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This Seemingly Simple Riddle Has Everyone on the Internet Scratching Their Heads

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There’s nothing we love more than a good puzzle or brain teaser to help keep our minds sharp. A new riddle making the rounds on the internet will definitely put all your mental muscles to the test.

Posted in an online forum called Mumsnet, this riddle focuses on a horse — or more specifically, the very complicated buying-and-selling strategy of said horse. According to the original poster on the forum, quite a few people on social media websites got the answer completely wrong, and — as people on the internet are wont to do — were trying to justify the wrong answer to the crowd.

Take a look at the riddle for yourself below and see if you can find the right solution. Bonus points if you can spot what tripped so many people up.

horse math riddles

Having a tough time with this one? If so, you’re definitely not alone. Although it might appear simple at first glance, this riddle has a sneaky twist to it that can trip you up if you’re not following along closely with every step — and maybe if you forgot to take notes along the way.

As it turns out, the answer is that the man ultimately ended up making $20 as a profit. To see how that works, you need to take a look back at the first transaction he made; remember that he made $10 the first time around. Then, you have to separate the second (confusing) transaction into two parts; he bought for $80 and then sold for $90, so that’s another $10 tacked on, giving you the total.

As Hello Giggles reported, a big part of what confused a lot of people is that this (again, very confusing) man sold for $70 and then bought back for $80 — making it seem like he lost money instead of gaining it.

Give yourself a round of applause if you were able to solve it. And if, for some reason, this riddle was inspired by an actual series of transactions over a horse, we sure hope it was worth it for the man!

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