest Highlands with strong philanthropic and community commitments. The heart of our operation is on a remote and beautiful 766-acre island. In 2026 we will become a Scottish charity - The Tanera Project – with core purposes spanning rural regeneration, resilience building in our public services via the provision of respite breaks, and ecosystem restoration.

Our portfolio now includes a farm on the mainland, where our three Icelandic horses are based. The Tanera horses work alongside our staff and volunteers to deliver a transformative experience for our guests. Our horses get involved in guided rides, care sessions on the ground, agricultural work, community events and much more.

We are looking for an experienced ride leader and equestrian to join the team for nine months to cover a career break and help develop our horse offering. With only three horses, applicants will be expected to muck in with general team duties as well. The Land and Estates Team has a wide remit, including grounds, crofting, stalking, fishing, delivering guest activities and supporting our gardens, ecology and path teams.

Our land management approach balances production, nature, and heritage, with an emphasis on using the land to build communities. We share everything we do with guests and volunteers, and aim to include our horses in as much of our work as possible. We deliver our activities with an impeccable aesthetic centred round heritage, industry and creativity. This a core role on the Land and Estates Team and will involve turning a hand to many different tasks and many hours out and about in our challenging West Coast environment.

Regeneration
We are looking for a qualified horse person with experience in a professional environment: a confident rider, comfortable at all paces and on difficult terrain and competent at handling horses in novel situations. We are keen to find someone who can hit the ground running in Q1 2026 and work with our existing horse team to deliver world-class guest experiences and take care of our horses whether they are on beach, field or pier, under saddle or in harness. The salary for this role will be £29-37kpa, depending on experience.

Resilience
Our team comes from across the country and further afield. We have our own growing island community of staff, guests and volunteers, while also being embedded in mainland life in nearby crofting townships and villages. The work of the Land and Estates team is diverse and there are also opportunities to work with different teams, sail heritage boats, host guests, school groups and volunteers, and generally get involved with island life. We will be happy to discuss flexible shift patterns and shared accommodation options with the right candidate.

Restoration
The project is delivering stunning, sympathetic builds and charitable hospitality in an area of outstanding natural and cultural heritage. You will be working amid a range of unique Northwest Highland marine and terrestrial ecosystems, which we are striving to conserve and extend. We foster a culture of care, attention to detail, and creativity in everything we deliver for the charity, from looking after our guests, staff, volunteers and local communities to growing and sourcing our food to restoring buildings and landscapes.

We are looking for a capable, self-motivated individual with excellent communication skills, an eye for detail and a good sense of humour, who will thrive on a challenging project.