This isn’t even a 10$ deal - this is just plain “dog in the manger”.
The horses in the stable want to feed on the hay in the manger, but the dog has crawled into the manger and made his bed there. When the horses approach the manger, the dog growls viciously at the horse nearest, and the horses go hungry. The dog cannot eat the hay itself, but prevents its consumption by those who have the most to gain by access.
An interesting conundrum. Nobody benefits, in the end.
The sparrows, dependent on the horse droppings, then go hungry as well.