Episode
Miniature Horses, Memory Care, and the Neuroscience of Connection | Sanaa Pharayra of Romeo Roadshow | EAW 59
- Published
- Jul 23, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 8851
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/6ecfc2f1
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Summary
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. If you want to support the show, you can do so at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome ✨ "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 Schee…