Our Story
Overview
Smiling Goat Ranch brings the healing effects of horses, movement, nature and an impassioned, supportive community to anyone with neuropsychiatric conditions including Autism, depression, anxiety, and PTSD, as well as veterans, women in recovery, and those affected by grief, trauma, and related conditions. All of our programs are offered to families free of charge.
Mission
To bring the healing effects of horses, movement, nature and an impassioned, supportive community to anyone with neuropsychiatric conditions free of charge using The Horse Boy Method and Movement Method.
Our clinically proven program puts those with neuropsychiatric conditions like Autism, depression, anxiety, and PTSD into a healing environment using horses, small social animals, and movement-based activities. In these activities, specific movements activate the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex, helping participants achieve emotional regulation, communication, learning, and more.
In seven years of our equine-assisted therapy program, we’ve helped hundreds of children and adults, and we’ve made a vow never to let fees hinder healing.
History
Why do we smile? In part, because it activates our brain, stimulating its emotional center (the amygdala) while releasing communication-boosting hormones like oxytocin, and mood-elevating neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. And smiling initiates a chemical domino effect that opens us up to relating better with others and with ourselves.
Which makes it a perfect name for Smiling Goat Ranch, the transformative haven in Basalt, Colorado, where Sheryl Barto and her menagerie, offer a nonprofit equine-assisted therapy center based on the Horse Boy Method and principles of neuroscience, and made available – at no charge – to families affected by Autism and other neuropsychiatric conditions.
Founded in 2015, Smiling Goat Ranch helps humans heal through interactions with animals – mostly horses but also small social animals, including goats, dogs, cats and bunnies. Sheryl is an Autism mom herself, a US Air Force mom and sister, and daughter of a veterinarian. After learning about The Horse Boy Method, Sheryl transformed her own family’s property to create SGR, and the program has since expanded to a larger property. The Horse Boy Method is now in 23 countries, with 1,000 practitioners worldwide, serving 12,000 families weekly. SGR is the only Horse Boy location on the Western Slope.
Smiling Goat Ranch was originally founded to help children with Autism, inspired by Sheryl’s oldest son. Upon learning that the Autism brain is similar to the PTSD brain, the program expanded to serve veterans with PTSD. Now in our seventh year, SGR serves people of all ages and backgrounds affected by Autism, PTSD, depression, anxiety, addiction, grief, and related conditions.
Because we do not charge families, we are able to provide therapeutic services to those who otherwise might not have access. All of our program needs including animal feed and care, supplies, and handlers come from donations and grants.
Smiling Goat Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donate today to help us to continue our growing mission.
Impact
A look at our 2022 statistics: