The Diary Game 20/11/2025 – Hooves, sunshine and quiet moments at Hippoclub

_{First smile of the day – curious horse, a bit of sun, and already a better mood. 🐴}

Hello, Steemit!

Lately my days have all looked the same: screen, traffic, notifications… repeat. So I decided to change the scenery completely and spend a few hours at Hippoclub, near Sidi Thabet. As soon as you leave the city, the landscape starts to open up: fields, a few scattered trees, white farm walls appearing along the road. By the time the simple white buildings of Hippoclub came into view under a soft sky, it already felt like a mini-holiday, even if only for one morning.

_{The main alley – clean paving, whitewashed walls, and at the end, the promise of many hooves.}

Walking in, I followed the long paved alley between two rows of stables. It’s tidy but not sterile: a few loose straws on the ground, sharp shadows from the roofline, the occasional creak of a stable door. The sky feels huge here, and that alone is therapy when you come from an office. Most of the soundscape is simple: wind between the buildings, hay rustling, and a whinny that echoes now and then. From the very first steps I knew I’d made the right choice getting out of the house.

Very quickly I met my first “guide” of the day: a tall chestnut who lifted his head over the paddock fence to inspect me. Bright eyes, ears flicking in all directions, clearly experienced in dealing with visitors holding phones. He stretched his neck to sniff my hand, sent a warm breath onto my jacket, and then stayed there like a professional model. Obviously, the selfie was mandatory.

_{That look that clearly says: “If you want more photos, payment is in scratches.”}

I carried on toward the boxes. In one of them, a bay was busy with his straw when I passed at feeding time. He chewed with impressive concentration, but as soon as my hand approached the bars curiosity won. He stepped right up to the grill, a bit of straw still hanging from his mouth, to give me a proper inspection. There’s always something funny and touching about a big animal acting like a kid who wants to eat and say hello at the same time.

_{Priorities of the day: eat, observe, and keep an eye out for apples.}

A few stalls later, the style changed completely. A head appeared with a wide white blaze, dark eyes and a blond forelock falling over the face. He could have stepped straight out of an animation movie. He came very close to the bars, trying to understand what exactly I was doing with my phone. His chestnut coat and big white mask stand out sharply against the slightly worn stable walls – a beautiful contrast. For a moment he held perfectly still, ears pricked, then calmly went back to exploring the straw as if the photo session was officially over.

_{Rock’n’roll version: blond fringe, big white mask and a gaze that misses nothing.}

Back outside, the chestnut from earlier was standing almost exactly under the sun, which was filtered by a thin layer of clouds. The light formed a soft halo behind his head. He rested his chin on the fence, completely relaxed, watching me without moving. One horse, one paddock, a bright sky – suddenly the city felt very far away.

_{Simple scene, but it feels like someone pressed “mute” on the whole world.}

Another stop, another personality: a calm white horse in his stall, the very definition of zen. As I leaned in for a selfie, he almost closed his eyes, like he was meditating or posing for a spa advertisement. His pale coat stands out against the darker interior of the box, and there’s this quiet dignity about him – not impressed by cameras, not bothered by visitors, just quietly existing.

_{Expert selfie partner: no stress, no rush, 100% softness.}

On my way back to the central alley, a small detail caught my eye: a row of colourful saddle pads hanging on a white fence to dry. Blues, blacks, deep reds, each one a trace of a previous ride. You can almost read the day in them – morning lessons, horses worked, sweat, then clean pads left in the sun for tomorrow. These little signs of routine are what give a club its heartbeat: tack that breathes, bridles hanging ready, hoofprints tracing paths in the yard.

_{Saddle pads taking a sun break before the next lesson.}

Then I walked over to the big arena. The sand stretches wide, framed by simple white rails and trees in the distance. That day it was empty, but clearly prepared – level surface, no holes, inviting hoofprints. I couldn’t resist another selfie with all that space behind me. There’s something surprisingly peaceful about standing at the edge of a large riding arena, imagining circles, lines and jumps that will soon write themselves on the sand.

_{The arena behind me: plenty of room to train… or just to dream.}

A little later the place came to life: a couple of riders passed by at a relaxed walk, one on a bay, one on a dapple grey. Reins long, bodies loose, talking quietly while their horses cooled down. The hooves made a soft, regular crunch on the path. It’s a simple scene, but it really sums up Hippoclub: work, yes, but in a calm atmosphere, with respect for the horses and genuine pleasure for the riders.

_{End of session: relaxed walk, long reins, and quiet conversation.}

Before leaving, I did one last slow walk past the stalls. Some horses pricked their ears and stretched their noses toward me; others clearly preferred to keep their heads buried in hay. White walls, wooden doors, paved ground – all bright under the daylight. As I walked back to the car, I realised I felt much lighter than when I arrived. Nothing dramatic had happened, and yet just spending a few hours walking between these horses, listening to the small everyday sounds of the stable, was enough to reset my mind.

_{Last look at the boxes – some horses still saying goodbye, others focused on dinner.}

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Where we are

Field	Details
Place	Hippoclub
Address	X25X+5JH, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
Coordinates	36.9614673, 10.0434284
Map	Open in Google Maps
Hours	Daily 9 AM–7 PM
Tel	+216 36 235 787
SteemAtlas	//:# (!steematlas 36.9614673 lat 10.0434284 long d3scr)

Thank you for joining me on this little escape. If you ever need a break from city noise, a lungful of fresh air and a few soft noses to greet, Hippoclub is a great place to remember how good a steady rhythm and a wide sky can feel.

Best regards,
@kouba01