The racehorse that became a painter

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The racehorse that became a painter
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Warm-up

Have you ever seen a horse race? (Yes, I... / No, only on TV.)

Vocabulary Match

treatment -   - chose
compared -   - medicine
retired -   - board
canvas -   - matched
charity -   - aid organisation
adopted -   - stopped working

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

Metro was a famous racehorse but had to stop racing because of knee problems. His owner, Ron, ________ him in 2009. Ron tried to help Metro with special shoes and medical treatments, but the horse's knees kept getting worse. Ron was worried that Metro would have to be put down.

One day, Ron had a unique idea. He noticed that Metro liked to move his head up and down and pick things up with his mouth. Ron, an artist himself, thought that maybe Metro could learn to paint. He taught the horse to touch a ________ with his nose and hold a paintbrush in his mouth. To Ron's surprise, Metro started to make up and down strokes with the brush.

Ron started to sell Metro's paintings in a local gallery. People ________ his style to the famous painter Jackson Pollock. The paintings sold well, and the money helped pay for a new ________ for Metro's knees. The treatment worked, and Metro's health improved.

Now, Metro paints regularly in his own studio in the barn. "He loves to paint," says Ron. "I don't think he'll ever get tired of it." Half of the money from the paintings goes to a ________ for ________ racehorses.

Quiz

  1. Why did Metro have to stop racing?
  2. What unique idea did Ron have for Metro?
  3. How did the money from Metro's paintings help him?
  4. What does Metro do with half of the money from his paintings?

True or False

  1. Metro was a famous house before he started painting.  T  |  F
  2. Ron taught Metro to hold a paintbrush in his nose.  T  |  F
  3. Metro's health improved after the new treatment.  T  |  F

Conversation

A: Can you believe it, Metro is painting now!
B: Seriously? A horse that paints?
A: Yep, and his paintings are selling well.
B: That's incredible! How did he learn to paint?
A: Ron taught him. He noticed Metro liked to move his head up and down.
B: Wow, that's such a smart idea!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever seen an animal do something unusual?
  2. What jobs can animals do better than humans?
  3. Do you have an animal friend? If not, would you like one?
  4. Would you buy a painting made by an animal? How about an AI painting?

True Story Answers

Metro was a famous racehorse but had to stop racing because of knee problems. His owner, Ron, adopted him in 2009. Ron tried to help Metro with special shoes and medical treatments, but the horse's knees kept getting worse. Ron was worried that Metro would have to be put down.

One day, Ron had a unique idea. He noticed that Metro liked to move his head up and down and pick things up with his mouth. Ron, an artist himself, thought that maybe Metro could learn to paint. He taught the horse to touch a canvas with his nose and hold a paintbrush in his mouth. To Ron's surprise, Metro started to make up and down strokes with the brush.

Ron started to sell Metro's paintings in a local gallery. People compared his style to the famous painter Jackson Pollock. The paintings sold well, and the money helped pay for a new treatment for Metro's knees. The treatment worked, and Metro's health improved.

Now, Metro paints regularly in his own studio in the barn. "He loves to paint," says Ron. "I don't think he'll ever get tired of it." Half of the money from the paintings goes to a charity for retired racehorses.

Vocabulary Answers

adopted → chose
treatment → medicine
canvas → board
compared → matched
charity → aid organisation
retired → stopped working

Quiz Answers

  1. Metro had to stop racing because of knee problems.
  2. Ron thought that maybe Metro could learn to paint.
  3. The money helped pay for a new treatment for his knees.
  4. Half of the money from his paintings goes to a charity for retired racehorses.

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Further Reading

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39628629

More "True Story" Lessons

ESL Lessons: True Stories