Italy
Toscany
Hotel Refugio Prategiano
07.07.-01.08.2022
What can I expect from an internship at “Hotel Refugio Prategiano”?
Here you’ll find all the important information about accommodation, meals, a typical working day, and my conclusion.
Table of Contents
General Information
During the internship at Hotel Refugio Prategiano, room and board were free of charge. In return, the interns helped out in the stables. Sometimes they also had to assist with kitchen duties in the evening and got the afternoon off instead. If a driver’s license was available, interns were also asked to handle transfers, picking up or dropping off visitors. Each intern worked 6 days a week, between 8 and 10 hours per day. One full day per week was completely free. On their days off, interns were allowed to use the pool. There was no fixed day off, and not all interns had the same day free.
WhatsApp and Accommodation
At the start of the internship, the host added every intern to two WhatsApp groups. One group was for the interns working in the stables plus the manager. In this group, the manager or a staff member shared the program for the next day every evening. This also included information about who had a day off and/or kitchen duty. The second group was for all employees, including stable staff, handling tasks that were not part of the interns’ responsibilities.
The interns were accommodated in an apartment surrounded by forest, about 50 meters from the hotel. The apartment was not visible from the hotel. It included one small single room, two small twin rooms, a small bathroom, and an open space with a sofa and table. The walls were wooden and painted white. The shower was small. Mosquito nets were installed at the entrance, in the bathroom, and in one of the twin rooms. There was no Wi-Fi in the apartment.
Alternatively, interns could stay in the hotel itself. These rooms were smaller than the guest rooms, and sometimes two volunteers shared one room. In and around the hotel, Wi-Fi was available free of charge.
Meals
Meals were provided directly in the hotel kitchen. There was a separate table for staff and interns. Lunch and dinner were usually placed directly on the table; if not, everyone could find their meal ready in the kitchen. For breakfast, interns could directly tell the staff what they wanted. Meals could also be enjoyed outside in the fresh air.
Working Day
The working day started at 8:00 a.m. in the stables. Everyone fetched the horses from the pastures. Horses were tied at the grooming stations and, if necessary, placed in boxes. One intern prepared breakfast for the horses while another watered the riding arena. Next came grooming, saddling, and bridling. At 9:00 a.m. the first lesson or trail ride began. Sometimes interns helped during lessons by leading horses or ponies. If no ride was scheduled for the intern, the following stable tasks had to be completed:
· Filling hay
· Mucking out boxes
· Picking up poop in the arena
· Sweeping and cleaning grooming areas
· Refilling water buckets in the boxes
· Cleaning water troughs in the paddocks
· Sweeping stable aisle, tack room, helmet room, feed room, toilets, and entrance area
· Tidying saddle pads, blankets, bridles, and saddles
· Watering the arena again
When all riders returned, interns helped with unsaddling, unbridling, and washing or hosing down the horses. Horses that worked again in the afternoon were placed in boxes; the rest were turned out to the pastures.
Afterwards, it was time for lunch break between 2–3 hours, depending on when the work was finished and the afternoon program started.
In the afternoon, everyone met again in the stables to prepare the horses for the rides. Either the intern joined a ride or continued with stable duties. The end of the working day depended on when the last horses came back. Finally, one intern had to fill hay on a pasture before the day officially ended.
My Review
A very beautiful area in the Tuscan mountains. The highlight was definitely the trail ride to the river. Another great thing was the long lunch break of at least two hours. And every day, there was delicious food served in the kitchen.
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