AUSTIN, Texas — A heroic six-year-old quarter horse named Phoenix, who suffered a severe injury while assisting in search and rescue efforts during last month’s devastating floods in Central Texas, is on the path to recovery thanks to an innovative therapy.
Phoenix and his owner, Kendall Higgins, were among the first search and rescue groups on the scene in Leander after initially aiding efforts in Kerrville. “Day one of search and rescue when we went up to the hill country, we were in Kerrville. We were with a large group of mounted, and we were successful in our searches there,” said Higgins.
While searching for survivors, Phoenix was sucked into quicksand, resulting in life-threatening injuries. “There was debris buried in the quicksand. And he had cut his leg on it on his way out. He had severed an artery, a tendon, his hock joint became septic, which is why his injuries were life-threatening, and he pulled muscles and had a possible hairline fracture on his cannon bone,” Higgins explained…