Smiling Goat Ranch to begin programs at Snowmass this summer

A new form of healing is coming to Snowmass. 

The Smiling Goat Ranch, a nonprofit helping individuals heal through interaction with animals, specifically with equine-assisted therapy, will begin servicing the community at the Snowmass Rodeo Grounds this summer. Starting with an Open House on June 3, the organization will host free public sessions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday until the grounds close in the last week of August. 

“We work with families suffering with neuropsychiatric conditions,” said Sheryl Barto, founder of the New Castle-based organization.

Those conditions include autism, anxiety, addiction and recovery, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma, grief, and more, she said. The organization has helped over 400 people since it was founded in 2010, and is open to individuals of all ages.

Researched and endorsed by neuroscientists, equine-assisted therapy lowers cortisol, the body’s stress-hormone, and boosts oxytocin, a hormone crucial to social bonding and trust. It also helps those with certain neuropsychiatric conditions learn.

“The healing powers of the horse calms the sensory system in anybody who has stress,” Barto said. 

With over 20 animals involved in equine-assisted therapy, the organization employs a number of different programs to help those with neuropsychiatric conditions, most notably the “Horse Boy Method.” The method takes individuals through a series of mental exercises while on horseback, using certain cadences of the horse to foster communication and learning.

The method guides individuals through “sensory work,” various body-to-body positions on a stationary horse, a step to reduce cortisol, as well as “back riding,” where a child rides a horse with a staff member, which is found to help boost their oxytocin levels. Individuals can also participate in “long-lining,” part of the “Horse Boy Method” for older kids, teens, and adults. A staff member directs a horse while the individual sits atop the horse, allowing them to experience independent riding with no experience. 

Apart from the “Horse Boy Method,” the nonprofit created a “heart field” program, where individuals are placed on a massage table and are approached by a horse in the way that suits them best. This program creates a “moment of co-regulation, where both human and horse respond to each other on a deep, emotional level of heart-centered healing,” according to the organization’s website. 

But the Smiling Goat Ranch suits all of its therapy to individuals on a case-by-case basis.

“Everything we do is customized,” Barto said. 

For customized sessions, Barto urged people to go to smilinggoatranch.com/our-programs. All of the organization’s programming is free.

“They create such a magical and safe space where children are truly in the lead,” said Katrina Gallant, whose 6-year-old son Otto has taken part in equine-assisted programs at Smiling Goat Ranch. “In most therapy settings, the therapist usually has a set agenda, but at Smiling Goat Ranch, it’s the child who guides the experience — like their own special playdate.”

She added that Otto, who is nonverbal and deaf, uses the horses to communicate and as a bridge for him to express himself in ways words sometimes cannot.

Gallant said they will be attending the summer sessions at the Snowmass Rodeo Grounds. The nonprofit will likely bring five to eight animals to the grounds, including horses, mini-horses, donkeys, dogs, goats, and bunnies. 

Next month the Smiling Goat Ranch will participate in a fundraising campaign to improve access to equine-assisted therapy. 

It is among 95 organizations collaborating in the 2025 Seen Through Horses Campaign, organized by the nonprofit Horses for Mental Health. Donations can be made at sth2025.raiselysite.com/tsmiling-goat-ranch. Last year the Smiling Goat Ranch raised over $44,000, the most of any organization participating in the campaign. This year it is trying to exceed $50,000, Barto said. 

Upcoming Smiling Goat Ranch events

• Friday, May 2 — First Friday, Carbondale
• Tuesday, May 6 — 5 to 7 p.m., Online HeartMath® with Kansas Carradine
• Friday, May 9 — Care for the Care Givers
• Saturday, May 10 — 4 p.m., Rescued HEarts talk at Glenwood Elks
• Tuesday, May 13 — 5 to 7 p.m., Online HeartMath® with Kansas Carradine
• Saturday, May 17 — In-person HeartMath® in the Heart Field Workshopwith Erin Robinson
• Saturday, May 24 — Aspen SGR Favorite Animal Appearance
  • 2 to 2:30 p.m., surprise appearance
  • 3 to 3:30 p.m., St. Regis wine and cheese welcome with the minis
  • 4 to 5 p.m., Ritz Carlton Club wine and cheese welcome with the minis
• Sunday, May 25 — Carbondale CrossFit Murph Workout
• Saturday, May 31 — Paint with Ponies

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.