{"podcast":{"title":"Equine Assisted World with Rupert Isaacson","slug":"equine-assisted-world-with-rupert-isaacson-6332132","podcast_index_feed_id":6332132,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/equine-assisted-world-with-rupert-isaacson","website_url":"https://equineassistedworld.com","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/_3wgW0H88mtbRsbTGv40-ceOW9DjJhMFj2VZuHRIYec/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQwMDI3LzE2ODI0/MjQ0MTQtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.jpg","author":"Horse Boy LLC","episode_count":60,"summary":"Here on Equine Assisted World. We look at the cutting edge and the best practices currently being developed and, established in the equine assisted field. This can be psychological, this can be neuropsych, this can be physical, this can be all of the conditions that human beings have that these lovely equines, these beautiful horses that we work with, help us with. Your Host is New York Times bestselling author Rupert Isaacson. Long time human rights activist, Rupert helped a group of Bushmen in the Kalahari fight for their ancestral lands. He's probably best known for his autism advocacy work following the publication of his bestselling book \"The Horse Boy\" and \"The Long Ride Home\" where he tells the story of finding healing for his autistic son. Subsequently he founded New Trails Learning Systems an approach for addressing neuro-psychiatric conditions through horses, movement and nature. The methods are now used around the world in therapeutic riding program, therapy offices and schools for special needs and neuro-typical children. You can find details of all our programs and shows on www.RupertIsaacson.com.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T16:18:12.468495+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/equine-assisted-world-with-rupert-isaacson-6332132"},"episode":{"title":"Miniature Horses, Memory Care, and the Neuroscience of Connection | Sanaa Pharayra of Romeo Roadshow | EAW 59","slug":"miniature-horses-memory-care-and-the-neuroscience-of-connection-sanaa-pharayra-of-romeo-roadshow-eaw-59","published_at":"2026-07-23T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/equine-assisted-world-with-rupert-isaacson-6332132/miniature-horses-memory-care-and-the-neuroscience-of-connection-sanaa-pharayra-of-romeo-roadshow-eaw-59","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/equine-assisted-world-with-rupert-isaacson-6332132","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/6ecfc2f1","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/6ecfc2f1/8dde1ede.mp3","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…","meta_description":"Sanaa Pharayra runs the Romeo Roadshow, a Southern California-based program that brings miniature horses named Romeo and Ziggy directly into memory care f…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":8851,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/equine-assisted-world-with-rupert-isaacson-6332132/episodes/miniature-horses-memory-care-and-the-neuroscience-of-connection-sanaa-pharayra-of-romeo-roadshow-eaw-59/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/equine-assisted-world-with-rupert-isaacson-6332132/miniature-horses-memory-care-and-the-neuroscience-of-connection-sanaa-pharayra-of-romeo-roadshow-eaw-59.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}