Miniature Horses, Memory Care, and the Neuroscience of Connection | Sanaa Pharayra of Romeo Roadshow | EAW 59
Sanaa Pharayra runs the Romeo Roadshow, a Southern California-based program that brings miniature horses named Romeo and Ziggy directly into memory care facilities, senior day programs, and hospital rooms for people living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
What began as a rescue project for a single abandoned, feral miniature horse has grown into a program now drawing research interest from the University of Southern California and Cal State Channel Islands. Faculty there are studying why repeated visits from Romeo and Ziggy appear to reduce fear and increase engagement in residents, even those who don't consciously remember the horses' earlier visits.
Sanaa and Rupert dig into the neuroscience behind why this works, from oxytocin and cortisol to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and compare notes on what it actually takes to train a horse for genuine emotional engagement rather than quiet compliance. They also discuss Sanaa's own Bedouin and Arab-Israeli ancestry, discovered as an adult, and what it might mean for the program's future.
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✨ "I call it the awe factor. That's what I see in these people's faces — they're in awe." – Sanaa Pharayra
🔍 What You'll Learn in This Episode
- How a rescued, feral miniature horse named Romeo became the foundation of a therapy program that now visits memory care facilities across Southern California
- Why repeated visits from the horses reduced residents' fear within just three visits, even when they had no memory of the horses' previous visits
- What staff report when comparing horse therapy visits to the dog therapy programs already in place at the same facilities
- How Sanaa connected with The Connected Horse program, founded by Nancy Scheer and Paula Hirtel, and their research advisor Dr. Claudia Sonder
- Why Romeo Roadshow is now partnering with USC and Cal State Channel Islands, working with Professor Ronald Verkowski, to formally study its effects
- How oxytocin, cortisol, and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) explain the neuroscience behind equine-assisted therapy
- Why horses must be trained for genuine emotional engagement, not just quiet compliance, to be effective therapy partners
- Why Sanaa believes people with more advanced cognitive decline may respond even more strongly to the horses once language falls away
- How Sanaa discovered her Bedouin and Arab-Israeli heritage as an adult, including her grandfather's history as a "Faras," an Arab horseman who raced Arabians
- Why Sanaa and Rupert believe the program could eventually support conflict-resolution work in the Middle East
- What Sanaa's long-term vision is for Romeo Roadshow, including plans for a documentary and a newly filed 501(c)(3) nonprofit status
- How the program is exploring intergenerational partnerships that pair university students with senior residents through the therapy visits
🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode
[00:13:00] The Painted Turtle charity holiday party visit that reveals Romeo is a therapy animal
[00:20:00] Residents who were once afraid of the horses lose their fear within three visits, despite not remembering earlier ones
[00:58:00] Rupert cites a University of Bournemouth study showing a 51% reduction in domestic violence a year after a five-week equine intervention
[01:01:00] Rupert describes his horse Clou spontaneously nuzzling and licking a boy believed to be in a vegetative state
[01:17:00] Sanaa describes "the awe factor" she sees on residents' faces during visits
[01:44:00] Sanaa learns via a message from a cousin that her grandfather was a "Faras," an Arab horseman who raced Arabians
[02:08:00] Rupert suggests a documentary title: "Where for Art Thou?"
[02:11:00] A nonverbal elderly man musters the words "I grew up on a farm" during a hospital room visit with the horses
[00:20:00] Residents who were once afraid of the horses lose their fear within three visits, despite not remembering earlier ones
[00:58:00] Rupert cites a University of Bournemouth study showing a 51% reduction in domestic violence a year after a five-week equine intervention
[01:01:00] Rupert describes his horse Clou spontaneously nuzzling and licking a boy believed to be in a vegetative state
[01:17:00] Sanaa describes "the awe factor" she sees on residents' faces during visits
[01:44:00] Sanaa learns via a message from a cousin that her grandfather was a "Faras," an Arab horseman who raced Arabians
[02:08:00] Rupert suggests a documentary title: "Where for Art Thou?"
[02:11:00] A nonverbal elderly man musters the words "I grew up on a farm" during a hospital room visit with the horses
📚 Contact, Projects, and Resources Mentioned
Sanaa Pharayra – Founder, Romeo Roadshow https://romeoroadshow.com
New Trails Learning Systems – Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co
Rupert Isaacson / Long Ride Home https://rupertisaacson.com
Patreon Support https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
New Trails Learning Systems – Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co
Rupert Isaacson / Long Ride Home https://rupertisaacson.com
Patreon Support https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
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