2026 Texas Equitarian Project

Nine Years of Dr. Guardia Giving Back - 2026 Texas Equitarian Project

The ancient volcanoes of Guatemala's central highlands stand unchanged, their silhouettes as familiar now as the faces of the communities our team has come to serve year after year. Once again, the 2026 Texas Equitarian Project has returned to the villages surrounding Antigua — and for the second week of this year's mission, it is Dr. Ciera Guardia who leads our team of veterinarians, specialists, and students into the field.

Over the five days of the trip, our colleagues at FullBucket have posted Dr. Guardia's reports that chronicled each day's work in full — the cases that challenged us, the communities that welcomed us, and the animals that reminded us, as they always do, exactly why we keep coming back.

Day 1: Under the Watching Volcano

Acatenango sits high in Guatemala’s volcanic highlands, where daily life unfolds beneath the constant presence of an active volcano. The climb into town is long and winding, the air cooler and thinner with every turn. When we arrived, the clinic site was already taking shape on the municipal soccer field, with horses lined quietly along the fence and owners waiting patiently.

Read the rest of Day 1 here

Day 2: San Andrés Itzapa on the Street

Today's clinic unfolded directly on the street, set up on concrete in front of the local primary school. The municipality closed the road to make space for the work, transforming a busy thoroughfare into a temporary veterinary clinic. Dentistry tents went up along the curb. Supplies and vaccines were staged across the street. Traffic noise, machinery, and dust filled the air.

Read the rest of Day 2 here

Day 3: Under the Shadow of Agua

Today we traveled to Santa María de Jesús, a community known for strong working mules and for the kind of need that does not hide itself. When we arrived, mules were already lined up and waiting, their presence steady and unmistakably purposeful.

The clinic was set up on a concrete football field in front of a school. Everything about the location demanded focus. The footprint was tight. The approach was steep. There was only one entrance and exit, requiring animals to navigate a curve in and out of the space.

Read the rest of Day 3 here

Day 4: Smoke, Soccer, and the Long View

Today we returned to Sumpango El Rejón, a community we have visited many times and one that always meets us with altitude, wide sky, and a kind of beauty that does not soften the reality around it.

Getting there is part of the story. The large van cannot make the tight hairpin turns and narrow passageways near the summit, so we disembarked below and climbed the rest of the way in the bed of a truck. Along the drive up, horses appeared tucked behind sheet metal and improvised shelters, tough animals living alongside families doing everything they can with what they have.

Read the rest of Day 4 here

Day 5: Endurance in Casco Urbano

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.

Read the rest of Day 5 here