Horses are majestic and muscular creatures who tower over us puny humans. A typical horse weighs more than three times the weight of an average human. Their weight ranges from 900 to 1500 pounds, and larger breeds can even weigh up to 1800 pounds. Now imagine getting a kick in the gut, literally, from a gigantic horse. It sounds as fatal as it can actually be.

A man from High River, Alberta suffered a similar fate when his horse kicked him in the liver when he was 18 years old. When the incident actually took place, recovery seemed to be quick. However, decades later, the man finally realized how much damage the horse had done.

A kick that almost cost a man his life

Edwin Bronsch recently shared his story through a post on Facebook. At the age of 18, Edwin Bronsch was going through a pretty routine day, herding his father’s cattle while riding his horse to the summer pasture, which was four miles from his house. However, on the way back home, an unfortunate incident took place that made sure the young equestrian paid for it till several years after. As Bronsch took a shortcut, some wired fence blocked his way back.

Any other horse might have jumped right over it, but his horse had been stuck in barbed wire as a foal, and hence, refused to cross the fence. In an attempt to help his equine friend over the fence, he got down from the horse, who had got one of the hind legs stuck in the wire. In the push and the tug to get the leg free, Edwin’s horse kicked him unknowingly. The young equestrian then fainted due to the power of the kick, and when he came to, he saw his horse was free and munching on the green spring grass.

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Bronsch recalled that upon reaching home he was, “Met by dad, when he saw me, he thought I’d been attacked by a bear. Mom and dad took me to the doctor.” Cut to the age of 80 years, Edwin came down with serious jaundice one day. A check-up by the doctors revealed that due to the impact of the kick, his bile duct had closed up and his liver had swollen from one side, a consequence that would have proved fatal. Surgery, eight days in intensive care, and five months of recovery were what it took to save Bronsch’s life.

While this might sound like a bizarre turn of events, this is not the first time a horse owner has been kicked in the gut.

Terrifying equestrian video shows horse kicking owner

In April this year, a piece of news surfaced that an agitated horse kicked his owner before the start of a race. Jody McGarvey was all geared up to race at the Naas racecourse in Ireland. The jockey was just about to ride her horse, ironically named ‘Emotional Damage’, when the 5-year-old mare kicked McGarvey. While her screams of pain traveled far, fortunately, the kick did not result in a grave injury.

In fact, the jockey and the horse paired once again to compete in the race. The incident was concluded to be a rare occurrence for the mare, who does not usually show signs of violence. The jockey took the incident in stride and even made a joke while retweeting the video. The famous adage, “All’s well that ends well” fits this situation perfectly.

Watch this story: Horrifying video captured an equestrian hitting horse right before the event leading to strong repercussions once