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Speaker 1: Yeah, Hello, My name's Josephine and this is the Animal

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Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.

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There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,

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with a third premium only story every Friday. Please continue

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to share Animal Tales with your friends and leave reviews

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where you can. Twenty twenty six is the year of

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the Horse in the Chinese calendar, so we've put together

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a fable about a horse for you. You can learn

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more about these creatures in the Animal facts after the story. Okay,

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are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin the Horse's

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place in the world. Humans are a lion on many animals.

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In day to day life. We have animals for food,

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and animals as pets, and animals that help us with work,

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and all of them fit into their little rolls perfectly

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suited for whatever it is we need them to do. However,

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this wasn't always the case. All animals were once wild

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and free. Back then in ancient China, humans were starting

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to build farms to tend to the earth and grow crops.

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But it was hard work and the humans grew tired,

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felt cold and lonely in their homes and had to

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fight to stop their crops from being stolen by vermin.

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Frustrated by this, one farmer went to the spirits of

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the forest and asked for help. He needed six things

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to make his life easier. Comfort, labor, exercise, security, transport,

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and a leader to keep them all in check. The

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spirits listened and agreed to grant his request. They promised

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to send six animals to help him. A chicken, an ox,

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a dog, a cat, a rat, and a horse. The

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one condition was that it would be up to the

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animals to choose in which way they would help the farmer.

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All right, every one, snorted the horse. Once the spirits

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had gathered them together. We have some very important decisions

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to make. Are we going to put it to a vote?

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Asked the chicken. Can't we just go home? Muttered the rat.

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Whatever I do I want to do lots of running,

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declared the dog. The animals started to talk over one another,

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making demands and getting nowhere. The horse stamped his hoof

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and called for silence. Eno uugh, he said, sternly, we

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should feel honored to have been chosen by the spirits

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of the forest. They could have chosen any one. The monkey,

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the tiger or even the dragon. But they chose us

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and we should be grateful. The other animals muttered apologies,

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except the rat, who folded his arms and scowled. Let

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us look at the farmer's needs one at a time,

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the horse continued. The farmer said, he requires comfort. I

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think this would be perfect for the dog or the chicken.

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Me fretted the chicken. What if I do something wrong.

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I can't run around and give comfort at the same time.

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The dog protested, not fair. The cat cried, I'm warm

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and soft, and my purring makes every one feel good.

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I want to bring the farmer comfort very well. The

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horse relented. I suppose that does indeed work. Now. The

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farmer requires help with labor. There's lots of heavy work

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that needs doing on his farm. I'll do it, the

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dog said, his tail wagging. I'll be running back and

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forth all day, being busy. Slowly and surely, the animals

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divided up the tasks. The horse suggested the ox for security,

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but the rat claimed it for himself. Instead. The ox

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chose to help with transport, while the chicken nervously offered

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to be the leader on the farm. Nobody was keen

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on helping the farmer with exercise, so the horse was

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left with that, and so, with the jobs decided, the

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animals went to join the farmer at their new home.

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The farmer was delighted when they arrived, greeting them with

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food and water. The cat, responsible for comfort, immediately got

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to work by curling up on the farmer's lap. Meanwhile,

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the chicken strutted back and forth, worrying about what she

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should say and do. As for the rat, he slipped

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away the first moment he could, disappearing into the shadows

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of the house. Only the horse noticed him go. The

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first week was always going to be awkward. As the

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animals settled into their rolls, the cat seemed to prefer

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her time alone, the dog often got distracted, and the

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rat was nowhere to be seen. The horse focused on

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trying to help the farmer with his exercise, encouraging the

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human to run with him through the meadows, but the

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human struggled to keep up with a galloping horse. Then

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one day, the farmer announced he had to take his

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crops to the market. The ox, responsible for helping with transport,

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went with him. With the farmer gone, the horse realized

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that he had some free time to do as he pleased,

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so he chose to take a walk around the farm.

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He was very impressed with what the clever human had

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achieved by himself. There was a big barn at the

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yard's end, where all the harvested crops were stored. The

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farmer had spoken proudly of this place, and now the

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horse was keen to see this marvel for himself. The

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heavy barn doors groaned as the horse pushed them open.

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He expected sacks of food, hay stacked in the corners,

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and rice wine saved in barrels, But this was not

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the sight that greeted him. The barn was full of rats,

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beady eyed and sharp tooth. They scattered as the sunlight

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came flooding in through the open doors. Their large bellies

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were full of stolen food, and they struggled to escape

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through the holes. They'd arrived by rat. The horse bellowed,

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what is the meaning of this? The rat, who hadn't

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been seen at all since arriving on the farm, glared

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down at the horse from a wooden beam overhead. I

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never asked to be a human servant, the rat snarled.

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I don't want a job, I just want to eat,

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as do my brothers and sisters. And now that we

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know that human's farms have so much food, we know

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just where to look. The rat laughed from the safety

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of his perch, as the horse stamped his foot with anger.

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You have betrayed us, rat, the horse declared, But the

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rat only laughed as he disappeared into the shadows of

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the barn. Irritated by the rat's trickery, the horse marched

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from the barn, snorting with anger and shaking his head.

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What is all this stomping about, yawned the cat, who

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had been snoozing in a patch of warm sunlight on

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the farmhouse's step. Rat has turned against us, said the

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horse angrily. He has invited his friends to steal the

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farmer's food. He will undo all our hard work, and

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the farmer will send us back to the wild. What

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do you expect me to do about it? Said the

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cat lazily. You're small and nimble enough to go in

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the barn where I cannot. The horse said, you could

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catch him. Can't somebody else do it? The cat yawned sleepily.

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I'm busy. No you're not, said the horse. You're supposed

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to bring comfort to the farmer, not just be comfortable yourself. Well,

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security isn't my job, the cat replied, get rat to

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throw himself out. Getting nowhere, the horse went to find

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the dog. He was in one of the fields trying

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to pull a plow through the muddy earth. The plow

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was extremely heavy and the dog had so far felled

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to make any progress. Dog, I need your help, the

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horse said. Rat has turned on us and cat is

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refusing to catch him. Could you talk some sense into her?

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I would, The dog panted, But that sounds like a

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job for whoever's leading the farm. My job is to

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help with the work. The horse looked at the unplowed

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field and the sweat dripping down the dog's forehead. I see,

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said the horse, And how's that going for you? Harder

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than I thought? But I'll get there, said the dog.

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At least I'm getting plenty of exercise. And so the

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horse went to find the chicken, which was no easy task.

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He eventually found her hiding in a basket. Chicken, the

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horse said, this farm is in danger. As our leader,

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you need to act. The chicken poked her head from

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the basket and said, oh, I don't think so. Nobody

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listens to me, I wouldn't even know where to start.

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Luckily for the chicken. At that moment, the ox and

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the farmer returned. While the farmer headed into his house,

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the horse rushed up to the ox. Thank goodness you're here,

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said the horse. I need your help. I've no time

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for that, said the ox grumpily. The stones on the

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road have hurt my hoofs, and the market was far

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too noisy. Some one bumped into me, so I bumped

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them back, and now the farmer is cross with me.

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Just then the chicken came barreling around the corner, chased

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by the dog. Leave me alone, the chicken cried, But

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the exercise is good for you, the dog replied, will

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you lock? Keep it down, shouted the cat from the step.

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I'm trying to have a nap. Why should you get

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to sleep all day? Complained the ox. As the chicken

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and the dog ran in circles around his feet. It

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was all too much for the horse. Quiet he bellowed, Clearly,

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this arrangement is not working. The spirits were wrong. We

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are not the right animals to assist the farmer. We

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may as well return to the wild, go back to

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living in the woods. The chicken gulped, and have to

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catch our own meals, the dog added, with no fireplaces,

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cushions or head scratches. The cat said, looking horrified, we

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must The horse said firmly. We're not helping the farmer

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at all. The field is unplowed, he's worried and tired,

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and the barn is full of vermin. We've failed, said

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the ox, hanging his head in shame. There was a

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moment of awkward silence as the animals came to terms

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with what had happened. Then the horse lifted his head

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and said unless The other animals looked up with hope

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in their eyes. Unless, the horse repeated, we switch rolls.

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We need to think of what helps the farmer the most,

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rather than what we want to do. I'm no good

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at plowing the field, the dog admitted. Perhaps I should

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take on the roll of exercise. I'd like two walks

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a day. Excellent, said the horse proudly. Any One else

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I could plow, said the ox. I'm strong, and the

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fields are quieter than the market. I suppose I could

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take on security. The cat sighed, flexing her claws. I'm

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best at catching vermin, after all, I'll take care of

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that rat good, nodded the horse. Chicken, why don't you

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handle comfort. Your feathers are soft and your eggs are tasty.

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I'm sure the farmer would appreciate it. I can do that,

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the chicken replied, and then perhaps I should take on transport.

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The horse concluded, I like riding along the roads. But

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there's still one task that needs doing, said the dog,

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with rat gone. We haven't covered leadership, the animals murmured nervously.

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All the rolls had to be filled, and yet all

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of the animals had a job to do. Who says

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one of us can't take two rolls, pointed out the dog.

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But if so, who maybe a vote? Then? The chicken suggested,

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all right, said the ox, I vote for horse. The

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horse was surprised to see everyone choose him, But why me,

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he asked. You've shown us that you're reliable and responsible,

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said the ox. You reminded us of our responsibilities, said

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the dog, and guided us through a serious problem, added

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the cat. You're a natural leader, the chicken finished, and

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so the rolls were swapped, and this time the farm

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ran much more smoothly. The horse was pleased to see

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that the farmer was happy and that his farm thrived.

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That's not to say there weren't problems, but the horse

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could see that each animal was doing its best, and

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without them, the farmer would have struggled, and it's been

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that way ever since. More fact, there are twelve animals

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in the Chinese zodiac, and the horse is number seven.

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Horses and horse like beings appear in many Chinese stories.

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In the story Journey to the West, written in the

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sixteenth century, one of the main characters is a white

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horse who carries a monk upon his back. In fact,

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the white horse is actually a transformed dragon. Winged horses

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called tianmar occur often in stories. Famous for their size

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and strength, They were often linked to the weather and

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activities in the night sky. We hope you enjoyed the

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story and thank you to all of you across the

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world for listening to it. Remember if you prefer your

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stories advert free, then please consider our premium service through

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Apple or Supercast for a tiny fee. The stories are

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advert free. Join us next time for another great animal tale.

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Good Bye,