Smiling Goat Ranch

06/02/2026

A beautiful way to close out Horses for Mental Health Month at Smiling Goat Ranch. 🐴✨
Guests experienced the healing connection of animal-assisted therapy, immersed themselves in a restorative sound bath beneath the trees, and spent time exploring our beloved “Mini City” with its charming little animal residents.
This special gathering was made even more meaningful as it marked the first collaborative event for our two talented sound bath practitioners. Together, they created a peaceful and transformative experience that perfectly reflected the spirit of connection, wellness, and community.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the powerful bond between humans, animals, and nature. Here’s to many more moments of healing and joy at Smiling Goat Ranch. 💚🌿🎶

05/25/2026

Amazing day witnessing this Veteran sharing his experience with his family! To quote him: “these horses are unlike any animal I’ve worked with before and the staff is the same way. So much love and holding space amongst loved ones.” We are honored and thank you for trusting us!🙏🇺🇸

05/25/2026

05/25/2026

The Smiling Goat Cowgirl Posse made their official debut Murph 🏋️‍♀️💙
Our therapy horses proudly provided moral support during the run portion of the workout — and Gus the blue heeler took his job very seriously too 🐴🐶
From mini donkeys to horses to pups, the entire Smiling Goat crew loved cheering on this incredible community through every mile, rep, and round. We are so grateful to be surrounded by people who show up with such strength, heart, and generosity. ✨

05/25/2026

Words can’t even begin to describe the level of commitment, generosity, and community shown to us by 💙
This is the FOURTH year they have dedicated the hero workout Murph as a fundraiser for Smiling Goat Ranch — and we are beyond grateful.
This amazing group is currently ranked FIFTH globally out of more than 850 ambassadors in the campaign, helping us maintain our THIRD place position nationwide!
We had the most incredible day sharing our mini donkeys Coco and W***y, our bunny Nugget, and two of our therapy horses, Chessie and Takoda, who proudly provided moral support during the running portion of the Murph workout 🐴🐴🐰
The kindness, energy, and generosity from this community mean more than we can express. Thank you for believing in our mission and for showing up year after year with such huge hearts. We are so honored to be part of this incredible community. 💙✨

05/19/2026

One of the most magical, spiritual, heart-opening gatherings we’ve had at Smiling Goat Ranch. 🤍🐴
So grateful for every horse, every volunteer, and every person who helped make this experience such a success. There was a moment in the indoor arena where everything became completely still — just the sound of rain on the roof, horses quietly breathing, and 20 people fully present together. It was beautiful.
This gathering combined the Horse Boy Method with Biofield Tuning to support healing and nervous system regulation for veterans.
The Horse Boy Method works through movement, rhythm, connection, and co-regulation with horses — helping calm the amygdala, regulate the nervous system, release tension held in the hips, and encourage oxytocin and feelings of safety and connection.
Biofield Tuning complements this work by using weighted tuning forks on and around the body to help bring the nervous system into balance. We also explored the Schumann Resonance — the Earth’s natural frequency — and why the body and nervous system may respond so deeply to grounding frequencies and coherent sound.
There is something incredibly powerful about the electromagnetic field shared between humans and large animals like horses. Their presence invites regulation, awareness, stillness, and connection in ways that words often cannot.
Thank you to everyone who showed up with open hearts. We felt it. ✨

05/17/2026

What a dream to host and share our amazing colleague from with our community! Joell and her amazing team is beautifully featured in the film! A sampling of some of the feedback:

Thank you for sharing that incredible film last night!💕

Just came from a wonderful program and amazing documentary, “Rescued Hearts,” in support of my longtime friend, Sheryl Barto’s incredible nonprofit, Smiling Goat Ranch.

If you love animals and believe in the healing power, connection, and love which animals bring to our lives then go see, rent, or find this film and know that it is transformative and powerful. Spoiler alert: It is so moving it WILL make you cry! ❤️

We love the movie so much!  It was really inspiring and so touching. Thank you for offering that to our community.

Thanks for making me cry the whole night! 😂❤️What a powerful film!

Thank you for moderating and for your wonderful venue!

05/16/2026

We had the honor of visiting with and of and their darling girls. So grateful for the incredible owners of who not only host an annual fundraiser to support our mission, but recently came out to the ranch with their two beautiful daughters to experience the power and magic of animal-assisted therapy firsthand. 💛

Watching families connect with the horses, the land, and the healing energy here is always such a reminder of why this work matters.

Through these experiences, veterans and children are able to regulate their nervous systems, build trust, feel safe in their bodies, and reconnect with joy, confidence, and connection — often without needing words at all.

Thank you for believing in this work, for showing up for our community year after year, and for raising the next generation with compassion and heart. 🐴
MURPH FUNDRAISER MAY 24. FIRST HEAT 10 AM

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day from Smiling Goat Ranch to all the moms carrying the weight of our families and communities on their shoulders
🌼🌸🌼🌸🌼🌸

05/09/2026

One of the central ideas behind The Horse Boy Method is that meaningful learning, growth, and healing can only happen when the nervous system feels safe, supported, and connected. The nervous system of a child is deeply connected to the nervous system of the caregiver. For so many children, mothers are carrying that work every single day in ways the world often doesn’t fully see. They become advocates, interpreters, protectors, therapists, planners, emotional anchors, and safe places--often all at once.

Smiling Goat Ranch (SGR) has been selected to participate in the fifth annual 2026 Horses for Mental Health (HMH) Campaign (link in comments), a global movement raising awareness and critical funding for programs that harness the healing power of the horse-human connection. As part of this recognition, SGR is also featured in HMH’s award-winning national video highlighting how horses are transforming mental health care. This video is premiering in honor of Mother’s Day to share powerful stories of healing, resilience, and connection. The campaign celebrates the strength of mothers and acknowledges the courage it takes to navigate grief, loss, and difficult decisions while also honoring moments of joy, growth, and triumph along the way.

The video also features one of Smiling Goat Ranch’s therapy horses and includes interviews with Founder and Executive Director Sheryl Barto, along with a local mother who has been receiving therapeutic services through SGR for the past several years.