Our People
The Horse Boy Method begins with creating the right environment. We believe this includes the human environment - people who say yes.
Sheryl Barto
Founder/Executive Director
(970) 379-1383
Sheryl grew up horse-obsessed in the farm country of Pennsylvania, the daughter of a veterinarian, always surrounded by animals. A degree in journalism led to work in public relations that has been her day job ever since. She moved to Colorado to be a ski bum in 1988. Twenty-five years later, she merged her experiences as an autism mom, horsewoman and PR professional and founded Smiling Goat Ranch with her husband. Appropriately named – since smiling initiates a chemical domino effect that opens us up to relating better with others and with ourselves. She’s happiest on the back of horse, believing wide open spaces are good for the soul. She also loves hanging with her kids, skiing, yoga, trail running, travel, and a great glass of Malbec. Her heroes are Dr. Temple Grandin, Brene Brown, and her sons James and Mark.
Kaylee Martig, CTRS
Recreation Therapist
(970) 236-1357
Kaylee is the recreation therapist at Smiling Goat Ranch. You will find her facilitating programs, working with students, and taking photos of all the fun. Originally from Seattle, Washington, Kaylee holds a BA in Therapeutic Play and Child Life from Western Washington University, where she published and presented research on Autism and other neuropsychiatric conditions and was a coach and rider on the university equestrian team. She began working at SGR in 2020 to combine her passions for working with people with neuropsychiatric conditions and the healing power of animals. When she's not at the ranch, Kaylee loves to explore Colorado, hike, paddleboard, and create mixed media art!
Marissa Ostrich
Program Specialist
Marissa is a program specialist at Smiling Goat Ranch. You will find her doing client sessions, at events, and helping with everything else around the ranch. She is attending Colorado Mountain College to get her Bachelor's in Human Services. She started SGR as a working student in 2020 and is excited to continue to work with this amazing program. She has always been inspired by Sheryl and the magical place she has created. Working with animals outside and helping people is a dream come true. She loves being outdoors, reading, roller skating, crocheting, and playing with her pup Bubbles!
Chloe Young
Program Specialist
Chloe joined Smiling Goat Ranch as a Therapeutic Recreation intern in summer 2023. She returned to Bellingham, Washington in the fall to finish her education at Western Washington University where she recently graduated with a BA in Recreation Management and Leadership. Her passion for animal-assisted therapy and the importance of movement, as well as her love for Colorado, drew her back to Smiling Goat. You can find her around the ranch running client sessions and caring for the animals. She is currently working towards taking the NCTRC exam to become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. When not on the ranch, she enjoys reading, crocheting, yoga, and hiking.
Dylan
Ranch Hand
Dylan started working as a ranch hand at Smiling Goat Ranch in 2023 after being a volunteer for almost two years. You can find him mucking the stalls, filling the animals’ water, brushing the animals, or doing other chores around the ranch. Dylan is a 27-year-old Colorado Native. His passion for ranch work started back in 2019, helping at Ascendigo’s ranch. Dylan’s favorite chore on the ranch is to muck. When he is not working at the ranch, Dylan is busy being active. He enjoys riding horses, skiing, golfing, going to the pool, baking, jamming out on car rides, and hanging out with friends.
Dave Malehorn
Ranch Hand
Dave is a volunteer ranch hand at Smiling Goat Ranch. Dave was raised on a dairy farm in south-eastern Pennsylvania. He moved to Glenwood Springs in 1988 to be the general manager of Professional Auto Body. In 1994, he partnered with his father to purchase Professional Auto Body. Professional Auto Body championed Smiling Goat Ranch through financial partnerships and promotional advertising. Once Dave retired, he approached Sheryl about how he could be more help to the SGR and she put him to work! You can find Dave cleaning pens, digging trenches or dragging the pasture as well as helping on playdates. When not at SGR, Dave enjoys spending time with his family skiing, ATV’ing, camping and motorcycle riding.
Cecil Curtis Rea
Ranch Hand
Cecil is a volunteer ranch hand and animal caregiver. Raised in Redding, CA, he is a US Navy veteran and worked as a heavy equipment operator for the US Forest Service and CAL Fire for more than 30 years. He retired after fighting the Camp Fire in Paradise Valley – the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. In addition to volunteering at SGR, Cecil is trained in Horse Boy Method One and Two and is part of staged train robberies in Arizona by an Old West-style gang who gallops horses next to a moving train shooting guns and “robbing “ the passengers on the Grand Canyon Railway. He can be found at SGR helping with mucking, feeding, grooming, and fixing anything that needs to be fixed.
Our Contributors
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to run a program. Below are many of the fabulous contributors and partners that make the ranch what it is today. We thank you!
Michelle Marlow’s creativity and vision combined with her horsey knowledge make her invaluable to our fundraising. Her event consulting team has more than 50 years’ experience planning social, business and nonprofit events locally, nationally, and internationally. Her creativity and vision are unparalleled. We are ever so grateful for her ongoing pro-bono services.
Silver Queen Equine donates the time and expertise to provide equine massage therapy to support the health and wellness of our hard-working herd.
Josh Aikens provides pro-bono farrier services for our herd. As a Marine, Josh worked as a Combat Engineer with a demolitions company. They specialized in IED detection, disposal, and utilization of explosives. He began working with animals after the Marine Corp as a musher driving dog sleds and training sled dogs at Krabloonik Kennels in Snowmass, Co. This led him to managing his first ranch with beef cows. He took an interest in the horses and became a farrier. From there he began training and working with horses full time. He currently manages a private horse ranch, runs his farrier business, and acts as program manager for Operation Equine, a nonprofit that connects veterans with horses for a healing experience.
Goldyn Equine
Dr. Melissa Goldyn, DVM, without who’s help, Smiling Goat Ranch could not exist.
Manuel has been invaluable in the ongoing training of our horses and team. Manuel trains and teaches internationally in the USA, Costa Rica and Mexico.
So grateful for our horse training mentors, the Valenca family, masters of classical dressage and Working Equitation, and the mentors to Horse Boy Centers worldwide. They guide us in building enough muscle on the horses so the work is easy for them. They help us also train their minds by altering their routines. We create horses flexible in mind and body to, in turn, create cadence and collection.
Rainy Day Designs’ Craig Wheeless has generously donated his time and talent to creating professional marketing materials that are simply amazing.
The Horse Boy Foundation has partnered with us to train 80+ volunteers and instructors in the Horse Boy Method and has provided us with a pipeline of working students.
Hal Williams Photography
Hal Williams Photography has generously donated time and talent to capturing countless beautiful images for us.
Emma Tree Farms serves as the home for Smiling Goat Ranch and our herd of animals. We are incredibly grateful to be able to provide services in this beautiful location.
Dr. Sherbyn Ostrich, VMD
A final note from Sheryl - I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my father, the late Dr. Sherbyn Ostrich, past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, who gave me the golden opportunity to grow up surrounded by the love of animals. I know you look up at me, Dad, from the eyes of the children we help here and from the eyes of our animals, the intimate members of our tribe who overflow every single day with unconditional love.
Photography on our website and social media courtesy of
Kaylee Martig
and Smiling Goat Ranch staff and volunteers.