being lucky to escape

[intokaos]

Hello, I am translating a text but I cannot fully understand the folllowing idea:


I knocked straight into the branches, lost my grip and fell right off the horse, being lucky to escape it treading on me as I lay on the pathway.

my doubt is: Is being lucky referring to the horse or to the man? Who is lucky to escape? My first attemp was to think that the horse was lucky enough to escape.


Thank you!

 

[Copyright]

Just break it down:
Question: Being lucky to escape what?
Answer: Its treading on me as I lay on the pathway.

So who's lucky?

 

[SwissPete]

It seems that he fell in front of the horse and was in danger of being trampled by the horse. He avoided it by chance. The it is the horse.

 

[srk]

I'm too am certain that the sentence is meant to say that the man was lucky. I'm guessing that intokaos sees "...horse, being lucky..." and feels this invites confusion.

 

[intokaos]

so he was lucky in the sense that he could escape but anyways the horse tread him? thats what makes me doubt!

 

[intokaos]

I'm too am certain that the sentence is meant to say that the man was lucky. I'm guessing that intokaos sees "...horse, being lucky..." and feels this invites confusion.

Yes, exactly!

 

[srk]

What he escaped was the horse treading on him. The horse did not tread on him.

 

[intokaos]

What he escaped was the horse treading on him. The horse did not tread on him.

I got it now. Thank you very much, indeed.

 

[SwissPete]

To be honest, intokaos, I think the sentence could have been written better.
I am not surprised that you found it difficult to understand.

 

[intokaos]

To be honest, intokaos, I think the sentence could have been written better.
I am not surprised that you found it difficult to understand.

thank you

 

[hopefultoo]

The comma after horse makes the meaning clear. The explanations of the other contributors are correct.