2026 Giving Trip Day 5: Hasta Pronto in Ciudad Vieja

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

Photography by Michael Pintar

Ciudad Vieja sits in the shadow of Volcán Acatenango, its central square anchored by a clock tower, a gift from Germany, and the first Catholic cathedral ever built in Guatemala. We set up on the municipal soccer field just below the cathedral, which provided excellent access and visibility for local horse owners.

When we arrived, the town square was alive with activity. Students were headed back to school for their first day after Christmas break, lots of smiles and laughter filling the air. We were a little tired from four days of work, but energized by the joyful sounds and the smiles on the faces of owners who had already arrived and lined up for services early in the morning.

Ego, Humility, and Connection

Michael Pintar led the FullBucket Forum on Day 5, asking the group: Where in our lives, because of this and prior experiences on the giving trip, has ego given way to humility and connection?

It was a fitting question for the final day for our team, a reflection on how this work changes us as much as the communities we serve, with the next group from our team arriving in Guatemala to continue the work.

The Work

Forty-one animals came through the clinic. Body conditions were generally good, though we saw a few more saddle sores on horses’ backs in this town than in previous locations.

Fortunately, all of the owners of those horses were highly engaged and interested in our conversations about how to clean and care for the sores, as well as protect them from pressure points using foam donuts, with the center of the donut placed over the sore itself to provide pressure relief from the pack saddles they use. Most often, these pack saddles have been handed down over generations and are very challenging to adjust for a horse’s conformation or body condition, which creates the pressure sores in the first place. The foam donuts, redistribution of weight away from the sores, and instruction on proper wound care have proven to be a powerful combination of suggestions to help these wounds heal successfully.

A Mare with Two Mouths to Feed

One particularly attention-getting case was a mare and her foal who arrived along with a second foal she had adopted. The mare was in poor body condition because of the nutritional demands of nursing two foals. The owner was not aware of the necessity to increase her energy intake with additional feed to support both.

This provided an excellent opportunity for our internal medicine specialist to talk with the owner about mare and foal care alongside the nutritional energy demands during lactation. Another lightbulb moment, knowledge that will serve this owner and his horses going forward.

Future Veterinarians

The 12 veterinary students from Guatemala City on Day 5 were particularly enthusiastic and engaged, perhaps reflecting the energy of all of us. It was a beautiful city, a beautiful day, and a beautiful venue for working on the horses.

At Dr. Luis’s dental station, skillfully supported by Will Franklin, three veterinary students watched in awe as he extracted three caps from a young horse. What followed was a foundational lesson on aging a horse by its teeth and the reason for extracting deciduous caps.


Other students were thinking about opportunities post-graduation for more advanced training. One student in particular is interested in pursuing specialty training in surgery. She and two classmates asked excellent questions and made connections with several of our team members as continuing resources for her exploration in the coming years. The mentorship network extends beyond the trip.

The Connective Power of the Horse

Everyone showed up for this trip with such a high level of energy for service and mentorship, the foundation of everything we do. The metric isn’t the number of horses we vaccinate or deworm. It’s about the empowerment we offer others through our knowledge, and what we can learn from them in return.

It was amazing to see so many people – veterinarians, field agents from the Ministry of Agriculture, professors from the veterinary college in Guatemala City, local city administrators, farriers, and veterinary students – volunteer their time and talents with open hearts, so selflessly. And we owe that opportunity to the connective power of the horse.

Hasta Pronto

As we packed up and prepared to leave, there were so many abrazos and words of gratitude as we all fared each other ¡hasta pronto! Not goodbye, see you soon.

Dr. Jacqui and Concho, while sorry to say goodbye to our team after an amazing week together, were also excited to welcome the next team replacing us for an additional week of service two days later. The work continues.


For those of us heading home, we carry with us the images of transformed horses, the smiles of engaged owners, the curiosity of students finding their path, and the resonant rumble of volcanoes reminding us how small we are, and how much we can still accomplish together.

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.