Smiling Goat Ranch
Smiling Goat Ranch Owner Sheryl Barto Celebrates 10 Years of Assisting Humans Through Therapeutic Interactions with Horses and Other Animals
by Holly Battista-Resignolo
Since 2015, Sheryl Barto has been working tirelessly to help humans heal through interactions with horses and other animals. What began as a program to assist children with autism has blossomed into a destination where anyone with neuropsychiatric conditions are allowed to experience the healing effects of horses, movement, nature and an impassioned, supportive community, free of charge.
As a mother with a child on the spectrum, Sheryl transformed her family’s property into a facility to assist children with Autism after learning about The Horse Boy Method, developed by Rupert Isaacson. Isaacson, father of Rowan Isaacson (the Horse Boy), stumbled upon a number of techniques that seemed to bring about better verbal communication with his autistic son using horses. The method evolved and has now developed into a scientifically proven means of gaining communication by re-patterning the brain for people on the autism spectrum.
Smiling Goat Ranch, now a Roaring Fork Valley nonprofit, later expanded to a larger facility and now applies this transforming method using horses, mini-donkeys, mini-horses, bunnies, dogs and goats to help children and adults with autism as well as other neuropsychiatric conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
The organization has helped more than 400 individuals a year since it was founded 10 years ago. All sessions at Smiling Goat Ranch are customized – therapy plans are created for each individual on a case-by-case basis. Programs are accessible to all, regardless of income. No one is turned away for financial reasons. The Ranch offers services at a true cost of $150/session, with scholarships and subsidies available thanks to generous donors.
This summer, Smiling Goat Ranch will take over the Snowmass Rodeo grounds on Tuesday mornings, offering open houses and private sessions for interested families. A variety of different animals will be on hand each week for therapy, including horses, mini-donkeys, mini-horses, bunnies, dogs and goats.
Starting with a free Open House on June 24, the organization will offer private, customized sessions for families in need from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday until the grounds close in the last week of August.
“The healing powers of the horse calms the sensory system in anybody who has stress,” said founder and Executive Director, Sheryl Barto.
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