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There was once a humble old farmer. He had all the animals and crops he needed, but would occasionally feel the urge to buy something new. One day, he decided to purchase two young horses in their prime. When he first met them, he said, turning to the first horse, "I'm gonna name you Rover!" And, looking at the other, he remarked, "And you'll be Dover." He took care of these horses well.
These were mostly ordinary horses. They were a common breed, had a normal weight, and didn't weren't much to look at. But the more time the farmer spent with them, the more he acknowledged their extraordinary speed and agility.
His wife regularly urged him to enter his horses into a competition, and eventually he gave in and entered them into a local race. Time passed, and the day of the race soon came. When he arrived, the farmer was startled to see that the other horses were bigger, prettier, and clearly more cared for than his. The race was beginning imminently, and the farmer was biting his soil-caked fingernails. "I shouldn't have listened to her," he muttered. "This is going to be embarrassing."
"Allllllrighty!" shouted the race announcer. "What you see here are fifteen of the finest horses in the whole county. Today, they compete to determine who's the fastest." The crowd was eager for action. "You'll notice we have some NEWCOMERS here today," the announcer continued, pointing at Rover and Dover, who both looked blander than ever in comparison to the others. The crowd chuckled at the poor appearance of the horses. The farmer covered his face and blushed.
"Weeell, let the countdown begin!" yelled the announcer. "5...4...3...2...1...and they're off!" As the gates flung open, the horses began rapidly racing around the tracks. They all did their best, but nobody could have guessed which horses would manage to find themselves in the lead.
"Well folks, I don't believe it!" the announcer interjected. "It appears that the newbies, Rover and Dover, are taking the lead! Who would've known?" The farmer, who was really not paying much attention to the actual race, heard this, and looked out upon the track in disbelief. His horses were really defying all odds. In shock, the old man rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
"Rover's in the lead, everyone!" the announcer continued. "But Dover follows behind so closely, folks! less than an inch-and passes Rover to take the lead! But now Rover takes his spot once more, and now Dover's in the lead,
"And now Rover,
"And Dover,
"And Rover,
"And Dover,
"And Rover,
"And Dover and-
"Wow! Rover wins by just a hair. What a race, folks!"
The crowd erupted with a cheer, as if they hadn't laughed at the horses minutes ago. The farmer stepped up to the stage to accept his award, still in a state of shock. "Do y'have any words, sir?" the announcer asked. "Well, I don't know what to say, but I will say this," began the old farmer. "I'm just as surprised as all of you." More cheering filled the air.
It didn't take long for word to spread that Rover and Dover were the best newbie racehorses out there. The farmer, after his wife insisted, began entering his horses into more impressive contests.
At their second race, the farmer, while much more confident than before, was still nervous because the horses at this competition were opponents even more formidable than the ones that Rover and Dover went up against previously. He even thought about pulling them out of the contest at the last second, for fear of them losing their reputation as great racehorses. But it was too late; the race was beginning.
"Well, everyone, I know many of you all are here to see Rover and Dover," said the announcer. The crowd cheered. "Well, just keep in mind that these horses have only been in a single race. It'll be hard for them for them to win against these guys." The farmer clenched his teeth as the other horses approached, fearing the worst.
"Let us countdown now," the announcer continued. "3...2...1...and there they go!" The gates opened and the horses rushed out. Once again, Rover and Dover proved themselves worthy.
"Looks like Rover's in the lead now," the race host continued. "But now it's Dover!
"And Rover,
"And Dover,
"And Rover,
"And Dover,
"And Rover,
"And Dover and-
"Wow! Rover wins by just a hair." The crowd exploded with cheering.
The farmer entered the two horses into more and more races, but every time, Rover would win by just a hair. Dover began to get jealous, thinking in his little horse brain:
Why does Rover always have to beat me? I always get second place, so clearly I'm capable, but I'm never the one who comes out on top. Rover ends up getting most of the attention.Rover and Dover continued to climb the ranks until one day, they entered the nationwide horse race. At this point, the old man was more of a celebrity than a farmer, and was well known in the horse racing community. When the big day came, he gave out autographs, and did an interview or two with the press about his horses.
His horses had changed greatly from when he had first bought them. They no longer looked ragged, but well-kept and photogenic. They had lost a little bit of the personality that made them who they were, though.
"The race is beginning," someone told the farmer. The old man took a seat and watched to see if Dover would finally win.
"Alright everybody," the announcer began, "let the games begin!" Everybody prepared themselves. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3...2...1...and they're off!"
The crowd watched attentively. "Looks like Rover and Dover are in the lead again, everyone," the host continued. "I'm afraid it's not much of contest, folks. They are the stars here. Rover's in the lead, now Dover,
"And Rover,
"And Dover,
"And Rover,
"And Dover,
"And Rover,
"And Dover and-
"Wow! Rover wins by just a hair." The crowd went wild.
The success of winning such a big competition, and the expectations that came with it were hard for the elderly man to handle in his old age. Soon after this, the farmer retired from both working with his land and from keeping his horses fit and running. Rover and Dover began to age, and they fell out of practice with racing. Well, at least Rover did.
Dover continued to run in secret, keeping in good shape while Rover sat around eating and sleeping. In fact, Dover grew better at running than he had been when he was actually competing in races.
Soon, Dover challenged Rover to a race. Rather than have a track, they simply raced each other to reach the fence of the whole farm. Rather than have a host and auidence, the only ones there to watch them were the birds and squirrels.
The race began with Dover in the lead, which had never happened before. This gave Dover hope of some sort that he might finally win. Then, Rover passed him, but not for long. Dover gained the lead again, then Rover, and Dover,
and Rover,
and Dover,
and Rover,
and Dover,
and Rover,
and Dover and, in the moment of truth...
Rover won by just a hair. Again.
Rover and Dover walked slowly back to the barn when a mutt emerged from a doghouse. "I don't get it," the dog interjected, "I just do not get it. Whenever youse two have a race, Rover always wins. Now what do you make of that?"
"Hey," Rover exclaimed, "I didn't know dogs could talk!"
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