19880000 Black as night and twice as cold

For some fool reason, in the middle of the night I agreed to get dressed and go down to the outdoor stalls on site where a freshly acquired black mare was disassembling her accommodations. I was good at calming horses and thought maybe we could reach an agreement where she would receive my kind energy and—probably more importantly—the best food at hand, in exchange for her resting until morning.

There wasn't much light but I could see her nose was in the far corner when I opened the gate, with her hind end still a safe distance away. Inside, I latched the gate behind me while continuing to face and keep an eye on her. In a blink she crossed the stall backwards. Before I was even aware she was moving I somehow turned sideways and took the kick in my left side.

At the ER, X-rays showed multiple fractures in the sturdiest section of ribcage. Doc said it was at just the right height such that, if I hadn't turned, the impact would have collapsed my lower sternum and killed me. A perfect kick. Welp, you win some, you lose some.