WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.049 --> 00:00:02.120 Rupert Isaacson: Welcome to Equine Assisted World. 00:00:02.150 --> 00:00:03.830 I'm your host, Rupert Isaacson. 00:00:03.943 --> 00:00:07.033 New York Times bestselling author of the Horse Boy. 00:00:07.038 --> 00:00:11.027 Founder of New Trails Learning Systems and long ride home.com. 00:00:11.027 --> 00:00:16.644 You can find details of all our programs and shows on Rupert isaacson.com. 00:00:16.694 --> 00:00:18.614 Here on Equine Assisted World. 00:00:18.614 --> 00:00:23.744 We look at the cutting edge and the best practices currently being developed and, 00:00:23.794 --> 00:00:27.604 established in the equine assisted field. 00:00:27.634 --> 00:00:32.884 This can be psychological, this can be neuropsych, this can be 00:00:33.034 --> 00:00:38.284 physical, this can be all of the conditions that human beings have. 00:00:38.794 --> 00:00:43.204 These lovely equines, these beautiful horses that we work with, help us with. 00:00:43.301 --> 00:00:47.201 Thank you for being part of the adventure and we hope you enjoy today's show 00:00:47.270 --> 00:00:49.630 Welcome back to Equine Assisted World. 00:00:49.660 --> 00:00:50.620 I've got someone amazing. 00:00:50.620 --> 00:00:51.880 I always have someone amazing. 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:53.830 Cheryl Bartow. 00:00:53.850 --> 00:00:56.600 Cheryl Bartow runs Smiling Goat Ranch. 00:00:58.790 --> 00:01:03.970 She'll be really ranchers in the western slope of Colorado. 00:01:04.410 --> 00:01:13.060 She's an autism mum She's been running an extraordinary equestrian assisted 00:01:14.320 --> 00:01:19.390 I say equestrian assisted not equine assisted because she brings a lot 00:01:19.460 --> 00:01:24.125 of beautiful classical writing and education to what she does and with 00:01:24.125 --> 00:01:27.515 special needs and also to special horses. 00:01:28.125 --> 00:01:33.735 She's invested many, many years in acquiring this knowledge. 00:01:34.185 --> 00:01:40.705 And as a result does something rather extraordinary, not just for people with 00:01:40.705 --> 00:01:45.335 autism, but also people with trauma and people who are lost in the world. 00:01:45.705 --> 00:01:52.510 And she does it in an area of Colorado that a lot of people are, are Less 00:01:52.510 --> 00:01:54.710 familiar with everyone's heard of Aspen. 00:01:55.650 --> 00:01:58.560 Oh, yeah, all these rich people in Aspen Well, they don't realize is that it's a 00:01:58.570 --> 00:02:05.370 whole hinterground on the Western Slope of very very ordinary people Living out 00:02:05.370 --> 00:02:10.050 their lives sort of ranchers people with jobs and so on all of these people end 00:02:10.050 --> 00:02:17.160 up with special needs kids and Someone's got a servant Cheryl Bartow is the person 00:02:17.170 --> 00:02:19.490 who and has been there for many years. 00:02:19.900 --> 00:02:22.920 She's not just limited to the horses. 00:02:23.010 --> 00:02:24.740 She also includes mountain sports. 00:02:25.070 --> 00:02:28.780 She just includes ranch work, ranch life, life skills. 00:02:29.410 --> 00:02:30.350 I'm going to stop babbling. 00:02:30.690 --> 00:02:35.320 But Cheryl Bartow makes me babble because she's so awesome. 00:02:35.510 --> 00:02:35.850 Okay. 00:02:35.950 --> 00:02:39.340 So Cheryl, welcome to Equine Assisted World. 00:02:39.340 --> 00:02:42.060 Would you please tell us a bit about who you are and what you do? 00:02:43.640 --> 00:02:44.850 Sheryl Barto: Thank you, Rupert. 00:02:44.890 --> 00:02:50.690 I am incredibly honored to be here and talking with you today. 00:02:51.450 --> 00:02:52.070 Wow. 00:02:52.170 --> 00:02:54.010 That was quite the introduction. 00:02:54.020 --> 00:03:02.250 And yes, I started Smiling Goat in 2015 and As you mentioned, I'm an autism mom, 00:03:02.250 --> 00:03:05.280 and that's where this journey started. 00:03:05.290 --> 00:03:11.880 My son, James, is now 30 years old, and we didn't get a diagnosis until 00:03:11.890 --> 00:03:18.250 he was 10, but we knew something was up during those first 10 years, and 00:03:18.300 --> 00:03:26.000 gosh, I I was Grew up really wanting to be a horse trainer and that's what 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:28.160 I wanted to do when I went to college. 00:03:28.610 --> 00:03:32.610 And I am the product of a divorced family. 00:03:33.050 --> 00:03:35.880 And my mom was a single mom. 00:03:35.890 --> 00:03:38.220 My dad was still very much in my life. 00:03:38.230 --> 00:03:39.690 He was a veterinarian. 00:03:40.510 --> 00:03:44.580 But my mom said, you absolutely are not going to college to be a horse trainer 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:53.290 and I ended up getting a degree in journalism and pursuing a career in public 00:03:53.290 --> 00:03:58.740 relations and gosh, for probably 25 years. 00:03:59.230 --> 00:04:01.180 I had no horses in my life. 00:04:01.180 --> 00:04:08.645 I I grew up showing POAs from like age 12 through 18, and then I was 00:04:08.645 --> 00:04:11.085 on the writing team in college. 00:04:11.105 --> 00:04:13.725 Rupert Isaacson: What's a POA for we Brits out there? 00:04:13.825 --> 00:04:16.295 Sheryl Barto: Pony of America. 00:04:16.335 --> 00:04:16.945 Rupert Isaacson: Okay. 00:04:17.035 --> 00:04:17.815 Sheryl Barto: Yes. 00:04:18.135 --> 00:04:18.255 That's 00:04:18.255 --> 00:04:19.015 Rupert Isaacson: a pretty close thing, right? 00:04:19.015 --> 00:04:19.325 Yeah. 00:04:19.880 --> 00:04:22.990 Sheryl Barto: They are mini Appaloosas. 00:04:23.210 --> 00:04:25.900 So they're under 14, two hands. 00:04:25.900 --> 00:04:31.850 So they're technically a ponies, but they have brains more like horses. 00:04:31.930 --> 00:04:34.220 So they're not, they're smaller. 00:04:34.540 --> 00:04:36.520 They're not evil, right? 00:04:36.520 --> 00:04:37.430 They're not evil. 00:04:37.450 --> 00:04:40.030 No, they're, they're really, really sweet. 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:47.820 And my journey, my, my POA, my pony was named Tomahawks Supreme. 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:55.020 And I called him Supreme and I really grew up with him like those were the 00:04:55.020 --> 00:05:01.360 days, of course, with no cell phones, or, you know, I would say to my 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:03.400 mom, I'm going out for a trail ride. 00:05:03.410 --> 00:05:08.710 I would take Supreme and the dog and I would be gone for 8 hours and I would 00:05:08.710 --> 00:05:09.640 Rupert Isaacson: switch part of the US. 00:05:10.310 --> 00:05:15.370 Sheryl Barto: In Pennsylvania in between Reading and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 00:05:15.380 --> 00:05:17.200 So lots of farm country. 00:05:17.630 --> 00:05:23.350 My dad had started out being a large and small animal vet. 00:05:23.610 --> 00:05:29.050 So many of the farms I had already visited because he was doing farm 00:05:29.050 --> 00:05:35.940 calls and pregnancy checks on dairy cattle and I would just ride by myself. 00:05:35.940 --> 00:05:41.400 And, you know, being part, being a product of a divorced family, 00:05:41.400 --> 00:05:43.450 there's lots of stuff you go through. 00:05:43.450 --> 00:05:50.320 And that pony, I feel like saved my mental health going through, you 00:05:50.320 --> 00:05:56.610 know, the teenage years of having divorced parents and remarriages and 00:05:56.620 --> 00:06:03.015 step Brothers and sisters and all that good stuff that now seems very common. 00:06:03.805 --> 00:06:10.095 When I left college with my journalism degree, I had done an 00:06:10.095 --> 00:06:19.625 internship in PR for IBM at a federal systems division in New York State. 00:06:20.235 --> 00:06:25.895 And I really thought, okay, I'm going to be a corporate PR person 00:06:25.895 --> 00:06:31.765 and I'm going to get a job in a corporation doing PR because I loved 00:06:31.795 --> 00:06:36.965 my internship and I had learned so much in the 6 months that I was there. 00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:41.020 At the same time, I still had a relationship going with 00:06:41.030 --> 00:06:42.560 my high school sweetheart. 00:06:43.010 --> 00:06:48.740 And he was in the Coast Guard and stationed in Hawaii 00:06:48.770 --> 00:06:50.750 and then in New England. 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:55.250 And we always had had this dream of going to Colorado. 00:06:55.850 --> 00:07:03.210 And I think, you know, Colorado had this magnetic allure of we were both 00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:05.700 skiers, wanted to be in the mountains. 00:07:05.750 --> 00:07:13.740 And I, my 1st job ended up not being with a corporation, but being with a local 00:07:13.750 --> 00:07:19.960 government association in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which is the capital of 00:07:19.970 --> 00:07:28.500 the state and pretty pretty city like, which was really not my jam, but I was 00:07:28.510 --> 00:07:33.640 hired to work on a local government magazine that represented the whole state. 00:07:33.640 --> 00:07:36.750 So I was reporter, photographer, etc. 00:07:37.140 --> 00:07:42.350 And in the meantime, Two of my high school friends went to Aspen, Colorado 00:07:42.390 --> 00:07:45.140 after they graduated just to have fun. 00:07:45.650 --> 00:07:50.720 And I went out to visit them because we all shared this love of skiing. 00:07:51.290 --> 00:07:54.190 And I thought, Oh my gosh, what am I doing? 00:07:54.190 --> 00:07:55.560 I'm 22 years old. 00:07:55.800 --> 00:08:00.280 I'm quitting my job and I'm moving to Aspen, which is what I did. 00:08:00.660 --> 00:08:04.650 And I became a ski bum for a season. 00:08:05.225 --> 00:08:07.805 thinking I would go back to the real world. 00:08:08.305 --> 00:08:15.365 And I ended up then getting a job in PR with the Aspen Skiing Company. 00:08:15.705 --> 00:08:18.705 So I stayed the summer. 00:08:18.735 --> 00:08:22.645 And once you experience a summer in Colorado, they always say you come for 00:08:22.645 --> 00:08:24.945 the winter, you stay for the summers. 00:08:24.945 --> 00:08:29.705 And this is a lot of people's stories here in Why is that? 00:08:31.205 --> 00:08:34.645 The summer is incredibly magical. 00:08:34.945 --> 00:08:38.295 The weather is spectacular. 00:08:38.365 --> 00:08:40.175 It's almost perfection. 00:08:40.185 --> 00:08:47.295 There's sunny days, everybody's out hiking or mountain biking, and you the 00:08:47.315 --> 00:08:54.675 ski areas have turned summer tourism into this incredible attraction. 00:08:55.115 --> 00:08:59.285 And honestly, in Aspen on July 4th. 00:08:59.730 --> 00:09:06.440 They do an old town parade and it is more crowded on July 4th in Aspen 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:08.380 than any day during the winter time. 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:11.130 It's there's, there's a lot of magic to it. 00:09:11.580 --> 00:09:12.050 Yeah. 00:09:13.180 --> 00:09:18.970 And so I ended up marrying my high school sweetheart and we had two 00:09:18.970 --> 00:09:26.170 sons and The oldest son, James, is Our kiddo on the autism spectrum 00:09:26.310 --> 00:09:28.880 and he's very high functioning. 00:09:29.310 --> 00:09:35.950 We got the diagnosis when he was 10 and as I mentioned earlier, we didn't know 00:09:35.970 --> 00:09:42.340 what was going on age 2 through 10, but we knew something was going on and. 00:09:43.370 --> 00:09:46.420 I had gone to specialist after specialist. 00:09:46.430 --> 00:09:49.460 We are three hours from Denver. 00:09:50.010 --> 00:09:54.670 We had seen three different doctors in Denver and people would say, 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:57.590 gosh, this is, this is a puzzle. 00:09:57.890 --> 00:09:59.450 Is it ADD? 00:09:59.450 --> 00:10:01.600 Is it ADHD? 00:10:01.810 --> 00:10:06.220 And I would say, yeah, I see pieces and parts of that, but I don't. 00:10:07.060 --> 00:10:08.850 Think that that's it. 00:10:09.280 --> 00:10:14.410 And then crazily, and I don't think I've ever shared this story with 00:10:14.410 --> 00:10:22.050 you in my PR world, I represented import beer companies for 15 years. 00:10:22.670 --> 00:10:27.830 And it was a really fun gig, which meant that I took us journalists 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:31.310 to breweries throughout Europe. 00:10:31.310 --> 00:10:36.060 So Germany, the Czech Republic, Ireland, even Thailand. 00:10:36.660 --> 00:10:45.550 And one of these trips, I had a female editor and it was a magazine. 00:10:45.590 --> 00:10:47.750 I don't even remember the name of it anymore. 00:10:47.800 --> 00:10:52.580 But it was 1 of those, like, Maxim magazines and a female editor. 00:10:52.580 --> 00:10:53.920 And I was like, really? 00:10:54.300 --> 00:10:58.990 I always thought men would be the editors of those magazines, but she and 00:10:58.990 --> 00:11:02.080 I are still in touch to this day and. 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:08.900 She told me this story of her sister being diagnosed with autism and we were on a 00:11:08.900 --> 00:11:16.190 bus going from a brewery to town to tour and I got home and I started researching 00:11:16.210 --> 00:11:23.050 autism and I spent a weekend like just getting sucked in and realizing this was 00:11:23.050 --> 00:11:28.260 it and calling my dad, the veterinarian, and saying, I think we figured this out. 00:11:28.780 --> 00:11:30.790 And at the time. 00:11:31.210 --> 00:11:39.130 Children's hospital, Colorado had an 8 month waiting list to you have to in 00:11:39.130 --> 00:11:48.390 Colorado have a psychiatrist make your diagnosis and so 8 months later, we went 00:11:48.400 --> 00:11:54.325 to children's and they said, no, we You have a textbook case, a son with autism. 00:11:54.755 --> 00:12:02.215 And there were such emotions around that of relief of knowing what we were 00:12:02.395 --> 00:12:12.085 dealing with to sadness to, Oh my gosh, like I don't have a neurotypical kid. 00:12:12.435 --> 00:12:19.345 And being in a small town, we were the only people James actually ended 00:12:19.345 --> 00:12:24.175 up being the first person from his high school graduating with autism. 00:12:24.645 --> 00:12:34.965 And so I took the path of Owning it and telling everyone and educating people 00:12:34.975 --> 00:12:41.205 when we got the diagnosis, he was going from elementary school into middle school. 00:12:41.425 --> 00:12:43.885 And I called the principal of the middle school. 00:12:43.915 --> 00:12:47.175 And I said, this is what I just learned. 00:12:47.175 --> 00:12:51.705 And he said, will you come in and do a presentation to the whole teaching team? 00:12:53.025 --> 00:12:56.985 And so I came in, did a presentation to. 00:12:57.275 --> 00:13:02.835 The whole fifth grade teaching team, and it was amazing how they 00:13:02.875 --> 00:13:08.585 open their arms and welcome James and really made accommodations for 00:13:08.585 --> 00:13:10.775 him to get through middle school. 00:13:11.535 --> 00:13:15.285 And then we get into high school and it's a completely different ball 00:13:15.285 --> 00:13:21.115 game, different Well, we're, you know, he has to advocate for himself 00:13:21.115 --> 00:13:24.065 and he needs to do X, Y, and Z. 00:13:24.425 --> 00:13:31.775 And it was for me as a parent, a huge struggle and dealing with bullying, 00:13:32.265 --> 00:13:40.775 dealing with being ostracized and not like, One of the gifts of autism, I, 00:13:40.845 --> 00:13:46.215 there are so many which I learned through you and the horse boy method is not 00:13:46.215 --> 00:13:50.255 really caring what other people think and, you know, I'm seeing where he's 00:13:50.255 --> 00:13:55.725 not getting invited to the graduation parties or any parties for that matter. 00:13:55.935 --> 00:14:02.595 And he's blissfully happy with his world of, you know, us having 00:14:02.595 --> 00:14:05.805 a dog and that dog was his. 00:14:06.290 --> 00:14:12.350 Lifeline his, you know, looking back on all of this and not realizing how 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:17.960 much the dog was his lifeline until I went through the horse boy method and 00:14:17.970 --> 00:14:24.460 understanding that animal connection with, with humans and special needs folks. 00:14:24.950 --> 00:14:28.210 So, gosh, then. 00:14:28.605 --> 00:14:35.545 Yeah, my PR career is going parallel with all this whole journey and my 00:14:36.035 --> 00:14:43.235 career has really taken off and my business is doing really, really well. 00:14:43.575 --> 00:14:45.265 And I end up. 00:14:46.820 --> 00:14:52.000 going through a divorce because I was the breadwinner. 00:14:52.060 --> 00:14:53.360 And it was a lot. 00:14:53.390 --> 00:14:57.490 It was a lot, being the breadwinner and a special needs mom. 00:14:58.040 --> 00:15:05.860 And frankly, I look back on that Era and say to myself, you should have still 00:15:05.860 --> 00:15:12.520 made room for horses, but I felt like I couldn't financially or time wise. 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:21.670 And then while, when James was 15, this local autism group said to me, Let's have 00:15:21.680 --> 00:15:25.200 him come to our camp for this session. 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:32.030 And that was when my son learned that he had autism, not until he was 15. 00:15:32.220 --> 00:15:36.400 He didn't even realize, and it didn't matter to him. 00:15:36.400 --> 00:15:39.780 He was very happy in his own world. 00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:46.150 And when they had so graciously offered to allow him to be part of the camp, I 00:15:46.150 --> 00:15:48.720 said, well, how can I give back to you? 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:53.770 And And that's when I offered to do the pro bono work for them and 00:15:53.870 --> 00:15:56.090 they were a growing organization. 00:15:56.090 --> 00:15:59.050 I think they are now in their 20th year. 00:15:59.380 --> 00:16:00.680 Rupert Isaacson: What's the name of the organization? 00:16:01.045 --> 00:16:06.095 Sheryl Barto: It's called a syndigo and at the time it was called extreme 00:16:06.095 --> 00:16:12.805 sports camp and that had a lot of mixed messages in the marketplace, 00:16:12.805 --> 00:16:18.055 especially in a ski town where there's actually like extreme ski sports. 00:16:18.385 --> 00:16:24.295 But the idea of their organization is to actually teach people 00:16:24.295 --> 00:16:26.325 on the autism spectrum. 00:16:26.760 --> 00:16:28.490 Skills to do sports. 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:32.340 So they were doing rock climbing, they were doing horseback riding, 00:16:32.560 --> 00:16:34.550 and they were doing water sports. 00:16:34.630 --> 00:16:36.250 So, wakeboarding. 00:16:36.760 --> 00:16:39.400 And it was really cool. 00:16:39.410 --> 00:16:45.270 They had video footage of my son, who we had gone with friends to Lake Powell. 00:16:45.910 --> 00:16:50.240 With, of course, all my friend's kids are neurotypical kids and their kids are 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:55.820 doing flips on the wakeboards and one arms and going sideways, you know, and 00:16:55.820 --> 00:17:02.030 James could never do that and he gets to this camp and he's the star on the 00:17:02.030 --> 00:17:08.680 wakeboard because he had seen what some of the other kids had done and he did 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:16.200 what he could do to his level and like, the Photos of him and the grin on his 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:23.310 face of the accomplishments that he had at this camp were absolutely priceless. 00:17:23.780 --> 00:17:30.390 So then they, as an organization, evolved into wanting to do Big 00:17:30.450 --> 00:17:34.870 gala fundraiser, and that's when they decided they were going to 00:17:34.870 --> 00:17:37.540 bring in celebrity autism parents. 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:44.400 And they brought in Holly Robinson Pete, who is the star of 21 Jump 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:50.320 Street, and her husband is an ex NFL football player Rodney B. 00:17:51.065 --> 00:17:54.955 And then they brought in Rupert Isaacson, the founder of the horse boy. 00:17:55.225 --> 00:17:59.225 And I remember thinking, how can I have been a horse obsessed 00:17:59.235 --> 00:18:05.255 person and have never heard of the horse boy book or movie. 00:18:05.295 --> 00:18:07.075 And I have a son with autism. 00:18:07.375 --> 00:18:12.255 And my conclusion to that was, well, I was a single mom running a business, 00:18:12.265 --> 00:18:15.485 raising a kid with special needs. 00:18:15.625 --> 00:18:16.545 And so. 00:18:16.905 --> 00:18:24.185 When I witnessed your demonstration of the horse boy method on a horse 00:18:24.185 --> 00:18:29.885 you had never met in a place you had never been to and how you were teaching 00:18:29.885 --> 00:18:37.625 geography and math from the back of a horse, I was moved to tears and I 00:18:37.635 --> 00:18:42.785 thought, Oh my gosh, this is my calling. 00:18:43.315 --> 00:18:45.855 And this is what I'm supposed to be doing. 00:18:46.485 --> 00:18:52.355 And, and I, and I think Rupert, that was 2012. 00:18:52.705 --> 00:18:57.925 So I had no horses, no infrastructure, no no, nothing other than a 00:18:57.925 --> 00:18:59.905 PR firm and a new husband. 00:19:00.535 --> 00:19:07.015 Who had and I came home and I said, you know, I, how do you feel 00:19:07.015 --> 00:19:09.085 about having horses in our lives? 00:19:09.435 --> 00:19:13.995 And he had grown up in Wyoming on a ranch and he had 2 kids 00:19:14.365 --> 00:19:17.485 and he said, I'm open to it. 00:19:17.515 --> 00:19:21.685 So we had had a small property. 00:19:22.250 --> 00:19:28.220 Well, I should back up because I want to talk a little bit about the horse 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:34.740 boy karma that I think has followed me completely on this journey. 00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:41.210 So James graduates high school and. 00:19:42.095 --> 00:19:46.615 All he's seeing all of his friends go off to college and James 00:19:46.695 --> 00:19:53.085 absolutely was not college material, nor did he want to go to college. 00:19:53.515 --> 00:19:59.105 So I had researched a life skills school, like, where could he go? 00:19:59.375 --> 00:20:01.455 To learn some more life skills. 00:20:01.775 --> 00:20:07.585 So I had found one in Arizona and at the time because I didn't have enough 00:20:07.585 --> 00:20:13.605 to do, I was the volunteer journalism teacher at their local high school 00:20:13.855 --> 00:20:18.405 because I didn't like the newspaper and I thought it could be so much better. 00:20:19.045 --> 00:20:22.045 And it was a way for me to get back to the high school. 00:20:22.045 --> 00:20:23.815 I did not want to be on boosters. 00:20:23.815 --> 00:20:27.055 I did not want to be in any sort of politics and I was like, why 00:20:27.055 --> 00:20:28.995 don't I try teaching this class? 00:20:29.530 --> 00:20:31.250 So I'm teaching this class. 00:20:31.250 --> 00:20:34.230 I did it for the three years. 00:20:34.260 --> 00:20:42.520 Both my boys were in the high school and a journalism fellowship came across 00:20:42.520 --> 00:20:51.390 my desk after you had been to Aspen for this event and you could apply 00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:57.650 for two weeks to Enhance your skills as a high school journalism teacher. 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:03.080 So I was like, Oh my gosh, university or Arizona state was on the list. 00:21:03.080 --> 00:21:05.100 And I thought I'll apply there. 00:21:05.410 --> 00:21:06.300 I will go. 00:21:06.310 --> 00:21:10.160 Then I can be down there with James while he's attending life skills school. 00:21:10.660 --> 00:21:17.720 And then I get a rejection letter from Arizona, but they said, we're happy to 00:21:17.720 --> 00:21:21.540 host you at university of Texas in Austin. 00:21:23.030 --> 00:21:25.370 And I was like, Oh, wait a minute. 00:21:25.400 --> 00:21:28.660 Isn't that where Rupert's whole program is based? 00:21:28.890 --> 00:21:33.910 Well, maybe I should go visit while I'm down there and see if this is the real 00:21:33.910 --> 00:21:37.860 deal and see if it is what I think it is. 00:21:38.100 --> 00:21:44.900 And so I ended up going to Austin and in my two weeks we had a free weekend and I 00:21:44.900 --> 00:21:49.590 went out to visit Horseboy headquarters, which at the time was in Elgin, Texas. 00:21:50.260 --> 00:21:54.750 And I don't know if you remember this visit, Rupert, but I met 00:21:54.790 --> 00:21:57.180 Betsy, the foundation horse. 00:21:57.420 --> 00:22:05.550 And I also remember really having this fear, even though I was an autism mom. 00:22:06.705 --> 00:22:09.995 of other people's kids with autism. 00:22:10.375 --> 00:22:14.075 Like would I be able to handle them? 00:22:14.355 --> 00:22:16.775 Would I know what to do? 00:22:17.055 --> 00:22:20.395 Would I be worthy? 00:22:20.465 --> 00:22:22.525 Could I really help them? 00:22:22.855 --> 00:22:28.245 Like it was, so it was weird that I was having this Awesome experience 00:22:28.245 --> 00:22:32.685 teaching kids at the high school, but they're all neurotypical kids. 00:22:32.685 --> 00:22:39.445 I have this autistic son and then I come to your ranch in Elgin and 00:22:39.595 --> 00:22:45.195 I remember this family from Mexico being there and they had three kids. 00:22:45.425 --> 00:22:49.145 You were working with the entire family and their little 00:22:49.145 --> 00:22:52.005 boy was severely autistic. 00:22:53.430 --> 00:22:59.570 Watching him with the horses and you somehow had me jump in while 00:22:59.570 --> 00:23:04.120 you were doing this session and this little boy turns around and gives 00:23:04.120 --> 00:23:11.700 me the most giant hug and he was nonverbal and I thought, I get it. 00:23:11.990 --> 00:23:13.550 I think I can do this. 00:23:14.210 --> 00:23:19.250 And that's when I started your training program, and I think you ended up 00:23:19.260 --> 00:23:24.770 coming to Colorado Springs, which is a three and a half hour drive for us 00:23:25.100 --> 00:23:27.930 to teach the horse boy one course. 00:23:28.290 --> 00:23:35.360 And I came in to do that also with some fears around my. 00:23:35.935 --> 00:23:41.455 Ancient horse skills that were sort of dormant and how was I going to be? 00:23:41.785 --> 00:23:44.275 How was I going to do this? 00:23:44.285 --> 00:23:49.895 And I think the other beautiful thing about the horse boy 00:23:49.895 --> 00:23:57.545 method and the approach and the welcoming by the whole tribe was. 00:23:58.565 --> 00:24:03.275 We actually can find a role for anybody who has the heart to do this. 00:24:03.565 --> 00:24:08.405 And even if you have a challenge rising to certain pieces and 00:24:08.405 --> 00:24:10.815 parts, we will help you get there. 00:24:11.165 --> 00:24:18.325 And then I remember, I think the other piece I was so incredibly attracted 00:24:18.325 --> 00:24:24.415 to, because remember I wanted to be the horse trainer, was that. 00:24:24.645 --> 00:24:29.575 Horse skills were important to training the horse boy horse. 00:24:29.925 --> 00:24:37.345 And so I was like, wow, okay, now I get to kind of brush up on this. 00:24:37.415 --> 00:24:45.475 And that was the attraction for me to come back to Elgin and start learning 00:24:45.475 --> 00:24:47.980 dressage, which I knew nothing about. 00:24:48.270 --> 00:24:50.490 Zero about dressage. 00:24:50.490 --> 00:24:54.050 I grew up in the POA world with no lessons. 00:24:54.260 --> 00:24:58.360 I was on that writing team in college that we had a coach that 00:24:58.360 --> 00:25:00.350 was like, yep, you guys look good. 00:25:01.770 --> 00:25:06.580 And so I, the dressage piece was. 00:25:07.100 --> 00:25:14.760 Extraordinarily intimidating, but at the same time, I was so fascinated because 00:25:15.110 --> 00:25:24.320 I'm also in addition to being a skier and a trail runner, very much when I was 35 00:25:24.660 --> 00:25:34.390 started doing yoga and, I still marvel at now, after whatever it's been 25, 30 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:41.460 years of doing yoga, how much similarity there is between yoga fitness for the 00:25:41.460 --> 00:25:44.920 human and dressage fitness for the horse. 00:25:45.430 --> 00:25:51.980 And looking at classical dressage and how it helps build the right 00:25:52.750 --> 00:25:58.090 muscles for the horse to be able to do their job and carry two riders. 00:25:58.470 --> 00:26:00.870 And it, there is just. 00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:03.930 So much synergy between the 2. 00:26:04.280 --> 00:26:06.230 It blows my mind weekly. 00:26:06.730 --> 00:26:13.260 And so, I remember also spending that week with you learning just 00:26:13.260 --> 00:26:20.670 how to hold a dressage whip and my arms and my hands being sore. 00:26:20.710 --> 00:26:21.730 And I'm thinking. 00:26:22.630 --> 00:26:23.250 Okay. 00:26:23.300 --> 00:26:24.750 I thought I was an athlete. 00:26:25.130 --> 00:26:27.740 I've been this skier, trail runner, mountain biker. 00:26:27.960 --> 00:26:29.840 I'm finding these new muscles. 00:26:29.850 --> 00:26:30.890 Holy cow. 00:26:31.660 --> 00:26:39.070 And just learning about rhythm and timing and then looking at your herd 00:26:39.640 --> 00:26:49.135 and seeing So many different kinds of horses and how they all had a role 00:26:49.445 --> 00:26:55.915 just like the humans all had a role based on their abilities and their 00:26:55.915 --> 00:26:59.635 strengths and how they could help people. 00:27:00.235 --> 00:27:05.435 And to see you have Mustangs and quarter horses, and then the 00:27:05.435 --> 00:27:10.235 fancy horses, the Lusitano's, which I had never even heard of. 00:27:10.235 --> 00:27:11.105 I'm like, what's a Lusitano? 00:27:11.655 --> 00:27:18.335 And seeing the different gifts that they had, and how you were teaching 00:27:18.335 --> 00:27:24.045 quarter horses and Mustangs, how to PF and Passage, I was like, okay, I'm in. 00:27:24.125 --> 00:27:25.195 I'm in 100%. 00:27:27.195 --> 00:27:28.125 It's really great. 00:27:30.405 --> 00:27:33.775 Rupert Isaacson: You know, you're kind, and thank you 00:27:33.995 --> 00:27:35.165 for saying these nice things. 00:27:35.845 --> 00:27:46.175 What I need to say back to you is I realized as soon as you came out and 00:27:46.225 --> 00:27:51.805 began the work, that you were one of those people who could see the whole 00:27:51.825 --> 00:27:58.535 constellation at the same time, which is quite rare, that how the autism piece, 00:27:59.120 --> 00:28:05.640 The brain piece, the horse training piece, the environment piece the need 00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:11.030 to work with the whole family, not just with, you know, one, if possible. 00:28:12.490 --> 00:28:15.210 And I remember thinking, I, I, I think this, I think this 00:28:15.210 --> 00:28:16.360 lady's going to go do it. 00:28:16.820 --> 00:28:20.620 Obviously, you know, we, any of us autism parents are trained by our 00:28:20.620 --> 00:28:25.110 children, you know, my biggest mentor, as everybody knows, is my son, Rowan, 00:28:25.130 --> 00:28:29.000 but, and obviously you're coming out of the same school, but nonetheless, not 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:33.460 everybody, Decides to turn their life upside down in this particular way. 00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:35.690 Tell us about smiling goat. 00:28:36.010 --> 00:28:39.020 Tell us about how you started because smiling goat I just need to say for 00:28:39.020 --> 00:28:42.340 listeners smiling goat ranch in colorado. 00:28:42.430 --> 00:28:48.710 You need to look it up It's a gold standard place in terms of they know the 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:51.550 neuroscience They know the horse training. 00:28:52.060 --> 00:28:54.930 They know how to if the kids are not into the horse. 00:28:54.970 --> 00:28:56.840 Okay, we're going to mountain sports Oh, you're not into mountain sports. 00:28:57.130 --> 00:28:57.610 No problem. 00:28:57.610 --> 00:28:58.270 We're going to the goat. 00:28:58.350 --> 00:29:00.060 Oh, you know, it's got no problem We're going to the water. 00:29:00.330 --> 00:29:01.800 Ah, you're actually into the wildflowers. 00:29:01.810 --> 00:29:02.290 No problem. 00:29:02.290 --> 00:29:07.955 There we are this Completely holistic approach that you guys have. 00:29:08.355 --> 00:29:10.835 It's very rare, but of course it's very effective. 00:29:11.125 --> 00:29:13.805 Can you tell us how Smiling Goat began? 00:29:14.165 --> 00:29:15.435 Why the name Smiling Goat? 00:29:15.875 --> 00:29:16.445 It's a great name. 00:29:16.855 --> 00:29:19.575 And yeah, the evolution of this and where you're at. 00:29:19.925 --> 00:29:23.415 And, and spoiler alert that yes internships are available. 00:29:23.565 --> 00:29:27.845 And they do take people you know, At this amazing place in Colorado. 00:29:27.845 --> 00:29:31.415 So you might just want to think about that as you're listening to this while driving. 00:29:31.695 --> 00:29:34.995 So how does Smiling Goat come out of this? 00:29:35.875 --> 00:29:36.845 Sheryl Barto: Ah, yeah. 00:29:37.065 --> 00:29:46.265 Well, after going through your trainings in 2013 and 2014 My new husband and 00:29:46.265 --> 00:29:52.245 I had just purchased a property that was mid valley in the Voringford 00:29:52.255 --> 00:29:54.645 Valley in this town of Carbondale. 00:29:54.945 --> 00:29:59.055 And it was right down the road from the Carbondale rodeo grounds, 00:29:59.355 --> 00:30:03.795 which is a public amenity to the town and is free to use. 00:30:04.345 --> 00:30:06.735 The property was three acres. 00:30:07.015 --> 00:30:14.285 And I remember thinking, my dad had a farm in Pennsylvania that was 200 acres. 00:30:14.665 --> 00:30:18.195 How many acres, Rupert, was your place in Elgin? 00:30:18.565 --> 00:30:19.995 I don't know, fifty? 00:30:20.435 --> 00:30:20.905 A hundred? 00:30:21.315 --> 00:30:23.065 Rupert Isaacson: Well, it, it, it grew. 00:30:23.095 --> 00:30:25.785 It started actually with just seven. 00:30:26.045 --> 00:30:26.785 But 00:30:26.785 --> 00:30:26.875 Sheryl Barto: it 00:30:26.875 --> 00:30:28.905 Rupert Isaacson: grew to be about eventually a hundred. 00:30:29.195 --> 00:30:35.275 But I gotta say that the core area was always about five to seven. 00:30:35.555 --> 00:30:38.975 You know, it only grew that big because, as you know, in Texas, 00:30:38.985 --> 00:30:43.925 sometimes it forgets to rain, and for grazing purposes, we realized we had 00:30:43.925 --> 00:30:50.185 to rent and buy and scrub and burrow and as much acreage as we could just 00:30:50.185 --> 00:30:51.595 to kind of rotate horses around. 00:30:51.595 --> 00:30:54.605 But yeah, it, the core area was small. 00:30:54.735 --> 00:30:54.975 Yeah. 00:30:55.875 --> 00:30:56.425 Well, 00:30:57.005 --> 00:31:00.155 Sheryl Barto: I, I remember thinking, Oh my gosh. 00:31:00.395 --> 00:31:00.795 3. 00:31:00.795 --> 00:31:01.915 5 acres. 00:31:02.005 --> 00:31:03.785 I'm not going to be able to do anything here. 00:31:04.105 --> 00:31:07.655 I'll keep horses here and I'll do everything at the rodeo grounds. 00:31:08.165 --> 00:31:15.735 And I remember you coming to help us do our soft opening and we did a demo at 00:31:15.735 --> 00:31:19.780 the rodeo grounds and I had had 3 horses. 00:31:19.940 --> 00:31:25.360 Quarter horses donated to us, so I literally had had them for a week and 2 of 00:31:25.360 --> 00:31:28.430 them came from a cattle ranch in Wyoming. 00:31:28.740 --> 00:31:35.310 Big Creek Ranch shout out to them to the best horses. 00:31:35.340 --> 00:31:36.700 I think I've ever had. 00:31:38.195 --> 00:31:39.695 And one is still alive. 00:31:39.715 --> 00:31:41.185 Gates is still with us. 00:31:41.225 --> 00:31:41.875 A foundation 00:31:42.445 --> 00:31:43.855 Rupert Isaacson: is an old school gentleman. 00:31:44.295 --> 00:31:45.645 Sheryl Barto: He is. 00:31:45.775 --> 00:31:46.715 Oh my gosh. 00:31:46.725 --> 00:31:48.005 He is my heart horse. 00:31:48.035 --> 00:31:51.895 And I'm quite sure he was my husband in a previous life. 00:31:52.075 --> 00:32:00.710 Like we are and Like you said, gentlemen were so gracious with me learning my 00:32:01.120 --> 00:32:06.020 in hand work doing shoulders in from the ground and he would offer it. 00:32:06.050 --> 00:32:10.330 And I would be like, oh, I guess I'm doing something right here. 00:32:12.210 --> 00:32:19.930 But anyway, getting back to the property itself that had zero animal 00:32:19.980 --> 00:32:26.370 infrastructure, so we built sheds, we built fencing, we built we ended 00:32:26.370 --> 00:32:32.450 up getting this lovely man, Brian Cole, shout out to you with Medallion 00:32:32.450 --> 00:32:39.840 Landscaping, who installed a creek into Hooked up to the irrigation ditches 00:32:39.850 --> 00:32:42.310 that all the ranchers use in Colorado. 00:32:42.540 --> 00:32:44.560 So we had running water. 00:32:44.860 --> 00:32:49.950 It ended up being this cute little nirvana on three acres. 00:32:50.370 --> 00:32:52.280 And I also lived there. 00:32:53.030 --> 00:33:02.380 And part of the Horseboy Karma magic also was in year two of Smiling 00:33:02.380 --> 00:33:09.330 Goat, we pitched a there was a call for civic projects by a group 00:33:09.330 --> 00:33:13.290 called Brewing Fork Leadership, which is kind of like Shark Tank. 00:33:13.310 --> 00:33:14.970 It's a bunch of I don't know. 00:33:15.060 --> 00:33:20.840 Business people from all businesses that get randomly put into groups and 00:33:20.840 --> 00:33:25.500 there's five groups and they interview nonprofits and decide which one they 00:33:25.500 --> 00:33:27.890 want to take on for their civic project. 00:33:28.250 --> 00:33:32.320 And the property happened to have this cool little cabin on it. 00:33:32.700 --> 00:33:38.370 So I now have a blended family with two kids that are younger than my kids and 00:33:38.370 --> 00:33:40.570 then my boys who are in high school. 00:33:40.950 --> 00:33:45.780 And The house is small, but the cabin was awesome. 00:33:45.780 --> 00:33:48.000 And the boys are like, yeah, we'll live here. 00:33:48.210 --> 00:33:52.410 And every man that walked into that cabin said I'd move in here. 00:33:53.030 --> 00:33:58.630 It was just a cute long place with like 2 rooms and a bathroom. 00:33:59.080 --> 00:33:59.850 So. 00:34:00.230 --> 00:34:04.890 I, we get picked by Roaring Fork Leadership and they're going 00:34:04.890 --> 00:34:09.840 through their coursework and they interviewed me for two hours. 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:15.870 So I have Smiling Goat running for a year and I'm doing it all myself. 00:34:16.050 --> 00:34:17.300 With volunteers. 00:34:17.510 --> 00:34:21.310 So because I have kids in high school, I'm the newspaper teacher. 00:34:21.590 --> 00:34:27.410 I'm able to attract these volunteers, pony club girls, like everybody 00:34:27.410 --> 00:34:29.060 who wants to work with horses. 00:34:29.420 --> 00:34:32.220 And so, and I'm still keeping my day job going. 00:34:32.230 --> 00:34:35.340 So I still have PR clients and I'm still juggling. 00:34:35.340 --> 00:34:36.890 So I'm basically working. 00:34:37.250 --> 00:34:38.000 I don't know. 00:34:39.080 --> 00:34:41.970 Seven days a week, 80 hours a week, but I'm loving it. 00:34:41.980 --> 00:34:45.690 Like Smiling Goat was not seemingly work to me. 00:34:45.700 --> 00:34:51.780 It was wonderful to wake up, have the animals there, be back to my farming 00:34:51.780 --> 00:34:54.810 roots with my dad feeding animals. 00:34:54.870 --> 00:34:55.810 I'm loving it. 00:34:56.480 --> 00:35:01.000 And this leadership group looks at me and they said, Cheryl, 00:35:01.590 --> 00:35:03.830 you cannot sustain this. 00:35:04.080 --> 00:35:06.200 You are going to burn out. 00:35:06.945 --> 00:35:12.895 And our recommendation to you is building extra housing in 00:35:12.895 --> 00:35:15.105 your cabin to house interns. 00:35:15.535 --> 00:35:18.595 And I was like, wow, that is brilliant. 00:35:18.845 --> 00:35:25.865 So we had I think on a parallel course had approached University of 00:35:25.865 --> 00:35:32.775 Denver and their Human Animal Health Connection Institute, and they have a 00:35:32.785 --> 00:35:36.795 graduate student program for students. 00:35:36.795 --> 00:35:37.135 Shout out 00:35:37.375 --> 00:35:39.185 Rupert Isaacson: to Nina Ekholm Fry. 00:35:39.225 --> 00:35:40.685 Sheryl Barto: Exactly, exactly. 00:35:42.115 --> 00:35:46.030 Rupert Isaacson: Lads, if you're listening to this, check out her Podcast as well. 00:35:46.240 --> 00:35:46.960 She's a diamond. 00:35:47.400 --> 00:35:47.610 Okay. 00:35:47.610 --> 00:35:47.860 Yeah. 00:35:47.900 --> 00:35:48.320 Go on. 00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:55.280 Sheryl Barto: So we end up getting approved by D U even 00:35:55.280 --> 00:35:56.920 though it's university of Denver. 00:35:56.990 --> 00:36:00.380 Their acronym is D U not U D. 00:36:02.970 --> 00:36:03.100 Right. 00:36:03.100 --> 00:36:03.750 I don't get that. 00:36:04.140 --> 00:36:04.640 Right. 00:36:04.690 --> 00:36:04.710 Yeah. 00:36:05.060 --> 00:36:14.260 But so, and we also had a working student program, so that, and we still have both 00:36:14.260 --> 00:36:20.460 of these, along with a, another one in certified recreation therapy, which is 00:36:20.460 --> 00:36:29.220 another story that came years later, but so DU started sending us interns 00:36:29.220 --> 00:36:30.840 and they were mostly coming in the. 00:36:30.975 --> 00:36:33.685 Summer, because we are 3. 00:36:33.685 --> 00:36:35.605 5 hour drive from Denver. 00:36:35.605 --> 00:36:39.635 And so it was a bit of a commute for some students, but students 00:36:39.635 --> 00:36:44.585 that were looking for internship during their summer quarter. 00:36:44.595 --> 00:36:49.025 We were a really great fit for them and on. 00:36:49.765 --> 00:36:58.085 And it my younger son, Mark ends up going off to college and James is still at home. 00:36:58.545 --> 00:37:05.115 And so the idea from this leadership group was your son can have his own. 00:37:05.465 --> 00:37:10.345 Sweet, if you will, in the cabin that we build out for you and he 00:37:10.345 --> 00:37:15.905 can have the college experience and have roommates living with him and 00:37:15.955 --> 00:37:19.035 beautifully with the horse boy karma. 00:37:19.225 --> 00:37:21.865 It's people who wanted to work with special needs. 00:37:22.145 --> 00:37:25.435 So they end up coming to live with us. 00:37:25.985 --> 00:37:34.595 Taking an interest in James's obsessions, whether it's maps, movies, or rock music, 00:37:34.805 --> 00:37:37.005 like they would all connect with him. 00:37:37.015 --> 00:37:40.165 It was really, really beautiful. 00:37:40.515 --> 00:37:48.035 I think There are and in this group were 3 construction people, 00:37:48.245 --> 00:37:53.705 like, 1 was a high end builder who built all the fancy homes in Aspen. 00:37:54.035 --> 00:37:56.055 The other 1 worked for. 00:37:56.315 --> 00:38:00.765 The hospitality group of Aspen skiing company, and the 3rd 1 00:38:00.775 --> 00:38:04.465 worked for a builder that did like commercial construction. 00:38:04.765 --> 00:38:11.345 So it, I was like, blessed with this amazing group and then they have you 00:38:11.385 --> 00:38:17.515 come and do a final presentation, like, All their teams and they said, 00:38:17.515 --> 00:38:20.125 Cheryl, can you please bring animals? 00:38:20.185 --> 00:38:23.825 And I said, heck yeah, I would love to bring animals to this. 00:38:23.825 --> 00:38:28.965 So we brought our mini horses and they did a grand entrance because I had never 00:38:28.965 --> 00:38:34.555 taken them inside before and they jumped the threshold in a very grand way. 00:38:34.585 --> 00:38:36.595 So we got a standing ovation. 00:38:36.595 --> 00:38:41.755 It was, it was a really, really cool thing, but it reminds me, you asked me, 00:38:41.765 --> 00:38:44.185 how do we get the name smiling goat? 00:38:44.705 --> 00:38:52.045 Before we actually launched the program, we had built the 00:38:52.055 --> 00:38:55.515 infrastructure for goats and rabbits. 00:38:55.785 --> 00:39:00.275 Basically building on your idea, Rupert, of having the small social 00:39:00.305 --> 00:39:03.985 animals around as part of the program. 00:39:03.995 --> 00:39:08.325 So I thought, okay, we'll start small with this before we bring in horses. 00:39:09.340 --> 00:39:13.980 And this lady was moving back east and she had three goats. 00:39:14.230 --> 00:39:16.080 She was an empty nester. 00:39:16.110 --> 00:39:21.230 And she and her husband had the most adorable, sweetest goats. 00:39:21.290 --> 00:39:24.730 So we get these three goats that are massively overweight 00:39:25.260 --> 00:39:27.490 Nelly, Lester, and Hubert. 00:39:28.280 --> 00:39:33.060 And they are as sweet as pie and The boys and I are sitting around 00:39:33.060 --> 00:39:34.970 our kitchen table brainstorming. 00:39:34.970 --> 00:39:38.930 We also had two dogs that were black and they were obsessed 00:39:38.930 --> 00:39:42.590 with the dogs and they said, why don't we name it black dog ranch? 00:39:43.170 --> 00:39:45.610 And so I'm like, let's Google it. 00:39:46.050 --> 00:39:47.030 I swear to you. 00:39:47.070 --> 00:39:51.870 I think there were 10, 000 worldwide black dog ranches. 00:39:51.880 --> 00:39:53.060 I'm like, we can't do that. 00:39:53.100 --> 00:39:54.510 I'm in marketing PR. 00:39:54.780 --> 00:39:56.030 We need a good name. 00:39:56.530 --> 00:39:58.140 And Lester. 00:39:59.125 --> 00:40:02.245 The one goat there are pygmy goats. 00:40:02.775 --> 00:40:07.145 He, oh my God, Lester and Nellie were the biggest characters. 00:40:07.275 --> 00:40:15.695 And Lester had a little quirk where he almost smiled and That's 00:40:15.705 --> 00:40:17.635 how we got the name was Lester. 00:40:17.675 --> 00:40:21.635 And believe it or not, Lester is still with us. 00:40:22.225 --> 00:40:27.035 I honestly thought last winter was going to be his last winter because our 00:40:27.165 --> 00:40:29.155 winters are pretty significant here. 00:40:29.615 --> 00:40:32.455 The beautiful thing about the Roaring Fork Valley though, is everybody's 00:40:32.465 --> 00:40:37.485 skiers and kids love snow days because school's out and their parents 00:40:37.505 --> 00:40:39.475 will drive them to the ski areas. 00:40:39.755 --> 00:40:43.685 So the world really doesn't stop in the winter here. 00:40:43.705 --> 00:40:45.005 We get beautiful. 00:40:45.230 --> 00:40:49.010 snow and then great sunny days the next day. 00:40:49.010 --> 00:40:50.770 It's not endless gray. 00:40:51.110 --> 00:40:57.240 So anyway, but winters can be cold and harsh and I was really concerned 00:40:57.320 --> 00:40:58.930 Lester was not going to make it. 00:40:59.620 --> 00:41:05.770 So we started incorporating more of Lester's lunchtime is what we call it. 00:41:06.010 --> 00:41:13.230 And Lester's lunchtime is where our kiddos and young adults feed him lunch. 00:41:13.230 --> 00:41:21.470 We're And we have a brain injury lady, Miss Kara, who is an adult, and this 00:41:21.470 --> 00:41:27.110 is her favorite thing to do, is come to the ranch and feed Lester lunch. 00:41:27.530 --> 00:41:31.810 Lester has never looked better in his entire life. 00:41:32.250 --> 00:41:37.630 His coat, his weight, like, I'm like, okay, I don't know how much longer we 00:41:37.630 --> 00:41:42.840 have Lester, but I think when the animals feel purpose, it's just like humans. 00:41:43.095 --> 00:41:45.235 Their lifespan lasts longer. 00:41:47.355 --> 00:41:49.665 So that's how we got the name Smiling Goat. 00:41:50.205 --> 00:41:51.025 Yeah. 00:41:51.105 --> 00:42:00.435 And then, so I did not hire an employee for Smiling Goat until 2020. 00:42:00.995 --> 00:42:07.600 And again, you know, I always say, It really, like, life has worked out so 00:42:07.600 --> 00:42:14.220 perfectly that I had all these years of being and still being a PR person. 00:42:14.680 --> 00:42:21.070 During COVID, I get this email from a woman, completely cold, 00:42:21.855 --> 00:42:26.325 Outreach that says, I'm a certified recreation therapist. 00:42:26.345 --> 00:42:33.145 I'm working for a local recovery organization and they brought me here 00:42:33.155 --> 00:42:38.475 from Washington and they now have found they don't have enough hours wondering 00:42:38.475 --> 00:42:44.765 if you do and at the same time on the horse boy international chat and 00:42:44.765 --> 00:42:47.205 I think it might Isaacson sent out. 00:42:47.485 --> 00:42:50.555 Is anybody a certified recreation therapist? 00:42:51.795 --> 00:42:57.945 And I think I chimed in something like, no, but I have one that wants a job. 00:42:58.145 --> 00:42:59.055 What's up? 00:42:59.535 --> 00:43:05.125 And it turns out in certified recreation therapy you have to be 00:43:05.135 --> 00:43:12.085 supervised by Another certified recreation therapist, so you cannot 00:43:12.085 --> 00:43:18.495 so I can't supervise a college student who's interning as a rec therapist. 00:43:18.495 --> 00:43:23.835 It's a very strict licensure process with rec therapy. 00:43:24.290 --> 00:43:30.370 So what ended up happening was the intern that had contacted 00:43:30.370 --> 00:43:37.030 Rupert was a trick rider with equestrian chaos out of Alabama. 00:43:37.380 --> 00:43:44.140 And this young lady, Kaylee was already through college and had horse skills. 00:43:44.550 --> 00:43:47.500 She wasn't just a rec therapist. 00:43:47.560 --> 00:43:50.510 And so I was like, okay, universe. 00:43:50.935 --> 00:43:52.705 Am I supposed to be listening to this? 00:43:52.705 --> 00:43:55.405 Is it time for me to get an employee? 00:43:55.895 --> 00:43:59.635 And I ended up going out to four donors. 00:44:00.565 --> 00:44:04.585 And said, Hey, I have this opportunity for a two for one. 00:44:04.905 --> 00:44:13.465 If we fund this salary I not only get this rec therapy person, we get a therapist 00:44:13.465 --> 00:44:15.585 on our team, which we really needed. 00:44:15.815 --> 00:44:21.705 She has horse skills and we get this intern who we'll have for 15 00:44:21.715 --> 00:44:24.385 weeks who also has horse skills. 00:44:24.835 --> 00:44:26.395 And they all said yes. 00:44:26.425 --> 00:44:28.115 And we have never looked back. 00:44:28.325 --> 00:44:29.075 Like I. 00:44:29.325 --> 00:44:32.635 I lost sleep at night worrying that I would not be able to 00:44:32.635 --> 00:44:34.765 continue to fund that salary. 00:44:35.155 --> 00:44:41.585 And it has just worked out like a dream again, the horse boy karma magic. 00:44:42.035 --> 00:44:50.095 And so we had Brooke here for 15 weeks and Brooke taught us mounted archery. 00:44:50.715 --> 00:44:52.805 And I Oh, my heaven. 00:44:52.805 --> 00:44:55.625 So that's an addition to our program. 00:44:55.995 --> 00:45:02.635 And we can actually long line kiddos that don't have riding skills and the horses 00:45:02.705 --> 00:45:05.745 understand what we are trying to do. 00:45:06.025 --> 00:45:10.895 And they, I swear to you, help line up the kids so they can hit the targets. 00:45:11.310 --> 00:45:13.050 It's priceless. 00:45:13.450 --> 00:45:19.930 And so we're also going to build this piece out further for our veteran 00:45:19.930 --> 00:45:25.300 program and doing archery from the ground and then graduating them to 00:45:25.670 --> 00:45:27.950 archery from the back of the horse. 00:45:27.950 --> 00:45:32.530 And this is where your old schoolmaster horses really come in handy. 00:45:32.840 --> 00:45:38.390 They, they get it and they They end up helping the people, which 00:45:38.430 --> 00:45:40.800 I never understood that concept. 00:45:40.800 --> 00:45:45.670 I remember Rupert, you saying to me when you were 1st, teaching me dressage 00:45:46.060 --> 00:45:49.600 is that with all the repetitions. 00:45:49.960 --> 00:45:55.100 The more you do it, your horses will then become so good that they will 00:45:55.100 --> 00:45:57.840 help you teach new people how to do it. 00:45:58.190 --> 00:46:02.040 And I remember thinking, is that really possible? 00:46:02.290 --> 00:46:05.420 Am I Cheryl Bartow really capable of this? 00:46:05.650 --> 00:46:07.030 Will this happen? 00:46:07.070 --> 00:46:11.740 And then Gates, our gentlemen horse was the first one to do that. 00:46:11.760 --> 00:46:17.890 And I had a DU student who actually had had a little bit of dressage. 00:46:18.275 --> 00:46:22.665 And it was amazing to watch how that all took off. 00:46:22.945 --> 00:46:24.015 Really amazing. 00:46:24.535 --> 00:46:32.335 And I also remember the other piece of advice you gave me was don't 00:46:32.335 --> 00:46:35.145 worry, the good horses will come. 00:46:35.995 --> 00:46:41.175 I really thought that that was going to be such a hard piece. 00:46:41.545 --> 00:46:44.310 And Boy, it really has not. 00:46:44.400 --> 00:46:48.090 And the horses we have are so incredible. 00:46:48.100 --> 00:46:53.870 We have six of them and they all bring such different talents 00:46:53.880 --> 00:46:57.070 and gifts to the program. 00:46:57.450 --> 00:47:05.880 And I, like, I, I just pinch myself on like, how wonderful they are in 00:47:05.880 --> 00:47:11.770 teaching other people and how kind they are with understanding what their jobs 00:47:11.770 --> 00:47:14.000 are, the professionals that they are. 00:47:16.330 --> 00:47:20.020 Rupert Isaacson: You know, you've hinted at the variety, the broad 00:47:20.970 --> 00:47:23.620 breadth, the breadth, that's the word of the work you guys are doing 00:47:23.620 --> 00:47:27.570 there, that you're incorporating rec therapy, that It's clearly 00:47:27.610 --> 00:47:29.010 obviously not just about the horses. 00:47:29.010 --> 00:47:33.760 You have the social animals that you are involved in outreach with schools 00:47:35.010 --> 00:47:41.610 that You're so Go into mountain sports that you, but the horse side of it, you 00:47:41.610 --> 00:47:47.280 have, you are as obsessive as you need to be to create these wonderful horses. 00:47:47.480 --> 00:47:50.430 And at the same time, you're willing to abandon the horse in a heartbeat 00:47:50.450 --> 00:47:51.720 if that's not where the kid is at. 00:47:52.160 --> 00:47:55.560 And it's so interesting that, you know, your average therapeutic riding place 00:47:55.560 --> 00:47:57.320 would not call itself after a goat. 00:47:57.865 --> 00:47:58.655 You know, right. 00:47:58.715 --> 00:48:01.565 Or your average dressage place, because you guys are practicing a lot of dressage, 00:48:01.785 --> 00:48:03.415 would not call itself after a goat. 00:48:03.835 --> 00:48:09.905 And what I love about that is, is, is that really projects a humility that 00:48:09.905 --> 00:48:16.775 says to a child or a family coming in, this is not the horse place. 00:48:17.065 --> 00:48:20.055 And therefore, if you're intimidated or scared or not interested in 00:48:20.055 --> 00:48:22.795 the horse or whatever, therefore this is somehow not for you. 00:48:23.335 --> 00:48:27.225 Or if you're the person who's interested in, in the horse training side of 00:48:27.225 --> 00:48:30.705 the dressage that well, this is the dressage, you know, very important 00:48:30.705 --> 00:48:35.025 and serious, you know, no, no, I mean, it's, it's, it's called smiling goat. 00:48:35.345 --> 00:48:38.445 There's something that's so democratizing about that. 00:48:40.160 --> 00:48:42.950 And the roots in nature. 00:48:43.420 --> 00:48:45.830 There's also, of course, a whole other set of skills. 00:48:45.830 --> 00:48:48.760 And I think it would really benefit listeners if you could go into this. 00:48:48.930 --> 00:48:52.560 So a lot of people now, obviously, the equine assisted world is a growing field. 00:48:52.860 --> 00:48:56.120 When I got into it, when you got into it, it was much more fringe. 00:48:56.670 --> 00:48:57.300 Governments were not. 00:48:59.110 --> 00:49:01.800 getting behind it outside of, you know, certain countries. 00:49:02.040 --> 00:49:03.430 Now that's changed. 00:49:03.460 --> 00:49:07.920 Particularly since COVID suddenly now we have found ourselves drawn 00:49:07.920 --> 00:49:10.690 from the hippie margins, you know, somewhat into the mainstream. 00:49:11.080 --> 00:49:12.320 And this is a good thing. 00:49:12.320 --> 00:49:16.600 So a lot of people now are starting equine assisted practices. 00:49:18.040 --> 00:49:21.040 And of course, as soon as they do this, they run into the 00:49:21.040 --> 00:49:23.360 challenge of how do I not burn out? 00:49:23.750 --> 00:49:24.410 How do I fund it? 00:49:25.215 --> 00:49:28.195 Okay, maybe the government will pay for the kids to come, which of course 00:49:28.195 --> 00:49:31.195 they didn't when you and I began, but that's still not enough to, you 00:49:31.195 --> 00:49:32.355 know, keep the whole place running. 00:49:32.465 --> 00:49:33.025 What 00:49:35.335 --> 00:49:38.315 are your thoughts on the following? 00:49:40.725 --> 00:49:41.715 How do you not burn out? 00:49:42.365 --> 00:49:47.565 You're an autism mum, still have your day job, you're running the ranch, 00:49:48.335 --> 00:49:56.435 you're dealing with a very large number of families coming in, needing a real 00:49:56.625 --> 00:50:02.260 broad range of services, not just the horses, How do you not burn out? 00:50:02.700 --> 00:50:07.900 And then the second part of the question is, as a PR person, if that's your 00:50:08.750 --> 00:50:13.380 parallel profession, what's your, what are the like the five tips that you would 00:50:13.380 --> 00:50:17.140 give people who are, who are running programs going, shit, you know, how 00:50:17.140 --> 00:50:19.090 do I, how do I actually sustain this? 00:50:20.900 --> 00:50:21.300 What are those? 00:50:21.310 --> 00:50:22.850 So let's, let's start with the burnout one. 00:50:22.850 --> 00:50:23.770 How do you not burn out? 00:50:24.830 --> 00:50:28.480 Sheryl Barto: You know, that is such a great question. 00:50:28.530 --> 00:50:36.030 And I know in the rec therapy field, and I think in most therapy fields, the whole 00:50:36.310 --> 00:50:41.460 concept of self care is top of mind. 00:50:41.490 --> 00:50:48.405 And this generation coming up, Behind us is way more aware. 00:50:48.455 --> 00:50:50.805 I feel like than our generation. 00:50:50.855 --> 00:50:55.235 I think I'm considered right on the last year of the baby boomer. 00:50:55.745 --> 00:51:01.645 And certainly, I was raised with that mindset of do whatever 00:51:01.675 --> 00:51:04.605 it takes to get the job done. 00:51:04.965 --> 00:51:10.645 And so, It's my, my PR company is called Oh, communications. 00:51:10.645 --> 00:51:11.405 It's the letter. 00:51:11.455 --> 00:51:20.105 Oh, and it stands for ostrich, which is my maiden name, which I hated growing up, 00:51:20.355 --> 00:51:27.645 but my father is, was a past president of the American veterinary association. 00:51:28.125 --> 00:51:29.185 And he was. 00:51:29.375 --> 00:51:30.035 Dr. 00:51:30.085 --> 00:51:30.905 Ostrich. 00:51:30.985 --> 00:51:32.745 Yes, I kid you not. 00:51:33.765 --> 00:51:41.245 And but his name was very recognizable and he was a first generation college 00:51:41.245 --> 00:51:45.295 student, immigrants of Russian Jews. 00:51:45.960 --> 00:51:51.830 And his brothers and sisters are all small business owners. 00:51:52.400 --> 00:51:56.560 Every one of them from lawyer, interior design, construction 00:51:56.560 --> 00:51:59.870 company, and a very driven group. 00:51:59.900 --> 00:52:09.530 So I feel like some of it is in my DNA and I will say that yoga is really 00:52:09.780 --> 00:52:16.250 Like, one of my self care things, like, I don't, I try to practice three 00:52:16.250 --> 00:52:22.690 times a week just to, but I can only do early morning classes and it seems 00:52:22.690 --> 00:52:27.580 like where we live in the Roaring Fork Valley, the earliest class is 7 a. 00:52:27.580 --> 00:52:27.830 m. 00:52:27.830 --> 00:52:33.830 and sometimes, like, I've already been up for three hours and I've jammed on a bunch 00:52:33.830 --> 00:52:35.660 of things because I have to get it done. 00:52:37.735 --> 00:52:45.215 The other piece I would say is to me doing the horse training is not 00:52:45.215 --> 00:52:52.785 work and being with the horses is also very, very therapeutic for me. 00:52:53.325 --> 00:53:01.125 And I think like some people just think I'm a little crazy because of 00:53:01.315 --> 00:53:08.625 the different hats that I wear and You know, I sleep hard every night, 7 hours 00:53:08.735 --> 00:53:16.225 and they say, like, sleep is also 1 of those rejuvenation things we need. 00:53:16.235 --> 00:53:18.395 That's how mother nature made us. 00:53:18.855 --> 00:53:25.725 And so, and I do spend a lot of time in nature, like, our, our society now 00:53:25.725 --> 00:53:31.725 is so technology focused and being on social media, I'm forced into 00:53:31.725 --> 00:53:36.665 it because of PR, but at the same time, like, social media has served 00:53:36.665 --> 00:53:38.895 smiling goat really, really well. 00:53:39.295 --> 00:53:43.535 And so, like, there's, I feel like. 00:53:44.005 --> 00:53:51.085 My life is so interconnected that there's not really separation of church and state. 00:53:51.515 --> 00:53:58.905 But I also think because I'm so passionate about Smiling Goat, I will do anything 00:53:58.945 --> 00:54:02.555 to advance whatever the goals are. 00:54:03.015 --> 00:54:06.465 And To me, it's what drives me. 00:54:06.725 --> 00:54:08.285 It's what lights me up. 00:54:08.295 --> 00:54:12.005 It's not a, Oh God, I have to go do this. 00:54:12.405 --> 00:54:15.815 Also learning to delegate and letting go. 00:54:16.545 --> 00:54:20.515 The other piece, I think when I was that little girl POA person, 00:54:20.775 --> 00:54:22.199 nobody could touch my horse. 00:54:22.199 --> 00:54:23.050 It's my horse. 00:54:23.050 --> 00:54:23.901 It's my horse. 00:54:23.901 --> 00:54:26.415 And only I can make this horse canter. 00:54:27.045 --> 00:54:32.425 And Where did I hear a quote that what good is my horse if 00:54:32.425 --> 00:54:34.145 another person can't ride it? 00:54:35.655 --> 00:54:36.285 Right? 00:54:36.665 --> 00:54:46.945 So it's letting go and trusting your tribe, trusting, training them to a 00:54:46.945 --> 00:54:52.875 point where you are confident in the decisions that they're going to make 00:54:53.105 --> 00:54:55.675 and not second guess their decisions. 00:54:55.735 --> 00:54:58.005 And so, like last week, 00:55:00.325 --> 00:55:04.605 Sunday, just this past Sunday, I had to drive. 00:55:05.035 --> 00:55:08.465 Three and a half hours to Denver to pick up a calf hutch for 00:55:08.465 --> 00:55:10.525 my goats in our new location. 00:55:10.535 --> 00:55:15.435 So for those of you who aren't ranchers, a calf hutch is like a 00:55:15.435 --> 00:55:20.915 gigantic dog house and we needed something for our goats for the winter. 00:55:21.205 --> 00:55:28.295 And I have a pickup truck and I needed to drive to pick this thing up and 00:55:28.365 --> 00:55:35.360 one of my volunteers had texted me and said, Hey, I, we were talking 00:55:35.360 --> 00:55:37.360 about Gates, our gentlemen horse. 00:55:37.530 --> 00:55:44.250 He had three weeks ago, poor guy, cellulitis in one leg and an abscess 00:55:44.250 --> 00:55:46.750 in the other leg, both back legs. 00:55:47.030 --> 00:55:52.030 So literally, like, I have pictures of him soaking one leg, icing the other leg. 00:55:52.550 --> 00:55:58.500 And honestly, this is where that term, it takes a village comes into 00:55:58.500 --> 00:56:02.370 play, like, yes, I'm doing some of it. 00:56:02.640 --> 00:56:07.330 But yes, when people offer to help, I'm accepting it. 00:56:07.780 --> 00:56:12.620 And so, on Sunday, 1 of the volunteers says, so Gates is 00:56:12.620 --> 00:56:14.640 now at hand walking status. 00:56:15.030 --> 00:56:19.160 She's like, can I also hand walk the donkeys with him? 00:56:19.160 --> 00:56:23.220 So we have too many donkeys that were donated last year and 00:56:23.220 --> 00:56:24.940 so she brought her daughter. 00:56:25.160 --> 00:56:30.150 The daughter's boyfriend and her, and she's from Sweden and 00:56:30.180 --> 00:56:34.740 lives in our valley and works for one of my real estate clients. 00:56:35.050 --> 00:56:39.950 And they sent me these beautiful photos of them hand walking gates and the donkeys 00:56:40.160 --> 00:56:42.180 while I'm picking up the calf hutch. 00:56:42.470 --> 00:56:47.420 And then a third group was going to the other location where two 00:56:47.420 --> 00:56:49.700 other horses are, where that horse. 00:56:50.060 --> 00:56:56.710 Petey, who you have met Rupert, he's my master fancy and delusion fourth level 00:56:56.720 --> 00:57:02.260 dressage horse that yes was donated to the program and is an amazing animal. 00:57:02.430 --> 00:57:05.170 He had scraped his legs and needed dressings. 00:57:05.440 --> 00:57:07.520 So I'm driving to Denver. 00:57:07.560 --> 00:57:11.170 I get photos from Newcastle, photos from Basalt, and 00:57:11.240 --> 00:57:13.060 everybody's being taken care of. 00:57:13.400 --> 00:57:15.250 So does that answer the question? 00:57:15.530 --> 00:57:16.680 I don't know. 00:57:16.690 --> 00:57:21.405 It's like, it's Also, I think you've 00:57:21.405 --> 00:57:23.735 Rupert Isaacson: also just let slip there that you now have two campuses. 00:57:24.315 --> 00:57:26.715 Sheryl Barto: Yes, I did leave it slip, yes. 00:57:27.435 --> 00:57:29.155 Rupert Isaacson: Not only are you not burning out, but you're growing. 00:57:29.990 --> 00:57:35.080 Sheryl Barto: But we're growing and yes, I'm divorced a 2nd time, which 00:57:35.080 --> 00:57:42.090 I think the passion of me working so much is, is it contributed to that? 00:57:42.120 --> 00:57:43.110 But that's okay. 00:57:43.220 --> 00:57:48.410 It's it's again, the horseboy karma of the things that are opening 00:57:48.450 --> 00:57:52.980 up, like, not imagining that these 2 campuses were possible. 00:57:53.820 --> 00:57:54.990 And how they are. 00:57:54.990 --> 00:58:01.590 So we now have a mobile unit that will go to Carbondale and Snowmass. 00:58:02.010 --> 00:58:05.390 And we've been working with the town of Snowmass and for 00:58:05.550 --> 00:58:07.230 people who are not skiers. 00:58:07.710 --> 00:58:10.040 Rupert Isaacson: Oh, does that mean three campuses, one mobile? 00:58:11.040 --> 00:58:14.510 Sheryl Barto: Not really, because the animals are not living in Snowmass. 00:58:14.640 --> 00:58:16.170 It's a mobile unit. 00:58:16.535 --> 00:58:19.565 going to deliver services there. 00:58:20.285 --> 00:58:20.745 So 00:58:21.845 --> 00:58:22.165 Rupert Isaacson: does 00:58:22.165 --> 00:58:22.245 Sheryl Barto: it? 00:58:22.625 --> 00:58:23.325 Okay. 00:58:23.365 --> 00:58:25.565 Well, the town of 00:58:25.565 --> 00:58:26.755 Rupert Isaacson: Yeah, 00:58:27.035 --> 00:58:29.705 Sheryl Barto: it's a sister ski area to Aspen. 00:58:29.715 --> 00:58:33.215 So your ticket is good at Aspen and at Snowmass. 00:58:33.555 --> 00:58:36.655 And Snowmass is the second largest ski area in the U. 00:58:36.655 --> 00:58:36.885 S. 00:58:36.885 --> 00:58:37.905 next to Vail. 00:58:37.935 --> 00:58:39.035 It's amazing. 00:58:39.475 --> 00:58:42.435 And the town has a rodeo ground. 00:58:43.380 --> 00:58:46.360 And the rodeo is very booze. 00:58:46.780 --> 00:58:50.280 It's like all the people from Aspen come in their cowboy hats 00:58:50.290 --> 00:58:52.280 and the rodeo grounds are used. 00:58:52.620 --> 00:58:58.130 I think there's 11 rodeos in the summer before winter hits and the town did this 00:58:58.960 --> 00:59:06.640 amazing event this fall called the main event M A N E and they showcase different 00:59:06.650 --> 00:59:10.030 horse disciplines and smiling goat. 00:59:10.760 --> 00:59:16.600 And so we got to do a back riding demonstration and 00:59:16.710 --> 00:59:19.250 a classical dressage demo. 00:59:19.570 --> 00:59:23.200 And then they asked me, do you have other disciplines? 00:59:23.280 --> 00:59:29.800 So I brought in a Rainer to do raining and sliding stops and raining patterns. 00:59:29.860 --> 00:59:33.350 And then they hired a Mexican. 00:59:34.925 --> 00:59:40.415 Rodeo group that was the women's side saddle rider. 00:59:40.745 --> 00:59:41.415 Rupert Isaacson: Yeah, the Amazon. 00:59:41.895 --> 00:59:45.165 Sheryl Barto: Oh my gosh, the whole thing, the spirit. 00:59:45.435 --> 00:59:52.005 And then they asked me we brought in an equine massage therapist 00:59:52.005 --> 00:59:53.965 who set up a booth on the grounds. 00:59:54.235 --> 01:00:00.765 My blacksmith came in with his dogs and did demonstrations on Horse foot care, 01:00:01.135 --> 01:00:03.345 and he did it with my mini donkeys. 01:00:03.645 --> 01:00:07.545 And I have to tell you, I haven't talked about Tacoda, who you have 01:00:07.545 --> 01:00:14.885 also met, Rupert, who is a PMU horse that was donated to us. 01:00:15.215 --> 01:00:16.735 And this horse, 01:00:17.545 --> 01:00:19.535 Rupert Isaacson: Listeners won't necessarily know what a PMU horse is. 01:00:19.535 --> 01:00:20.415 What's a PMU horse? 01:00:21.425 --> 01:00:30.320 Sheryl Barto: Oh, they're So, their moms were bred for their urine to go into 01:00:30.640 --> 01:00:34.940 menopausal women's drug called Pramarin. 01:00:35.500 --> 01:00:39.390 So, they basically would keep the mare's bread. 01:00:40.375 --> 01:00:44.435 All the time so that they could harvest their urine. 01:00:44.625 --> 01:00:51.355 So the babies would drop and become hand fed babies and either discarded or put 01:00:51.365 --> 01:00:55.615 up for adoption and a woman from Aspen. 01:00:56.475 --> 01:01:01.335 I don't know what year it was, rescued 50 of these mares 01:01:01.345 --> 01:01:03.065 from one of those factories. 01:01:03.955 --> 01:01:09.575 And again, another universe sending me good things. 01:01:09.975 --> 01:01:13.585 I had had the three quarter horses to start my program. 01:01:13.825 --> 01:01:14.895 We were growing. 01:01:15.065 --> 01:01:21.355 I was like, I need three more, but I don't want to just like take anything. 01:01:22.135 --> 01:01:30.145 And I put quietly the word out and a woman who has a horse rehab program 01:01:30.145 --> 01:01:37.505 in Grand Junction said, Oh my gosh, call so and so, she has cancer and 01:01:37.505 --> 01:01:39.805 needs to get rid of six horses. 01:01:40.045 --> 01:01:44.455 So I went up with my veterinarian and my first working student. 01:01:44.770 --> 01:01:50.700 Lily and we looked at these six horses and they wanted me to take all six, 01:01:50.700 --> 01:01:52.530 but I didn't have room for all six. 01:01:52.800 --> 01:01:54.210 So we took three. 01:01:54.590 --> 01:02:02.770 And Dakota Prince and Leia and Dakota, I need to do a DNA on him the're. 01:02:02.770 --> 01:02:05.555 Some kind of draft, 'cause PMUs they picked. 01:02:06.015 --> 01:02:10.915 The big horses so that they're, they could harvest more urine. 01:02:11.415 --> 01:02:16.975 And Takoda has some kind of draft in him, but also something else. 01:02:17.165 --> 01:02:22.095 He's the most graceful, incredible dressage horse. 01:02:22.470 --> 01:02:28.710 But he has that draft horse, steady Eddie as they go mentality. 01:02:29.090 --> 01:02:35.630 We taught him how to pull a cart during COVID and I mean, he does sensory work. 01:02:35.630 --> 01:02:37.090 He does back riding. 01:02:37.690 --> 01:02:40.020 You can do anything with this horse. 01:02:40.200 --> 01:02:42.900 He does not like to be a leader on the trail rides though. 01:02:42.930 --> 01:02:46.850 He does not like going through water obstacles, but anyway, back 01:02:46.850 --> 01:02:50.920 to the main event, they asked us to do a back riding demo. 01:02:51.615 --> 01:02:57.015 And I asked Kaylee, our rec therapist, I said, will you do 01:02:57.015 --> 01:02:59.055 the back riding while I narrate? 01:02:59.385 --> 01:03:02.365 So, we show up with our pool noodles. 01:03:02.365 --> 01:03:08.845 And what I didn't realize, like, I thought there'd be, you A mixed age 01:03:08.855 --> 01:03:15.225 group to play tag, to show the game of tag, and now we teach kiddos on 01:03:15.225 --> 01:03:18.255 the spectrum the concepts of tag. 01:03:18.575 --> 01:03:24.795 So we had Kaylee back ride with a young girl who was neurotypical because she 01:03:24.805 --> 01:03:26.785 really, really, really wanted to do this. 01:03:27.130 --> 01:03:31.360 So we said, okay, Mela, you can be our back riding kiddo. 01:03:31.700 --> 01:03:33.360 We'll give you a pool noodle. 01:03:33.600 --> 01:03:38.160 Well, my team had brought all of our pool noodles and you can imagine at 01:03:38.160 --> 01:03:42.280 a public event where there are 300 people, there are lots of children. 01:03:42.820 --> 01:03:45.320 We had eight kids in the arena. 01:03:45.685 --> 01:03:51.475 All with pool noodles playing tag with Dakota while I'm narrating and 01:03:51.475 --> 01:03:57.905 I'm telling the audience who is not, they're not, they don't know horses. 01:03:58.255 --> 01:04:01.795 Like you do not realize how spectacular this is. 01:04:01.795 --> 01:04:08.845 There are eight kids running at Dakota with pool noodles tagging him and Kaylee's 01:04:08.875 --> 01:04:11.205 doing walk to counter transitions. 01:04:11.555 --> 01:04:12.675 Absolutely. 01:04:12.685 --> 01:04:13.325 Beautifully. 01:04:13.515 --> 01:04:15.025 I need to send you the videos. 01:04:15.045 --> 01:04:16.565 They're spectacular. 01:04:16.595 --> 01:04:24.905 And I was so proud of our horse and him doing this so gracefully, so kindly. 01:04:24.955 --> 01:04:32.295 And so like there wasn't one moment that he balked, bucked or spooked. 01:04:32.845 --> 01:04:33.965 And that says a lot. 01:04:34.215 --> 01:04:35.745 There is music playing. 01:04:36.035 --> 01:04:37.815 We've got an announcer system. 01:04:38.620 --> 01:04:42.240 300 people watching, like, it was pretty special. 01:04:42.790 --> 01:04:46.570 And then Petey and I got to do the classical dressage. 01:04:46.670 --> 01:04:51.990 I was living my best life, like, he's doing passage and Spanish 01:04:51.990 --> 01:04:55.030 walk and flying lead changes. 01:04:55.300 --> 01:05:01.038 And I was like, who knew that at this later point in my life 01:05:01.038 --> 01:05:02.790 that this would be happening. 01:05:02.800 --> 01:05:04.560 It was pretty special. 01:05:04.890 --> 01:05:05.150 Yeah. 01:05:05.150 --> 01:05:07.290 And we just got to promote Smiling Goat. 01:05:08.125 --> 01:05:10.145 Rupert Isaacson: And happening, these dreams coming true because 01:05:10.145 --> 01:05:11.555 of autism, not in spite of them. 01:05:12.330 --> 01:05:13.540 Because of your son's autism. 01:05:14.010 --> 01:05:15.470 Sheryl Barto: Absolutely. 01:05:15.470 --> 01:05:17.220 Rupert Isaacson: The person who really opened the door. 01:05:18.190 --> 01:05:19.630 Sheryl Barto: There is no question. 01:05:19.630 --> 01:05:24.780 And so many people ask me, does your son participate in the program? 01:05:25.630 --> 01:05:32.665 And I always pause and take a breath and say, Well, not as you might 01:05:32.695 --> 01:05:37.645 expect, but there are ways that he has. 01:05:37.725 --> 01:05:44.175 And it's been so interesting, again, going back to your advice and Dr. 01:05:44.175 --> 01:05:49.285 Temple Grandin's advice of follow the child, follow the person. 01:05:49.775 --> 01:05:54.615 James never wanted to be identified as having autism. 01:05:54.645 --> 01:05:58.025 And to this day, he does not. 01:05:58.285 --> 01:06:03.045 Tell people that when he meets them, his obsessions growing 01:06:03.045 --> 01:06:04.855 up were cars and trucks. 01:06:05.135 --> 01:06:09.075 So as a 4 year old, he could tell you every make and model on a road 01:06:09.075 --> 01:06:15.715 trip that what was going by you from cars to semis to whatever it was. 01:06:16.670 --> 01:06:22.890 And taking a page from the horse boy method is let's figure out how we're going 01:06:22.890 --> 01:06:26.900 to turn an obsession into a vocation. 01:06:27.300 --> 01:06:28.290 How do we do that? 01:06:29.010 --> 01:06:34.150 And our first autism families, I don't know if you'll remember this Rupert, 01:06:34.160 --> 01:06:40.290 but they came to the demo at the rodeo grounds, little miss Mia and her parents, 01:06:40.290 --> 01:06:47.490 Maribel and Diego Latino family, bilingual Diego, very into cars and trucks and 01:06:47.490 --> 01:06:53.710 worked at a body shop and James would come out whenever that family was on the 01:06:53.710 --> 01:06:59.080 property and start talking with Diego and I was like, okay, this is cool. 01:06:59.080 --> 01:07:08.490 Well, then we had two different families, Latino boys who were obese. 01:07:09.165 --> 01:07:13.475 Nine year olds that weighed 150 pounds. 01:07:14.445 --> 01:07:17.495 I, I couldn't get them on the horse myself. 01:07:18.005 --> 01:07:23.365 So I would say to James, Hey, Carlos is coming today. 01:07:23.385 --> 01:07:27.025 Will you just help me get him on to Dakota? 01:07:27.375 --> 01:07:30.525 And of course, Dakota was trained to stand next to you. 01:07:30.775 --> 01:07:33.945 We have a giant homemade mounting block. 01:07:33.945 --> 01:07:37.355 That's more like a platform, like a diving board platform. 01:07:38.275 --> 01:07:39.765 James would come out and help me. 01:07:40.285 --> 01:07:48.725 And so there were little ways where he participated and then one time I was 01:07:48.805 --> 01:07:57.305 out of town and there was a storm and Adobe, our other quarter horses only 14 01:07:57.315 --> 01:08:00.945 to jump the fence spooked in the storm. 01:08:00.945 --> 01:08:01.925 So she was out. 01:08:02.730 --> 01:08:07.170 James called me, said Adobe's out, and Adobe's a mare mare. 01:08:07.420 --> 01:08:08.450 She's beautiful. 01:08:08.870 --> 01:08:11.870 Loves James, like has always loved him. 01:08:12.010 --> 01:08:17.990 Like just, so he would often help me halter horses, move 01:08:18.000 --> 01:08:20.210 pastures help with turnout. 01:08:20.880 --> 01:08:26.100 And when she got out, I told him go get Gates. 01:08:26.650 --> 01:08:27.560 Go get Gates. 01:08:28.770 --> 01:08:35.460 To her with gates and I bet she'll come to you and he did and he got her and 01:08:35.460 --> 01:08:43.210 he was so Empowered that he did this without any help and that I was if I was 01:08:43.210 --> 01:08:45.150 there I would have done the whole thing. 01:08:45.260 --> 01:08:51.585 So yes, he has participated but has been in a very Ancillary way. 01:08:51.835 --> 01:08:54.155 And just to add, I'm so proud of him. 01:08:54.165 --> 01:09:00.975 He just celebrated seven years with FedEx as a van driver. 01:09:01.185 --> 01:09:02.915 He has been a driver. 01:09:03.315 --> 01:09:08.745 He goes in 45 minutes early every day for seven years because he doesn't like how 01:09:08.745 --> 01:09:11.325 the package handlers arrange his truck. 01:09:11.785 --> 01:09:15.075 And I said, why don't you just tell them how you want it? 01:09:15.505 --> 01:09:19.465 He said, no, it's way easier if I just go in and do it myself. 01:09:19.680 --> 01:09:22.280 So for seven years, that's what he's done. 01:09:22.280 --> 01:09:22.540 Yeah. 01:09:22.540 --> 01:09:23.000 Yeah. 01:09:23.000 --> 01:09:23.685 I 01:09:23.685 --> 01:09:26.650 Rupert Isaacson: was going to ask you, obviously, where he's at now. 01:09:26.910 --> 01:09:28.070 That's, that's wonderful. 01:09:28.520 --> 01:09:33.530 And it's, it's so interesting to how we live in a day and age where really 01:09:34.770 --> 01:09:36.850 only white collar jobs are valued. 01:09:37.720 --> 01:09:41.670 And as you know, we were just doing a a neuroscience conference with Dr. 01:09:41.670 --> 01:09:44.170 Temple Grandin down at Eastern Virginia Medical School. 01:09:44.410 --> 01:09:45.730 And one of the points she was making is. 01:09:46.450 --> 01:09:48.760 This doesn't prepare anyone for any kind of life. 01:09:48.760 --> 01:09:52.350 I mean, you might end up in some sort of white collar job at some 01:09:52.350 --> 01:09:58.280 point in your life, but if you don't know how to do the real jobs, 01:09:59.100 --> 01:10:01.580 what kind of skills can you build? 01:10:01.660 --> 01:10:08.430 And, but now people have been sold a kind of bill of goods, particularly more and 01:10:08.430 --> 01:10:11.680 more with social media that, you know, you've, you've got to live a certain 01:10:11.910 --> 01:10:13.270 lifestyle and blah, blah, blah, blah. 01:10:13.700 --> 01:10:18.290 One of the gifts, as you said, of autism is That's not a thing that kind of 01:10:18.670 --> 01:10:22.230 judging yourself by others yet run the same, but I think back to myself, you 01:10:22.230 --> 01:10:27.150 know, coming out of college, I didn't have a job that was not a manual job, 01:10:28.060 --> 01:10:31.560 whether it was construction or horse training or window cleaning or whatever 01:10:31.560 --> 01:10:35.500 I needed to do to keep body and soul together so that I could become a writer. 01:10:36.580 --> 01:10:42.730 I worked only manually for, I'd say, almost 10 years. 01:10:42.980 --> 01:10:46.230 And then little by little, I began publishing things and so on. 01:10:46.710 --> 01:10:47.770 And it gave me. 01:10:48.620 --> 01:10:50.500 Well, all the things you'd expect it to give me. 01:10:52.430 --> 01:10:56.350 Of course, James is lucky because he's coming out of the ranching background, 01:10:56.540 --> 01:10:57.840 and who knows where he'll end up. 01:10:58.080 --> 01:11:03.770 But the skills involved in being a FedEx driver, that's huge. 01:11:04.100 --> 01:11:09.060 Huge, huge, huge, that the responsibility is massive, the just killing people 01:11:09.060 --> 01:11:12.590 on the road, let alone, you know, all of the logistics involved. 01:11:12.690 --> 01:11:13.120 It's, 01:11:13.740 --> 01:11:15.530 Sheryl Barto: I'm so proud of him. 01:11:15.910 --> 01:11:19.350 Like, it's, it's, he has to take care of that truck. 01:11:20.040 --> 01:11:23.090 He has the perfect amount of human interaction. 01:11:23.270 --> 01:11:24.510 It's not too much. 01:11:24.700 --> 01:11:26.130 Sometimes it's none at all. 01:11:26.530 --> 01:11:28.230 Sometimes it's, and he's got. 01:11:28.995 --> 01:11:34.695 Animal buddies on his route, so he tells me about the Calico cat and 01:11:34.695 --> 01:11:38.175 he'll send me selfies of the cat on his shoulder because it jumped in his 01:11:38.175 --> 01:11:44.015 truck and he's got other dogs that he knows and all their breeds and all their 01:11:44.045 --> 01:11:48.615 like, he's connected with like, The pet shop owner that's next to Walmart 01:11:48.635 --> 01:11:52.075 and it's, it's been perfect for him. 01:11:52.205 --> 01:11:56.655 He also says he wants to start his own business someday. 01:11:56.665 --> 01:12:00.835 So maybe he will, he thinks he wants to be a tow truck driver. 01:12:01.175 --> 01:12:05.765 And I said, well, maybe you should ride around with one for a while 01:12:05.765 --> 01:12:11.145 and see, you know, he originally wanted to be a long haul trucker. 01:12:11.950 --> 01:12:18.940 And after life skills school, his after school care person 01:12:19.090 --> 01:12:20.740 was married to a truck driver. 01:12:20.980 --> 01:12:25.600 So I said, Hey, Deb, do you think Chris would let James go with him? 01:12:25.610 --> 01:12:27.340 She's like, absolutely. 01:12:27.600 --> 01:12:31.770 So James went on this adventure with him and when he came back, he's like, 01:12:31.800 --> 01:12:36.290 Oh, I didn't realize like how much work that it's not just driving. 01:12:36.350 --> 01:12:39.150 Like they have to load, they have to unload, they have to 01:12:39.180 --> 01:12:41.860 like show up at 4am at places. 01:12:41.870 --> 01:12:44.210 Like it really opened his eyes. 01:12:44.290 --> 01:12:49.500 And it, I think, you know, I said, you probably should do 01:12:49.500 --> 01:12:51.670 that with a Toe truck driver too. 01:12:53.460 --> 01:12:56.840 I have no idea what it's like to be a tow truck driver, but I'm 01:12:56.840 --> 01:13:02.010 guessing like I've called to be rescued a few times and I'm imagining 01:13:04.160 --> 01:13:08.120 there's a lot of problems goes on with that. 01:13:09.145 --> 01:13:11.085 Rupert Isaacson: So the fact that he's even able to do that and speaking of 01:13:11.085 --> 01:13:13.525 other problem solvers, you haven't really spoken about Mark your other 01:13:13.525 --> 01:13:17.965 son, but just, and then I want to bring you back to that second part of 01:13:17.965 --> 01:13:22.745 my question, which is as a PR person, what is your advice to people who are 01:13:22.955 --> 01:13:27.675 starting, but just tell us a little bit about Mark because that and how he's 01:13:27.675 --> 01:13:32.745 been involved in, in basically how this is sort of a tribal thing that you do. 01:13:33.305 --> 01:13:34.585 Sheryl Barto: It really is. 01:13:34.695 --> 01:13:35.885 So Mark. 01:13:36.350 --> 01:13:46.300 20 months younger than James, neurotypical played varsity sports football, baseball, 01:13:46.310 --> 01:13:55.990 wrestling all through high school, hockey, went on to college, went into ROTC, which 01:13:56.090 --> 01:13:57.550 Rupert Isaacson: ROTC 01:13:57.550 --> 01:14:02.260 Sheryl Barto: is for, Reserve Officer Training Corps, I think is 01:14:02.270 --> 01:14:04.560 the C, I might be wrong on that. 01:14:04.980 --> 01:14:12.620 But it is for college students who want to enter the military as officers. 01:14:13.030 --> 01:14:17.200 So he went into the Air Force ROTC. 01:14:18.515 --> 01:14:26.175 And graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant, and now he is a captain and he's 01:14:26.175 --> 01:14:33.185 in special ops, which the Air Force speaking of PR really does not toot 01:14:33.185 --> 01:14:37.185 their horn about their special ops team. 01:14:37.735 --> 01:14:46.745 But they are very alive and well, and he just got married to another 01:14:46.765 --> 01:14:58.175 fellow ROTC captain, and she is a pilot, and she flies C 130s, and I 01:14:58.175 --> 01:15:04.540 think one of the things They are cargo planes and she does search and rescue. 01:15:04.830 --> 01:15:13.040 So in theory, she could be rescuing Mark's unit if they got into trouble. 01:15:13.110 --> 01:15:15.480 Like it's, it's kind of crazy. 01:15:15.730 --> 01:15:18.370 And they just got married October 10th. 01:15:19.430 --> 01:15:21.050 I'm like over the moon. 01:15:21.120 --> 01:15:23.140 She is an amazing human. 01:15:23.480 --> 01:15:26.355 Her, First weekend visiting with us. 01:15:26.725 --> 01:15:27.885 She volunteered. 01:15:28.055 --> 01:15:32.605 She got out there and helped me do sensory work with a family. 01:15:32.655 --> 01:15:34.635 Like she's an amazing human. 01:15:34.635 --> 01:15:35.695 They both are. 01:15:36.005 --> 01:15:42.675 And I think for Mark being the younger son of having a special needs, older 01:15:42.685 --> 01:15:49.995 brother, Almost moves you into the older child's position in the family 01:15:50.715 --> 01:16:01.675 and Mark is a very stoic human with an enormous heart and doesn't show a lot 01:16:01.675 --> 01:16:10.335 of emotions and Ella, his wife, which is so fun to say his wife She brings 01:16:10.335 --> 01:16:16.915 out the absolute best in him and she is super outgoing and very, very driven. 01:16:16.925 --> 01:16:21.225 She is studying for her master's while she's getting all her 01:16:21.255 --> 01:16:23.165 hours in for flight school. 01:16:23.635 --> 01:16:26.785 They both are stationed now in Tucson. 01:16:27.195 --> 01:16:33.450 He just got transferred to Tucson and Mark is, he's a really deep, you know, 01:16:33.450 --> 01:16:40.900 Deep thinker, and I really believe that growing up with a special needs brother, 01:16:41.360 --> 01:16:49.620 he, I don't think I realized the level of compassion Mark has because of. 01:16:50.110 --> 01:16:56.540 That experience, and I'm so incredibly proud of both of them there. 01:16:56.550 --> 01:16:57.420 I could cry 01:16:57.420 --> 01:17:01.680 Rupert Isaacson: down in Colorado Springs. 01:17:01.780 --> 01:17:04.255 Or spoil our other method to keen, which we do. 01:17:04.565 --> 01:17:08.135 Well, with veterans is actually there on the US Air Force Academy 01:17:08.145 --> 01:17:11.645 grounds working with veterans and I can't help wondering if they'll 01:17:11.645 --> 01:17:13.705 end up somehow connected with that. 01:17:13.705 --> 01:17:16.345 Sheryl Barto: I wonder that too. 01:17:16.665 --> 01:17:17.615 Who knows. 01:17:17.675 --> 01:17:17.905 But 01:17:18.095 --> 01:17:20.855 Rupert Isaacson: let's go, let's go back just quickly. 01:17:21.785 --> 01:17:25.335 Where I'm going with this as I think a lot of people listening would probably 01:17:25.335 --> 01:17:32.395 quite like some mentorship from you because so, As a PR person, you've, 01:17:32.445 --> 01:17:36.445 you've, you've had this parallel track with the equine assisted work. 01:17:36.545 --> 01:17:42.345 What's your, what are your like checklist things that you would say to someone 01:17:42.345 --> 01:17:47.275 who's going to go into this or is in this and is wondering how to build it 01:17:47.285 --> 01:17:53.275 further or is wondering, okay, you know, I've been kind of doing this myself. 01:17:53.505 --> 01:17:54.545 How do I now get funded? 01:17:54.545 --> 01:17:59.645 Like you've addressed and faced all these things single handed. 01:18:00.490 --> 01:18:02.760 You know something about PR. 01:18:02.760 --> 01:18:04.120 What's your advice to us? 01:18:05.200 --> 01:18:07.670 Sheryl Barto: Okay, that's such a great question. 01:18:07.720 --> 01:18:19.340 I, I think, one is philosophical and it's saying yes, and it's saying yes 01:18:19.390 --> 01:18:26.420 to networking opportunities and that's anything from having a coffee with 01:18:26.420 --> 01:18:35.420 somebody to Going to an event and tabling at an event and the reason I say that 01:18:35.450 --> 01:18:45.780 is you just never know where that is going to lead you and and yes, some 01:18:45.820 --> 01:18:54.260 can be time wasters, but if you ask the right questions And ask for names 01:18:54.590 --> 01:18:57.280 and follow up and meet with people. 01:18:57.290 --> 01:19:00.740 It's just amazing what doors start opening. 01:19:01.180 --> 01:19:06.740 Honestly, with smiling goat, it is almost impossible to run into 01:19:06.740 --> 01:19:09.430 somebody who's not affected by autism. 01:19:09.775 --> 01:19:17.655 Or has a veteran in their life or somebody who is in recovery or affected by trauma. 01:19:17.955 --> 01:19:22.015 Like we're humans and this is what connects us all. 01:19:22.505 --> 01:19:29.175 And the other big piece of advice is taking names and keeping 01:19:29.175 --> 01:19:32.105 track of them and having lists. 01:19:32.105 --> 01:19:37.147 And this is where It's easy to let that slip. 01:19:37.587 --> 01:19:39.667 And here's an example. 01:19:41.217 --> 01:19:42.387 Was it 2 weeks ago? 01:19:42.417 --> 01:19:43.407 3 weeks ago? 01:19:43.847 --> 01:19:51.047 The Arc of the Central Rockies did something similar to that Virginia medical 01:19:51.057 --> 01:19:53.822 conference you were at, not that Virginia medical conference you were at, not 01:19:54.212 --> 01:20:01.762 White at that level, but they basically invited pediatricians from Denver to 01:20:01.762 --> 01:20:10.242 Grand Junction to come for a, a medical conference talking about neurodiversity. 01:20:10.582 --> 01:20:18.212 And they asked us, Smiling Goat, along with several other Therapeutic services 01:20:18.392 --> 01:20:24.912 to, so a syndicate was there, for example, the other autism group and they asked 01:20:24.912 --> 01:20:30.232 us to be there for the lunch hour where the doctors could come out, go around 01:20:30.242 --> 01:20:37.032 the tables and understand what resources they could refer their patients to. 01:20:37.532 --> 01:20:39.952 And so I met. 01:20:40.717 --> 01:20:44.177 I think I got 11 names from that. 01:20:44.577 --> 01:20:47.507 I would engage in conversation with people. 01:20:47.547 --> 01:20:50.417 And then, you know, two of them were doctors from 01:20:50.427 --> 01:20:52.687 Children's Hospital in Denver. 01:20:53.387 --> 01:20:58.487 And I thought, I said to one of them, Do you remember so and so? 01:20:58.587 --> 01:21:00.817 He used to work in your unit. 01:21:00.947 --> 01:21:06.577 He was a special needs dad, a nurse practitioner who moved out of town. 01:21:06.957 --> 01:21:12.727 And he said to me, Cheryl, I would like to figure out a way where 01:21:12.727 --> 01:21:18.377 we can diagnose kids in a ranch setting rather than in an office. 01:21:18.797 --> 01:21:18.907 Yes. 01:21:19.287 --> 01:21:24.647 And how much nicer, right, would that be than having kids having to 01:21:24.657 --> 01:21:27.017 go into the scary doctor office? 01:21:27.117 --> 01:21:29.727 It's freaking brilliant, right? 01:21:29.737 --> 01:21:33.987 Rupert Isaacson: The message that says to the family, it's like, Ooh, your 01:21:33.987 --> 01:21:36.467 autism diagnosis might get you this life, 01:21:37.187 --> 01:21:37.807 Sheryl Barto: right? 01:21:38.387 --> 01:21:40.557 Rupert Isaacson: Rather than, yeah. 01:21:40.817 --> 01:21:41.337 Amazing. 01:21:41.347 --> 01:21:41.697 Yeah. 01:21:41.707 --> 01:21:42.387 That is brilliant. 01:21:42.647 --> 01:21:43.317 That is brilliant. 01:21:44.007 --> 01:21:45.987 Sheryl Barto: So this man moved away. 01:21:46.057 --> 01:21:49.577 I said to this doctor, I don't know if you remember John, so and so. 01:21:49.577 --> 01:21:50.517 She's like, I do. 01:21:50.987 --> 01:21:55.797 Cause he had adopted two kids, I think from the Dominican Republic 01:21:55.817 --> 01:21:56.907 that were both special needs. 01:21:56.907 --> 01:22:01.227 He drove them from Denver to come to Smiling Goat. 01:22:01.727 --> 01:22:03.477 That's three and a half hours. 01:22:03.667 --> 01:22:08.567 He brought them three times and that idea died when he left. 01:22:09.047 --> 01:22:14.987 And I said to this doctor, so I have her name in my, I never go anywhere with, this 01:22:15.157 --> 01:22:21.457 is so old school notebook, but my little spiral ring notebook, I had every one 01:22:21.457 --> 01:22:25.677 of those doctors and nurse practitioners write their email addresses down. 01:22:26.047 --> 01:22:31.447 So I will be following up and saying, Hey, so great to meet you. 01:22:31.657 --> 01:22:35.517 So that's the other thing is follow through is another tip. 01:22:35.902 --> 01:22:40.202 It's like, if you have to make notes to yourself to follow up, 01:22:40.622 --> 01:22:43.952 it's so I have this 11 people. 01:22:44.162 --> 01:22:50.162 So for me being in PR, plugging in 11 emails is not a big deal, but for 01:22:50.162 --> 01:22:53.412 some people that could be a project. 01:22:53.692 --> 01:22:59.932 So creating like some kind of either an Excel spreadsheet or a MailChimp 01:22:59.952 --> 01:23:04.482 database where you're storing these names so you can segment your list. 01:23:04.482 --> 01:23:09.132 Here are your doctors, here are your volunteers, here are your donors, 01:23:09.352 --> 01:23:15.482 here are and it's knowing like I am a little obsessive about my lists, but 01:23:15.482 --> 01:23:19.582 I really believe it is it pays off. 01:23:21.597 --> 01:23:26.607 The other tip is the news media. 01:23:27.082 --> 01:23:31.902 that are in your marketplace, make friends with them, invite them to 01:23:31.912 --> 01:23:35.152 your, see your organization in action. 01:23:35.822 --> 01:23:39.672 I guarantee you'll get a story and that's free publicity. 01:23:39.992 --> 01:23:41.102 And it's not hard. 01:23:41.322 --> 01:23:42.172 Rupert Isaacson: It's so true. 01:23:42.182 --> 01:23:44.622 You know, it's funny as a journalist, one of the things that, 01:23:44.632 --> 01:23:46.072 you know, people often, when you. 01:23:46.212 --> 01:23:49.392 Suggest this people say oh, but you know, why would they be interested in me? 01:23:49.392 --> 01:23:53.242 It's like because they need stories, you know Yeah, they 01:23:53.252 --> 01:23:58.962 they are constantly looking for content And desperately need it. 01:23:58.962 --> 01:24:03.222 So you are actually doing them a favor By showing them your cool thing that 01:24:03.232 --> 01:24:08.032 you're doing never think that you're not worth looking at quite the opposite. 01:24:08.082 --> 01:24:12.347 Yeah Yeah, yeah but you know, we make gods of the media, don't we? 01:24:12.347 --> 01:24:15.317 So I think a lot of people are quite intimidated to approach. 01:24:15.317 --> 01:24:15.837 For sure. 01:24:15.867 --> 01:24:19.927 What's the best way for them to approach their local TV, radio, whatever. 01:24:20.447 --> 01:24:27.507 Sheryl Barto: Yeah, which can also, I mean, it's Called tenacity keep on trying. 01:24:27.977 --> 01:24:31.957 So the TV stations love visuals. 01:24:32.237 --> 01:24:37.437 And so if you and also, if you can do a little research on the 01:24:37.437 --> 01:24:40.617 anchors, like, are any former. 01:24:40.802 --> 01:24:44.672 Worst people or rodeo queens like 9 News in Denver. 01:24:44.742 --> 01:24:46.972 Kathy Saban was a rodeo queen. 01:24:47.372 --> 01:24:48.252 I wrote her. 01:24:48.442 --> 01:24:49.682 She didn't answer me. 01:24:49.712 --> 01:24:50.652 It's okay. 01:24:50.782 --> 01:24:52.012 I planted a seed. 01:24:52.022 --> 01:24:53.672 Maybe someday she will. 01:24:54.022 --> 01:24:59.482 Our local media, and here's what I mean by not saying no to things. 01:24:59.542 --> 01:25:06.592 We were asked to table at a volunteer fair For the local public radio station 01:25:06.592 --> 01:25:09.642 in Aspen, I was like, yes, of course. 01:25:09.652 --> 01:25:13.522 So we go up, we take a goat with us, we're at the booth. 01:25:13.582 --> 01:25:16.862 And so I have a very simple marketing booth. 01:25:16.862 --> 01:25:19.232 It's not, it doesn't even need to cost money. 01:25:19.502 --> 01:25:20.472 It's a table. 01:25:20.767 --> 01:25:24.957 With a tablecloth, we have a brochure and I literally, like, 01:25:24.967 --> 01:25:27.197 we print out sign up sheets. 01:25:27.197 --> 01:25:29.447 Like, give me your email. 01:25:29.457 --> 01:25:30.647 What's your interest? 01:25:30.647 --> 01:25:32.657 Would you like to be on our mailing list? 01:25:32.657 --> 01:25:34.357 Would you like to be a volunteer? 01:25:34.567 --> 01:25:36.967 And you engage in conversation with people. 01:25:37.067 --> 01:25:37.917 Well, guess what? 01:25:38.167 --> 01:25:42.157 One of their arts and culture reporters was walking around. 01:25:42.447 --> 01:25:45.917 She came up to us and said, I've never heard of you guys. 01:25:46.117 --> 01:25:47.997 I'd love to come down and do a story. 01:25:48.257 --> 01:25:55.842 So she came down and did an NPR style story where she was, We had a family that 01:25:55.842 --> 01:25:57.872 said it was okay for her to be there. 01:25:58.072 --> 01:26:00.032 She's interviewing mom and dad. 01:26:00.232 --> 01:26:02.262 She's interviewing the child. 01:26:02.262 --> 01:26:05.542 She's interviewing Kaylee about being a rec therapist. 01:26:05.772 --> 01:26:09.952 I mean, I could not have dreamed of a better piece and it was right 01:26:09.952 --> 01:26:11.742 before one of our fundraisers. 01:26:11.762 --> 01:26:13.112 It was brilliant. 01:26:13.222 --> 01:26:17.872 The other tactic I will sometimes use, especially when you're, 01:26:18.217 --> 01:26:23.227 So, newspapers, radio stations, everybody's changed since covid. 01:26:23.527 --> 01:26:29.887 They are short staffed and sometimes they don't have time to come see your place. 01:26:29.977 --> 01:26:38.197 So, we were part of Horses for Mental Health Month last May and 01:26:38.197 --> 01:26:42.557 I wanted to kick off the month, of course, with this big media splash. 01:26:42.557 --> 01:26:47.897 So I typed up a news release and the news release was like. 01:26:48.402 --> 01:26:52.212 the perfect story of what I wanted to see published. 01:26:52.702 --> 01:26:59.642 In Aspen, believe it or not, we still have two printed newspapers that are free. 01:27:00.142 --> 01:27:02.402 And everybody reads them. 01:27:03.132 --> 01:27:09.592 And we landed on the front page with a photo that I supplied, Kicking Off Horses 01:27:09.592 --> 01:27:12.352 for Mental Health Month, on one of them. 01:27:12.632 --> 01:27:15.622 And then the other one, because they're competitors, but they're free. 01:27:15.722 --> 01:27:21.522 Took a different angle, but we had already had a relationship with both papers. 01:27:21.592 --> 01:27:27.812 So that's also part of it's don't think of it as once and done, but 01:27:27.822 --> 01:27:30.652 think of it as building a relationship. 01:27:30.672 --> 01:27:35.962 And I swear you bring a person onto your property and they meet your animals. 01:27:36.282 --> 01:27:39.162 They'll fall madly in love and they will. 01:27:39.172 --> 01:27:41.822 We put them through the horse boy sensory work. 01:27:42.002 --> 01:27:42.672 Try this. 01:27:42.682 --> 01:27:43.742 See how you feel. 01:27:43.912 --> 01:27:45.402 See how this makes you feel. 01:27:46.007 --> 01:27:48.127 It's well worth your time. 01:27:48.567 --> 01:27:52.687 So those would be my main tips to get you started. 01:27:52.757 --> 01:28:02.587 I also, we do a lot of grant writing and it's with our local municipalities. 01:28:02.677 --> 01:28:05.287 So that would be the local cities and towns. 01:28:05.287 --> 01:28:09.617 And then the counties, they all have health and human services 01:28:09.687 --> 01:28:13.907 grants and, they are very generous. 01:28:13.987 --> 01:28:20.217 If you put together the right story about your funding needs. 01:28:20.567 --> 01:28:26.707 And so we have been funded by 2 counties in our valley and 3 01:28:26.707 --> 01:28:29.587 towns consistently for 9 years. 01:28:29.927 --> 01:28:30.697 So, 01:28:31.207 --> 01:28:32.297 Rupert Isaacson: I, I so agree with that. 01:28:32.487 --> 01:28:33.667 And 1 of the things I think. 01:28:36.342 --> 01:28:39.972 One could add to that is, when you're going out for the grant 01:28:39.972 --> 01:28:46.177 writing, do you not agree, the winning wicket is not to say, If you 01:28:46.537 --> 01:28:47.837 give me money, I'll do this thing. 01:28:48.667 --> 01:28:51.567 You have to actually put your ass on the 01:28:51.567 --> 01:28:53.017 Sheryl Barto: line and say that we 01:28:53.017 --> 01:28:55.547 Rupert Isaacson: are already doing this thing and actually you have to be 01:28:56.097 --> 01:28:56.357 Sheryl Barto: Yes, 01:28:56.527 --> 01:28:57.767 Rupert Isaacson: but we'd like to do it better 01:28:58.377 --> 01:28:59.057 Sheryl Barto: Yes 01:28:59.297 --> 01:29:03.437 Rupert Isaacson: So you have to take that risk Or first self funding 01:29:03.437 --> 01:29:04.857 it or funding it bootstrapping it. 01:29:04.857 --> 01:29:10.487 However, you can I've seen this definitely work for smiling gope and for so many 01:29:10.487 --> 01:29:15.367 others When you put that there that sends a very strong message to any funder 01:29:15.407 --> 01:29:20.697 saying well, they're not waiting You For us, they're, they're already doing it. 01:29:20.707 --> 01:29:21.987 Why wouldn't we bet on them? 01:29:23.897 --> 01:29:24.917 Sheryl Barto: Absolutely. 01:29:25.287 --> 01:29:26.257 Absolutely. 01:29:26.767 --> 01:29:27.387 Yes. 01:29:27.707 --> 01:29:28.267 So, 01:29:28.607 --> 01:29:29.457 Rupert Isaacson: so you've got to go, you've got to 01:29:29.457 --> 01:29:30.477 white knuckle it a bit first. 01:29:32.197 --> 01:29:33.007 Sheryl Barto: You do. 01:29:33.087 --> 01:29:33.757 Yes. 01:29:33.807 --> 01:29:39.817 There's definitely blood, sweat and tears involved, but it's so worth it. 01:29:39.907 --> 01:29:40.797 It's so worth it. 01:29:40.827 --> 01:29:44.237 And I think that this. 01:29:44.617 --> 01:29:49.037 fields of animal assisted therapy is doing nothing but grow. 01:29:49.357 --> 01:29:54.077 And, you know, I look at that whole field and I think, where was 01:29:54.097 --> 01:29:56.327 that when I was going to college? 01:29:56.337 --> 01:29:58.217 Cause it didn't even exist then. 01:29:58.677 --> 01:30:00.447 And now it's, it's a thing. 01:30:00.687 --> 01:30:01.337 It is, it is, 01:30:01.337 --> 01:30:01.827 Rupert Isaacson: it is. 01:30:02.547 --> 01:30:04.707 And of course, now it's the thing that young people want to go into. 01:30:04.707 --> 01:30:08.287 And of course, to do this work meaningfully, you need. 01:30:09.097 --> 01:30:11.497 Some life skills and some life experience. 01:30:12.037 --> 01:30:14.227 This is difficult, of course, when you're just coming out of college and that's 01:30:14.227 --> 01:30:19.057 where people need somebody like you, a mentor to help them find their way. 01:30:19.067 --> 01:30:21.197 And that was actually going to be, we're sort of heading 01:30:21.197 --> 01:30:23.557 now past the two hour mark. 01:30:23.557 --> 01:30:28.177 And I know you have to one things I wanted to ask you before I let you go 01:30:28.247 --> 01:30:30.517 is can people contact you for mentoring? 01:30:30.527 --> 01:30:34.867 Because you've really shown what can be done. 01:30:34.947 --> 01:30:36.137 When you have to hold down a job. 01:30:36.687 --> 01:30:37.127 Okay. 01:30:37.177 --> 01:30:39.767 Some of the time that you've been doing this, you've had partner. 01:30:39.827 --> 01:30:40.777 Sometimes you haven't. 01:30:40.787 --> 01:30:44.057 Sometimes you've been single mom, you know, also your special needs mom. 01:30:45.002 --> 01:30:48.022 You've had to hold down multiple careers at the same time. 01:30:48.392 --> 01:30:53.132 But you made a real go of it and you are without a doubt, we've seen it the cutting 01:30:53.132 --> 01:30:57.162 edge of this work in the Western states. 01:30:57.162 --> 01:31:02.052 You know, there's you there's obviously Joel Dunlap up out at Square Peg and some 01:31:02.052 --> 01:31:05.582 others, but you know, there's people who really stand out as the gold standard. 01:31:06.312 --> 01:31:07.332 You are definitely out there. 01:31:07.802 --> 01:31:08.732 And how to. 01:31:09.222 --> 01:31:13.372 Integrate these other worlds of therapy, rec therapy and so on and so on into 01:31:13.372 --> 01:31:17.822 that the horse training side the funder Can people come and train with you? 01:31:17.822 --> 01:31:20.092 Can people reach out to you for consultancy? 01:31:20.092 --> 01:31:25.972 can people allow Cheryl Bartow to mentor them because I As you say 01:31:25.972 --> 01:31:31.002 this is a growing field and I meet so many young people now who are wanting 01:31:31.002 --> 01:31:32.522 to go into this But they're lost. 01:31:32.522 --> 01:31:37.237 They don't quite know how all for people that are running their show, but are 01:31:37.237 --> 01:31:40.947 wondering, and they're a little bit stuck, how do they get to the next, how do, what, 01:31:41.087 --> 01:31:43.087 what can, can you do things for them? 01:31:43.087 --> 01:31:44.177 How do they contact you? 01:31:44.567 --> 01:31:45.977 Can they, can you mentor them? 01:31:46.487 --> 01:31:47.567 I'll shut up and let you answer now. 01:31:49.387 --> 01:31:50.257 Sheryl Barto: Absolutely. 01:31:50.257 --> 01:31:51.637 And I would love to. 01:31:51.737 --> 01:31:58.047 So I can be contacted at Cheryl at smiling goat, ranch. 01:31:58.347 --> 01:32:03.527 com and Cheryl's with an S S H E R Y L. 01:32:04.007 --> 01:32:10.417 I also have A kind of an offshoot to Oh, communications called. 01:32:10.467 --> 01:32:12.337 Whoa, communications. 01:32:12.577 --> 01:32:14.097 How perfect is that? 01:32:14.587 --> 01:32:15.057 Right? 01:32:15.087 --> 01:32:19.577 And even have a unicorn in my logo because I just couldn't help myself, 01:32:20.067 --> 01:32:24.257 but really, it's just designed for that. 01:32:24.507 --> 01:32:30.537 So, whether you're somebody who already has a program and wants an extra 01:32:30.577 --> 01:32:34.007 set of eyes or advice mentorship. 01:32:34.477 --> 01:32:39.237 In like the horse piece or the running the nonprofit piece 01:32:39.257 --> 01:32:41.217 or running the business piece. 01:32:41.627 --> 01:32:43.067 I am here to help. 01:32:43.067 --> 01:32:46.417 I would love to on the smiling goat side. 01:32:46.707 --> 01:32:54.747 We do have an internship program and a working student program and with the 01:32:54.747 --> 01:32:55.527 Rupert Isaacson: Colorado. 01:32:56.612 --> 01:33:02.982 Sheryl Barto: Yes, you go to Colorado and hang out with us and we are year round. 01:33:02.992 --> 01:33:09.812 So if you're a skier and a horse person, we are nirvana because you can do it all. 01:33:10.102 --> 01:33:12.612 If you are not a skier, it doesn't matter. 01:33:12.612 --> 01:33:17.432 You probably don't want to be here in the winter, but we there's 01:33:17.442 --> 01:33:20.202 so much recreation activity. 01:33:20.212 --> 01:33:22.882 People come from all over the world. 01:33:22.922 --> 01:33:25.412 We have gold medal fly fishing waters. 01:33:25.412 --> 01:33:31.412 We have the skiing, the mountain biking, the hiking we have, we're 01:33:31.412 --> 01:33:35.142 surrounded by Colorado's 14ers. 01:33:35.192 --> 01:33:37.822 It is very, very beautiful here. 01:33:38.047 --> 01:33:43.627 Really so, with the internship program, that's really driven 01:33:43.637 --> 01:33:46.427 by the universities themselves. 01:33:46.687 --> 01:33:53.227 So we have agreements right now with 7 different universities nationwide for 01:33:53.277 --> 01:33:59.897 either social work or recreation therapy, and then the working student program 01:33:59.927 --> 01:34:05.157 can really be anybody who wants to focus more on the horse side of things. 01:34:05.507 --> 01:34:11.977 But also still helps deliver sessions to our kiddos and our veterans. 01:34:12.367 --> 01:34:13.977 And those. 01:34:14.352 --> 01:34:20.262 Are they can be designed based on your needs and your timeframes. 01:34:20.272 --> 01:34:26.822 We get a lot, we've had a handful that of gap year kids. 01:34:27.152 --> 01:34:28.732 So, that works. 01:34:28.732 --> 01:34:32.932 It could even be post college if, if somebody wanted to do that. 01:34:33.232 --> 01:34:38.702 I'm always willing to look at anything and, and see if it's a good fit. 01:34:39.172 --> 01:34:39.542 So. 01:34:40.302 --> 01:34:40.742 Rupert Isaacson: Brilliant. 01:34:40.882 --> 01:34:41.252 Okay. 01:34:41.252 --> 01:34:44.992 So they give us again how they contact you and tell us what your website is. 01:34:45.602 --> 01:34:46.402 Sheryl Barto: Oh, okay. 01:34:46.672 --> 01:34:50.492 I've got two websites, smilinggoateranch. 01:34:50.542 --> 01:34:54.812 com and woecommunications. 01:34:54.842 --> 01:34:55.632 net. 01:34:56.172 --> 01:35:01.542 And my emails are both of those cheryl at smilinggoateranch. 01:35:02.282 --> 01:35:06.022 com or cheryl at woecommunications. 01:35:06.072 --> 01:35:06.402 net. 01:35:06.872 --> 01:35:07.262 Rupert Isaacson: Fantastic. 01:35:07.292 --> 01:35:11.652 And we will of course put these in the after bits so that people can find them. 01:35:11.732 --> 01:35:11.972 Sheryl Barto: Awesome. 01:35:12.802 --> 01:35:13.702 Rupert Isaacson: Yeah, it's brilliant. 01:35:13.722 --> 01:35:14.682 I mean, Cheryl. 01:35:16.497 --> 01:35:17.437 You're an inspiration. 01:35:18.117 --> 01:35:22.327 You're also a massive and very necessary resource. 01:35:24.567 --> 01:35:29.827 Before we go, where do you want the future of this equine assisted world to go? 01:35:31.587 --> 01:35:32.447 Sheryl Barto: Wow. 01:35:35.687 --> 01:35:47.137 Oh, I, I would just love to see it grow and grow and grow and for everyone 01:35:47.137 --> 01:35:54.607 who needs therapy to have access to it without cost being a barrier. 01:35:55.077 --> 01:36:02.967 So if I could, as I am Gaining this experience and moving through life, 01:36:03.047 --> 01:36:10.367 if I could help others start centers in their locations, it would feel 01:36:10.397 --> 01:36:18.827 like I am just expanding the services that we started here, that we started 01:36:18.857 --> 01:36:21.157 through the whole horse boy method. 01:36:21.727 --> 01:36:26.577 And I would love to see it go all over the world, which I feel like 01:36:26.647 --> 01:36:28.907 you have started that already. 01:36:31.077 --> 01:36:35.617 Rupert Isaacson: I, where I'm with you is this thing of costs not be a barrier. 01:36:36.437 --> 01:36:37.027 Sheryl Barto: Yes. 01:36:37.277 --> 01:36:40.537 Rupert Isaacson: And I think we're all collectively working on that. 01:36:40.977 --> 01:36:44.377 You know, the Irish government has just come in backing. 01:36:45.057 --> 01:36:47.317 Certain equine assisted things. 01:36:47.517 --> 01:36:48.607 It's, it's happening. 01:36:48.607 --> 01:36:49.537 It's beginning to happen. 01:36:49.537 --> 01:36:51.117 Germany's there. 01:36:51.387 --> 01:36:54.047 The Scandinavian countries are there, but we need more. 01:36:54.047 --> 01:36:57.877 And I think particularly in the USA post COVID now, you know, 01:36:57.887 --> 01:36:59.077 as you said that there are. 01:36:59.442 --> 01:37:02.822 Many more grants out there than they used to be around mental health. 01:37:03.092 --> 01:37:06.662 Oh, and by the way, the horses for mental health week or month that you 01:37:06.682 --> 01:37:12.712 referred to also for people looking for mentorship, do check out our previous 01:37:13.082 --> 01:37:19.142 podcast with Lynn Thomas, who runs that if you are running a program and you need 01:37:19.152 --> 01:37:23.402 some help with your PR, that's exactly what the horses for mental health thing. 01:37:23.752 --> 01:37:27.362 Is there to do and it's there to help you get your story out So do 01:37:27.392 --> 01:37:31.102 check out the lynn thomas thing because this happens every year. 01:37:31.392 --> 01:37:33.972 Listen to what she has to say on that podcast and and 01:37:34.002 --> 01:37:36.182 Profit from it But absolutely. 01:37:36.672 --> 01:37:36.982 Yeah 01:37:37.712 --> 01:37:41.932 Sheryl Barto: Provided so many resources last year was our first year. 01:37:41.952 --> 01:37:47.662 We will absolutely do it again e I learned a lot It was really 01:37:51.042 --> 01:37:53.242 Rupert Isaacson: I can't wait to, it's been a long time since I came 01:37:53.242 --> 01:37:54.252 out to the Roaring Fort Valley. 01:37:54.252 --> 01:37:56.012 I'd love to come and see. 01:37:56.472 --> 01:37:57.732 It all again. 01:37:57.972 --> 01:38:02.722 Cheryl, thank you so much for coming on sharing with us. 01:38:03.002 --> 01:38:04.502 Sheryl Barto: Thanks for having me. 01:38:04.502 --> 01:38:07.142 I'm incredibly honored, really. 01:38:07.142 --> 01:38:08.632 Why 01:38:08.632 --> 01:38:12.492 Rupert Isaacson: wouldn't we rush after you begging you to come on this show? 01:38:15.062 --> 01:38:17.092 Really for listeners do reach out to Cheryl. 01:38:17.092 --> 01:38:21.772 She, she, she is one of the people out there who really does know 01:38:21.772 --> 01:38:23.682 how to put these things together. 01:38:23.837 --> 01:38:28.657 If you are sitting there scratching your head wondering what the next phase 01:38:28.657 --> 01:38:32.977 is going to be allow her to mentor you as she mentors a lot of people. 01:38:33.287 --> 01:38:37.657 If you can be even one hundredth as effective as Smiling Goat, 01:38:37.697 --> 01:38:39.207 you'll be on the right track. 01:38:40.597 --> 01:38:41.247 Sheryl Barto: Thank you. 01:38:41.777 --> 01:38:42.277 Rupert Isaacson: All right. 01:38:42.707 --> 01:38:44.077 So until the next time, Cheryl. 01:38:44.765 --> 01:38:45.875 thank you for joining us. 01:38:45.905 --> 01:38:47.735 We hope you enjoyed today's podcast. 01:38:47.974 --> 01:38:53.014 Join our website, new trails learning.com, to check out our online 01:38:53.014 --> 01:38:58.204 courses and live workshops in Horse Boy Method, movement Method, and Athena. 01:38:58.911 --> 01:39:03.560 These evidence-based programs have helped children, veterans, and people 01:39:03.560 --> 01:39:05.570 dealing with trauma around the world. 01:39:05.897 --> 01:39:09.647 We also offer a horse training program and self-care program 01:39:09.647 --> 01:39:12.887 for riders on long ride home.com. 01:39:13.185 --> 01:39:17.235 These include easy to do online courses and tutorials that 01:39:17.235 --> 01:39:19.155 bring you and your horse joy. 01:39:19.692 --> 01:39:24.252 For an overview of all shows and programs, go to rupert isaacson.com. 01:39:24.582 --> 01:39:25.512 See you on the next show. 01:39:25.925 --> 01:39:28.615 And please remember to press, subscribe and share.