Broken Fibula - Again!

[jonathan]

Here's something else that I've wondered about. Was it common for a horse to trip and "fall" on someone? I know absolutely nothing about this, but it just seems to me that if a horse and rider were going along at a brisk pace, which I assume was the case with Booth, and the horse tripped, the horse would fall more suddenly, while the rider would be pitched forward a little bit. It just seems that the rider's momentum would carry him far enough in front of the horse that it would be very difficult for the horse to "fall" on him. But if this is not the case, and the rider fell suddenly along with the horse, isn't it reasonable to expect an injury far worse than a broken fibula?? I would think that much more serious injuries would be not only possible, but likely. In either case, as I said in a previous post, I would expect all of the rider to be muddy, rather than just his legs.

As far as Booth's back hurting, I guess if I've read that, then I'd forgotten it. But there are any number of explanations for a sore back. Over the years, I've rarely had problems with my back, but when I do it has been a from a variety of different reasons. Playing sports and being active, as Booth was active, all kinds of things can lead to a day or two of back pain. Of course that didn't happen to me as much when I was Booth's age, but I can remember the occasional back problem even in high school. Then there are people who just develop chronic back pain, even at a relatively young age. I have a cousin with that problem. She's in her late 30's now, but has had back problems for years and years. It's certainly possible that Booth was developing back problems and it became aggravated while he was making his escape, whether it be from a jump to the stage or a fall from the horse.