Have you ever found that one special mule that is the mule of a lifetime?  The one you will compare all other mules to for the rest of your life.  The one that if someone asked you who you loved the most in the world you would say your mule’s name and then look at your spouse and try to dig yourself out of a hole because you meant to say their name first and then the mule.

That’s the love that mule owner Tracy Archer has with her mule, Honey.  Honey is a Tennessee Walker mule that stands 16hh and is a gentle giant.  She is a mule that is slow to warm up to, but once you do, she is as sweet as pie and loyal as the day is long. 

You could only imagine the gut-wrenching feeling when Tracy came outside to find Honey severely lame on her left hind.  Honey had somehow almost totally torn her deep digital flexor tendon.  Tendons are the strap-like elastic structures that attach muscles to bone.  Tendons allow movement of bones when muscles are contracted and relaxed.  By this tendon being injured, a suspensory ligament was damaged.  A ligament is a fibrous connective tissue that attaches bone to bone and serves to hold structures together and keep them stable. 

Tracy, with the help of Straight A Equine Athletics, began an extensive physical therapy regimen for Honey.  Straight A Equine Athletics said: 

                “Success in bringing an equine back to work after a suspensory injury is to effectively repair the damaged fibers.  Furthermore, the foundation of all healing is blood flow:  the supply of fresh, healthy nutrients and the removal of waste products.  Therefore, if we can safely increase the rate of blood flow to the damaged fibers, the rate of healing accelerates resulting in less downtime and hopefully less long-term effects like scar tissue buildup.”

Honey’s therapy consisted of four different techniques:

                Bemer:  A blanket and boots that emit a pulsed electro-magnetic force.

                Red Light:  Promotes relaxation and ATP production in cells.

Therma Plate:  Increases circulation and provides support structure stimulation through a circular vortex wave.

                Hot Walker:  A means to introduce controlled movement and exercise.

Honey was supposed to also use the Horse Gym Water Treadmill, but Honey could not be convinced that it wasn’t sent to Earth on a mission to destroy her. 

Time passes.  Honey is looking great on flat ground but was having issues when asked to walk uphill.  Tracy had Heartland Equine take a look at Honey where they determined that the scar tissue had adhered to the tendon.  The surgery had an estimated 80% success rate in Honey being rideable again. 

In 2023, Tracy and Honey entered into their first Country Tough Trail Versatility competition.  We’ll let you be the judge if Honey was the 80% or the 20%.  Honey’s success was only made possible by her greatest supporter and family member, Tracy. 

By Brandy Von Holten