Once upon a time, in a quiet village nestled between rolling hills and green pastures, there lived an old farmer who was known for his hard work and love for horses. Over the years, he had raised 17 fine horses — each one strong, healthy, and loyal.
When the old farmer passed away, he left behind a will for his three sons. The entire village gathered to pay their respects, and the sons, with heavy hearts, unrolled their father’s final words.
The will read:
“To my beloved eldest son, I leave half of my horses.
To my middle son, I leave one-third of my horses.
To my youngest son, I leave one-ninth of my horses.”
The sons looked at each other, puzzled. They quickly realized they had a problem.
Half of 17? That’s 8.5. But they couldn’t possibly cut a horse in half.
One-third of 17? That’s approximately 5.67.
One-ninth of 17? That came out to 1.89.
They were stuck.
Tension began to rise. Each son argued his case, each one afraid he would be cheated out of his rightful share. Days passed, and no solution was in sight. The villagers began to whisper — would this family feud tear the brothers apart?
Finally, in desperation, they sought the help of an old friend of their father’s — a wise and kind farmer who lived on the edge of town. He was known not just for his knowledge of land and animals, but for his calm judgment and clever mind.
The wise farmer listened carefully, nodding as they explained the situation. Then he smiled gently and said,
“I think I can help. Let me lend you one of my horses.”
With that, he brought over one of his own horses and added it to the 17, bringing the total to 18 horses.
Now he said, “Let us divide the horses as your father wished.”
- Half of 18 is 9, so the eldest son received 9 horses.
- One-third of 18 is 6, so the middle son received 6 horses.
- One-ninth of 18 is 2, so the youngest son received 2 horses.
The total: 9 + 6 + 2 = 17 horses.
There was one horse left — the wise farmer’s own — which he quietly took back and returned to his farm.
The brothers stood speechless. Not only had the division worked perfectly, but there had been no need to harm a single horse. The tension between them melted into gratitude and amazement.
From that day on, the three sons worked together, honoring their father’s memory — and never forgetting the lesson they’d learned:
Sometimes, all it takes is a little extra perspective — and a generous heart — to solve even the trickiest of problems.
And so, the story of the 17 horses and the wise farmer became a legend in the village, passed down through generations as a tale of wisdom, kindness, and thinking outside the box.
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