2026 Giving Trip Day 10: Endurance in Casco Urbano

Field Report from the 2026 Texas Equitarian Project ~ Sponsored by FullBucket

Our final clinic day brought us to a new site in Casco Urbano, Sumpango, a more urbanized side of Sumpango opposite the hill from El Rejón.

Getting there still demanded the same respect the mountains always require. Steep streets. Tight turns. A careful climb to an open soccer field with Volcán de Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego watching from the horizon.

The morning started clear and bright, cold enough to feel it in your hands. As businesses and homes began burning their fires, the afternoon took on a familiar haze. Smoke drifted into the field. Wind gusts pushed dust across the ground.

Even so, there was a calmness to this place.

Before work began, one of the farriers, Chepe, brought his young sons. They played soccer with team members on the field. Laughter and small feet on packed dirt. The kind of moment that quietly signals trust.

The Clinic Takes Shape

Clinic stations spread out with room to breathe.

With no natural shade, the intake tent and dental tents were placed in the center of the field, leaving a wide open space between them for physical exams and safe movement. The farriers set up near Jose David’s truck to the right of the dental station. Horses gathered along the left side of the field, and bright blue stadium stands sat on the far right like a painted backdrop.


Music drifted from a nearby home, pulsing through the fence line as if the village itself was keeping rhythm for the day.

Setting the Tone

Yesterday’s FullBucket Forum was led by Dr. Embry Simon and centered on endurance, with reminders drawn from the book of Job. Hardship can test and refine. Hope is held even when the road is steep.

That theme felt especially fitting on a final day.

For the villagers, endurance is not a concept. It is daily life. Walking these climbs. Carrying loads. Working through illness and injury with limited resources.

For our team, endurance means we do not come once and disappear. We return year after year because these communities and our Guatemalan partners have become family. We are proud to share our gifts and blessings with their country.

The Work

We saw thirty-one horses at this site. No mules or donkeys.

Many were in poor body condition, with large chronic wounds along the spine from poorly fitted packs. We treated vampire bat bite wounds, ticks, and lower limb wounds. These problems reflect not neglect, but relentless use and limited options.

There were no dramatic headline cases. In a way, that steadiness was the story. The work was the work. Show up. Listen. Treat what is in front of you. Leave owners with knowledge they can carry forward.

One case offered a meaningful teaching opportunity. A horse presented with a chronic corneal ulcer healing with neovascularization and a mild cataract. In a field setting with no exam room and imperfect lighting, students practiced the discipline of an ophthalmic exam anyway. Careful observation. Thoughtful interpretation. A plan that fits the realities of the environment.

Education in Motion

A group of second-year veterinary students joined us.

The calmer horses and slower pace became a gift. Instead of rushing from station to station, the day allowed deliberate teaching. On the dental team, students were able to safely palpate teeth during sedated oral exams, an experience many had never had before.

It was not just watching. It was understanding through touch, repetition, and reassurance.

That is what empowerment through knowledge looks like in real time. A student who arrives uncertain and leaves with a skill they can use again next month, next year, for the next horse that needs help.

Closing the Day

We ended the day back at the hotel with a full team dinner. Farriers, the MAGA team, Dr. Jacquelyn Garabito, the dean of the public veterinary school, professors, and our visiting team shared a meal and offered short reflections on what the week has meant.

Over the years, the Guatemalan team has become family to Dr. Ciera Guardia and her husband Pete. The farriers have known Dr. Guardia since before she was married and now call Pete their brother. Their children feel like nephews. Dr. Jaqui has become like a sister and co-leader.

We were sad to say goodbye for now. We are already looking forward to next year.

The Texas Equitarian Project is collectively sponsored by FullBucket, the Texas Equine Foundation, and the Foundation for the Horse, with additional support from Boehringer Ingelheim, Zoetis, MWI, Precision and Wickliffe compounding pharmacies, and HDE and Yeti equipment suppliers.

If this work inspires you, please consider supporting equine health initiatives through the Texas Equine Veterinary Foundation or the Foundation for the Horse. Your donations help fund vital programs including student scholarships and volunteer initiatives focused on working horses in developing countries.