The Wrong Horse

THE STORY is told of Farmer Dale and Farmer Pete. These were two neighbors. They really did love one another as neighbors and as fellow farmers; however, these two would always compete with one another.

Every year they would enter some kind of competition where one would seek to outdo the other one. The problem was, Farmer Pete always won. Farmer Dale never won. Farmer Dale got tired of losing to Farmer Pete.

He decided to come up with something he could win at. They both had horses on their farms. So Farmer Dale challenged Farmer Pete to a horse race to see which horse would win for that year’s competition. What Farmer Pete didn’t know was that Farmer Dale hired a professional jockey to ride his horse, figuring that would give him the edge, the little extra that he would need.

The race started and the two horses shot out. Farmer Dale’s horse took the lead. Farmer Dale thought that finally he was going to beat Pete at something.

As they hit the stretch ready to bring it home, the horses’ legs got tangled up with one another and both horses fell over. Both jockeys fell over. Both farmers were hollering, “Get up, get up!” Farmer Dale’s jockey, the professional, was the first to get up.

He got on the horse and started riding again, and right behind him was Farmer Pete’s jockey. He got on his horse and started riding again. They crossed the finish line and Farmer Dale’s jockey crossed first. He was ecstatic.

He was laughing and dancing and then he looked and started crying. Farmer Pete said, “Dale, why are you sad? You won! You’ve been trying to beat me all these years.

You’ve never won, but today’s your day! You shouldn’t be sad!” Farmer Dale looked at Farmer Pete and said, “My jockey got on the wrong horse.” His jockey had crossed the finish line, riding the wrong horse.

Wouldn’t it be tragic, after going as hard and fast as you could in this life, to cross the finish line into eternity only to discover that you were riding the wrong horse? Wouldn’t it be tragic after you’ve done the best you could, after you had tried as hard as you know how to try, after you had sung, and gone to church, and tried to treat your neighbor right, and did the best you could, to cross the finish line laughing only to start crying?

Wouldn’t it be terrible to realize at the end of your life here on earth that you crossed the finish line riding the wrong horse?