horse visits hospital patients

‘Doctor Peyo’: the horse comforting cancer patients in Calais – in pictures

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Peyo and his owner once competed at dressage events. Now they spend their time doing rounds in a French hospital, often staying with sick people until the end. All photographs by Jeremy Lempin/Divergence

Fri 12 Mar 2021 08.15 GMT Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 16.42 BST

In the palliative care centre at Calais Hospital in northern France, Marion, 24, who has metastatic cancer, cuddles her seven-year-old son, Ethan, as Peyo nuzzles them both. ‘With Peyo, we try to recreate life at the end of life, in order to fight, and create an energy to accompany families and caregivers,’ says his trainer, Hassen Bouchakour. Peyo and Bouchakour work with Les Sabots du Coeur, an organisation devoted to therapy, and with scientists who are studying Peyo’s ability to reduce patients’ anxiety and comfort people in pain

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Does a Hospital in France Allow Terminal Patients to Meet With ‘Peyo the Horse’?

The story of a French hospital’s unusual relationship with a former dressage horse — and the horse’s relationship with terminal patients there — recirculated online in July 2021.

Interest in “Doctor Peyo” reignited following a popular post by the Twitter account “All Things Interesting,” The tweet shows a photograph of Peyo standing next to a bedridden patient, alongside the caption:

In France, a beautiful 15-year-old stallion named Peyo often comes to comfort and soothe terminal patients at the Techer Hospital in Calais. The horse chooses which patient he wants to see, kicking his hoof outside the door.

As so often happens, the tweet resurfaced on Facebook , with text copied over from the Twitter variation:

Peyo’s story is legitimate; in truth he has been making his rounds, so to speak, at Calais Hospital alongside his owner Hassen Bouchakour since 2016. The non-profit organization Les Sabots Du Coeur (“The Hooves Of The Heart”) handles both Peyo’s excursions and research into Peyo’s apparent ability to detect when a person is living with cancer. The group further claims that researchers have studied more than 500 other horses — including foals sired by Peyo — and found that his instinct for knowing which patients to visit or spend time with is a singular activity.

Peyo’s story has circulated online intermittently since he began comforting patients, through blogs, Facebook groups, and YouTube videos:

But he and Bouchakour received more attention in March 2021, when The Guardian published a photo essay in March 2021 showing the duo during a normal working day.

According to the story:

At the hospital Peyo tells his trainer which room he wants to enter next by stopping or raising his leg. Peyo is 15 and seems able to detect when humans have cancers and tumours. He stayed nearly two hours here, watching over a dying woman. “I accompany him but I let him do what he wants, he’s the one who decides,” says Bouchakour. “What really pushed scientists to take an interest in him and open the health establishment doors to us, was this [seeming] ability to greatly reduce [the patients’ dosage of] all hard drugs and thus allow a more peaceful departure,” he says.

In one photo, Peyo is seen standing guard at the door to a patient’s room.

“When he decides, I cannot hold him back,” Bouchakour told the Guardian. “It’s a need, it’s visceral, it is in him, he needs to go and cling onto the specific person he has chosen.”

Les Sabots Du Coeur also has its own Facebook page, as well as a separate Instagram account devoted to Peyo.

'Doctor Peyo': The Horse Comforting Cancer Patients in Calais -- in Pictures
Les Sabots Du Coeur
Peyo The Horse Visits Sick People

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The Healing Power of Horses: Doctor Peyo and Bonita

A couple of extraordinary horses step up to help patients, some suffering from cancer and others from loneliness and isolation..

By: Kim Izzo | March 17, 2021

As we continue to live with the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health is discussed more openly, and that’s a good thing for countless people who continue to struggle. Of course, the pandemic is not the only health crisis that inflicts a toll on mental health. Other diseases and conditions greatly affect one’s ability to cope and find joy.

(Image Screenshot YouTube)

In Calais, France, a former dressage horse and his owner are bringing comfort to adults and children who are being treated for cancer, some in palliative care. Peyo, a chestnut stallion, appears to have an understanding of human suffering. In a stunning editorial photo spread in The Guardian the beautiful horse, his mane and forelock braided, is seen lowering his neck so that patients can stroke his face. In other photos, children sit on his back outside treatment rooms. The horse stands quietly in hospital corridors as if he is, like his nickname given to him by the doctors on staff, “Doctor Peyo.” There are even reports that Peyo’s comforting presence is so calming and reassuring that those suffering pain need less medication.

According to Peyo’s owner, Hassen Bouchakour, the stallion was always searching for human contact after competing. He tells The Guardian , “After shows, he would pick out people in the crowd, approach them and choose to stay next to them.” He continues to explain how he suspected that his horse was able to select people in the crowd who were “weakened morally, physically or psychologically.”

Bouchakour consulted veterinarians who concluded that Peyo’s brain seems to function in an extraordinary way. The photogenic Peyo is certainly extraordinary.

Bonita brightening lives at a long-term care home.

Closer to home in Port Dover, Ontario, the Welsh pony, Bonita, gave some cheer to seniors at a long-term care home this past Valentine’s Day. Owner Colleen Lindsay-Druyff shipped 16-year-old Bonita, to the home to pay an outside visit to lonely residents who remained inside.

Also known as “Boni”, the mare wore a red and black plaid winter blanket as well as Valentine’s Day embellishments on her halter, around her neck and pasterns. Her humans handlers wore red and white hats to keep with the theme. Residents waved, and some tapped on the glass to request the pony be led further back for a better view.

A member of the long-term care home’s staff thanked them for the visit. For Lindsay-Druyff, “it was a gift of love,” she told the local paper, the Maple Leaf. She had also shipped Bonita to another LTC in Brantford earlier in the week, where her own mother lives.

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Horse Visits Hospice to Say Goodbye to His Cancer-Stricken Owner

When Lisa Beech checked into a hospice, her family knew there was one sure way to bring a smile to her face.

After three weeks apart, the 49-year-old was visited by her beloved horse Jake in a touching reunion caught on camera.

Speaking to INSIDE EDITION, Lisa's daughter Amanda Sturgill said the idea came to her when doctors at Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky were giving her news she didn't want to hear.

Read: 92-Year-Old Husband Serenades Dying Wife With World War II Song

"I was like, 'We're doing this,'" she said. "I texted friends asking them to go to my farm with a trailer."

They managed to get Jake to the parking lot and Lisa - who had no idea what was in store - was taken downstairs in a wheelchair. When she spotted the horse , she couldn't believe it.

"As soon as she saw him, she had tears falling down her face," Amanda said.

Jake recognized his owner, too.

"He hadn't made a peep the whole time we were there until he heard her talking," Amanda said. "His ears went back and his eyes got bigger. Usually you have to drag him along because he's lazy but he started marching."

Only my Daughter and Lisa Beech's Daughter could pull this off. Posted by Greg Kays on Sunday, 20 September 2015

Lisa, who has overcome cancer five times since she was a teenager, adopted Jake 16 years ago as his previous owner battled a terminal illness .

She initially visited the owner just to buy Jake's saddle but as soon as she clasped eyes on the horse, she knew she had to have him, Amanda said.

"Ever since she was a child, she always wanted to have an Appaloosa horse and he was exactly what she'd wanted," Amanda, 23, said. "She put a lot of hard work into him."

Read: Dying Grandfather Gets Final Hospital Visit From His Favorite Pony

But Lisa got her sixth cancer diagnosis at the start of this year. Doctors gave her just months to live and she was placed into hospice care a few weeks ago.

Amanda says the visit from Jake improved her mother's spirits immensely.

For the first time in days, Lisa was able to swallow - and even requested wine and chocolate - and was well enough to have visitors all day. Amanda added that her mom is now barely waking up and cannot take visitors.

"We all believe that it helped her," Amanda said. "If it hasn't been for that horse, she would not have had that last good day."

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The story behind the pictures: "Peyo stayed beside the bed of a dying patient for two hours"

"Peyo 'works' in the palliative center, with patients who know they don't have very long to live anymore," says his trainer Hassen Bouchakour. "We actually want to give patients, at the end of their lives, a life after all. We do this by creating, together with Peyo, a certain energy for the patients. We work with different psychologists to reduce anxiety in patients. In addition, he also comforts them, since they are in a lot of pain".

"Peyo chooses which room he enters. He shows this by lifting his leg in front of the door of the room he wants to enter. Peyo is now 15 and he is very smart. It seems like he automatically senses which room has cancer patients in it. I remember when he insisted on going into a room. The woman who was in the room at the time was dying. Peyo did not leave her side until she closed her eyes and never opened them again.... I accompany him but in the end it is he who decides," Bouchakour continues.

Originally, the duo competed in dressage: "That actually always went very well, until we rode our test. Then Peyo always went looking for people in the audience and refused to leave their side. That makes it very difficult when you want to leave the ring (laughs). He has a great need for human contact. I think during those competitions he was already picking out people who were not feeling well, individuals who were struggling with their mental health. After several studies, several veterinarians have determined that his brain works in a unique way".

At the hospital, they are very happy with Peyo: "Peyo and his trainer have actually become and integral part of our team. They do wonders not only for the patients but also for us. When everything gets a little more difficult, we know that they are not only there to comfort the patients but also us," says Anne Sophie, a palliative care nurse. "Peyo has been assisting our team since 2016. During that time, I think he has already assisted more than 1,000 people at the end of their lives."

The patients themselves have nothing but praise for the horse: "My son never wanted to go with me to the hospital to visit his mother. He found it difficult to be in her pain, which of course I understand. In the end, he's only seven years old," one father recounted. "Now Isaac associates the hospital with Peyo and likes to come along. That also does his mother good so you can speak of a real win-win situation in this case".

Roger, a 64-year-old patient confirms: "Peyo is my favorite doctor. I know I will sleep well today because I saw Peyo". His wife smiles, "When he has seen Peyo, he sleeps like a rose".

Bouchakour says: "Hygiene is of course very important in a hospital. Peyo is therefore always washed and disinfected before he goes into the hospital. It takes about two hours. I always disinfect him with special wipes and that takes a lot of time. Fortunately, he enjoys being brushed. I think he secretly enjoys it. Peyo has also learned to clearly indicate when it is time for a 'sanitary stop' by moving his body from side to side."

"Of course, Peyo doesn't work out every day," says his trainer. "We regularly take a walk on the beach in Calais. It's important to be able to clear our heads once in a while. Yet I notice that even in those moments Peyo only wants one thing most: to go back to the hospital."

Source: The Guardian

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A Horse in a Hospital Room

I saw an article recently about a horse that visits patients in a hospital. This horse walks up and down hospital halls and goes in to visit patients recovering from surgery. This horse will put his muzzle up next to sick patients and seems to know who is the sickest. Patients look forward to his visits. Can you imagine having a horse lay his head down beside you so you can pet him?

This is just a small picture of what our loving God does for us. God cares for us in our sickness and struggles, and He soothes us with His presence. Paul in II Corinthians calls our God, “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” (1:3) When we are discouraged, depressed or mistreated, He’s there for us. When we turn to Him in prayer, He “comforts us in all our troubles.” (v. 4)

Paul doesn’t stop there. Verse 4 says Paul has experienced intense suffering, and he says, “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Because our God comforts each of us, we are enabled to comfort others. Our Savior, who suffered for us, is more than able to comfort us in our suffering and distress (v. 5). God helps us through our pain and equips us to do the same for others.

Prayer – God, thank you for Your comforting presence in my pain and sorrow. Help me in turn to be a comfort to others. Amen.

II Corinthians 1:4 – “ God comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble .”

By the Rev. Tommy Herndon Image: Equus Foundation

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Meet Peyo, the horse that detects cancer and takes care of sick people

Jeremy Lempin

Peyo (pronounced “peh-YOH”) is a 14-year-old horse that his owner, Hassen Bouchakour, used in dressage shows. After shows, the horse would seek out contact with specific individuals in the crowd. It was thanks to this that Bouchakour discovered something surprising: Peyo has the ability to detect if people are suffering from cancer or are otherwise weak or dying.

His extraordinary relationship with the sick has been covered in many media articles in recent years, including The Guardian and Nspirement . This year, moreover, Peyo is in the news for being the protagonist of an exceptional photo.

Peyo’s amazing ability not only serves to diagnose diseases that have not yet shown their face. It’s also been proven that his presence can help to improve the quality of life of patients in a hospital. In some cases, his visits have even made it possible to reduce the patients’ medication.

Bedside hospital visits

Peyo is in France, and he’s already known as “Dr. Peyo.” Specifically, he “works” at a hospital in Calais and four other hospitals in Dijon, Le Havre, Nice and Antibes.

The staff is familiar with the horse; he enters the building with Bouchakour and passes through a sanitary protocol, then gets on the elevator and decides which room to visit. Peyo is trained in such a way that he never soils the hospital floor (he indicates with his movements when he needs to go out) and he’s thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before and after each hospital visit.

He’s close and affectionate with the sick, nuzzling up to them and sometimes licking them. “He’s a horse that behaves differently with people in delicate condition,” Bouchakour explains.

Peyo in the World Press Photo awards

An image of Peyo taken by photographer Jeremy Lempin and titled “ Doctor Peyo and Mister Hassen ” was nominated for this year’s World Press Photo Story of the Year award in the Contemporary Issues category. It’s the photo at the top of this article.

The photograph shows Peyo with Marion, a young mother with metastatic cancer, and her 7-year-old son Ethan.

Patients improve with his presence

Equine therapy has been in use for many years. But Peyo’s gift for detecting illnesses and his ability to be part of the treatment of hospitalized patients have led to his being scientifically studied by experts in palliative care, geriatrics and pediatrics. In Calais, he participates in assisted therapy sessions at the Séléne Palliative Care Unit.

A visit from Peyo is a high point in the day-to-day life of patients at these French hospitals, while opening up hopeful horizons for medicine.

For the sick, Peyo provides companionship, reduces the feeling of loneliness, and relieves mental and physical pain. He also has ended up comforting the families of some patients, and The Guardian reports one case where Peyo and Bouchakour were asked to attend the funeral of a patient who had been particularly attached to his equine therapist.

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My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings

Dr. Peyo Heals Hospital Patients

When I was in the rehab unit last February, a therapy dog came to visit twice a week. It was a beautiful standard Poodle, but by the time he reached me, he didn’t seem that interested in offering comfort; he just wanted to go home.

If only I’d been in France. Then, maybe I could have been visited by Peyo, a 14-year old stallion who has a particular aptitude for offering comfort. Accompanied by his owner, Hassen Bouchakour, Peyo vists hospitals and nursing homes. There, the stallion is given “free rein” to visit the patients of his choice, often choosing rooms where people are the sickest or dying and then nuzzling or licking them. Of course, since I wasn’t that ill, perhaps he might not have chosen to visit me.

The handsome chestnut is able to create a connection with the patients that is magical — patients become more verbal, more relaxed and happier. The horse has always been drawn to injured and sick people, even seeking them out at competitions.

Bouchakour worked with Peyo for several years to make the horse comfortable in unusual places — such as elevators and hospital rooms — and by housebreaking him. To prepare him for the visits, Peyo is prepped to make him as sanitary as possible: his mane and tail are braided, his hooves are greased and an antibacterial lotion is applied to his entire body, and he’s covered with a blanket.

What’s the most unusual therapy animal you’ve had contact with? Last week when I was vacationing in Florida, my daughter and I came across a man with a therapy dog who helped alert him when his oxygen levels were low. He told us that his German Shepherd Dog was very sensitive to several illnesses and would sometimes react to people that she met, alerting them to a potential medical problem. My daughter and I were relieved that she wasn’t very interested in us!

Horse Visits Hospice to Say Goodbye to His Cancer-Stricken Owner

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