A farmer had an old horse, that used to be a wonderful servant. Since the horse was so old, the farmer wouldn't feed him because he wanted him to die and didn't want to waste his food on the useless animal. He let him go and said, "I shall not take you back again until you are stronger than a lion."
The sad horse wandered around on it's own, lonely and cold. He met a fox in the woods while he was seeking shelter. The fox asked why the horse was down. The horse explained that he was old, and couldn't work, so his owner sent him off and wouldn't take him back until he was stronger than a lion. He told the fox he didn't think there was any chance he would do that. But the fox offered to help.
The fox told the horse to lay down and play dead. The fox went to the lion nearby and told him about the dead horse, and how it would make a great meal. The lion followed the fox to the "dead" horse. The fox told the lion he would tie him to the horses tail, so the lion could drag the horse back to it's den, and eat it easily. But, the fox tricked the lion and actually tied the lions legs together.
The horse jumped up and started running, dragging the lion behind. The lion roared behind him, but the horse was determined to get to his master's home with the beast. The master was pleased with the horse, and fed him anything he could imagine.
Grimm: The Fox and the Horse Bibliography
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