It all started about two months ago…

well, no.

It all started when I was seventeen, which was a great deal longer than two months ago though not as far as some people may think, and they’ve got another think coming, I’m telling them right now. So, that.

When I was seventeen, you see, I fell off a horse and broke my back. It was a jump, bigger than any I’d attempted, and moreover it was a jump right across the middle of a gravel road, so you KNOW the landing, it was not soft. Not only was the landing naturally un-soft, but on the way down (you do have time to think of these things, you’d be surprised) on the way down I decided to play the hero and hang on to the reins, as we were several miles from the barn out on the public (if back) roads of Ontariariario.

Which was stupid of me. When in doubt, do not play the hero.

So, I did land holding the reins, and feeling very, very proud of myself. From about ten feet up.

Sitting straight up.

So, I did hang on to the horse, which had been my goal, but I only hung on to her about three-quarters of a second, which was as long as it took for me to register that I had just broken my back.

to be continued… UPDATE: continued here.