The Skittish Horse

There was a horse who was skittish, scared of any shadow.
The horse's owner sought advice from horse trainers about how to cure his horse's fears, but none of their methods succeeded.
Finally, he decided to try reasoning with the horse. "There's nothing to be afraid of," he told the horse. "The shadow is just a blockage of the light. They can't hurt you; shadows are just phantoms of your imagination."
"Hypocrite!" replied the horse. "I hear men talk of ghosts and goblins and demons. They're just phantoms of your imagination, but you fear them as if they were real!"

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Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 479.
Notes: This fable is not part of the classical Aesop tradition; I haven't found it in other sources.