Photojournalism nominee

Immediately after arriving at a private equestrian centre in Portugal, we met Alambique (minutes before his surgery) which is an Arabic name that means 'place of distillation'. Normally, horses are castrated around 3-4 years old... But Alambique is 7. One of the most tense moments is getting a massive animal down on the ground gently after the general anaesthetic is administered. Three feet are tied together to keep them out of the way... Paula Tilley of the Equine Unit - Large Animal Teaching Hospital in Lisbon, performs the surgery right there on the arena floor. This older horse is particularly difficult to snip. That's the second testicle coming off... Removal complete. After the operation site is closed, Alambique is up and walking (very tentatively) within about 15 minutes. And within 2 weeks he will be back on his regular training schedule.