Peyo horse therapist who brings back the smile and memory to Alzheimer’s patients

We all now know the therapeutic abilities of pet therapy… but in this story the protagonist is not a dog or a cat… but a horse !!

Hassen Bouchakour and Peyo had met years earlier. The first was an artist who performed as a dancer, gymnast and falconer. One day he decided to enrich his shows by introducing the Peyo horse in his performances. But after months of training attempts, the results were not coming. Indeed, they were a disaster. On the other hand, however, the animal from the beginning has shown another much more important quality: a particular sensitivity and attention towards the most fragile people, especially those with disabilities or “invisible” diseases. It seems she understood who needed attention and he was ready to give it to her. So the two, instead of going on tour around the world to perform in artistic shows, started touring French hospitals addressing a very sensitive audience: sick children and the elderly hospitalized in nursing homes. Thus was born the association “The hooves of the heart” and the benefits were not long in coming: «We saw a person who had not walked for two years, get up and go towards the horse. Another who did not speak, to tell the memories in a very precise way “they say in a hospital.

Follow this link to discover all our horseback riding trips in France.  In particular the presence and sweetness of Peyo stimulates Alzheimer’s patients as demonstrated in the experimentation conducted in a controlled manner in the Ehpad (Institution of accommodation for non self-sufficient elderly) of Vinay under the attentive and professional eyes of the medical and paramedical staff. It has long been known that children with autism can be helped by the presence and interaction with ponies or horses. But Peyo is showing that the presence of a horse can have positive effects on elderly patients and patients suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s: patients start to speak spontaneously when they meet him, they find a smile again. And so Peyo is becoming a star. Without performing in artist shows or winning races. But showing all its sweetness and sensitivity.