From the groaners listserv, the author of this shaggy tale is unknown.

Each day a man walked into his stable to ride his horse, John. He would call out, “Hey there, John, old buddy, how’s everything today?” and then bridle his horse. One day while going through this routine he said, “Hey there, John…” when, to his surprise, the horse turned around and interrupted him!

He said, “For months now, you’ve walked in here and said, ‘Hey there, John, old buddy, how’s everything today?’ and I’m tired of it! You never wait for an answer, and besides, my name is Randy!” And with that, the horse took off running!

Shocked, the owner took off after the horse trying to catch it. Seeing the pursuit, his dog joined the chase. After a while the man became tired and stopped to rest at the side of the road. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his face as his dog, who had continued the chase, came back also now breathless, and sat down beside him.

The man wondered aloud, “I’ve never heard a horse talk before!”

“Me neither!” said the dog, gasping for air.