What is cow tipping?

Answer 1

Cow tipping is a term that is probably invented by a country boy trying to impress his cityslicker friends. Cow tipping is probably also originated from tipping drunken cowboys for a laugh.

Technically, a group of kids get into a pasture or corral with some cows, sneak up on one and suddenly rush and push it over. Another method is grabbing the legs of the cow and heaving them out from under it.

Most people who don't really know about cow tipping are convinced that this is fact. In fact cow tipping is a myth, for several reasons:

1. Most cows weigh over 1000 lbs and stand over 5 feet tall

2. They are not inanimate objects that are easy to tip over

3. Cows are more agile and aware of their surroundings than most people think

4. Cows can respond to being pushed by pushing back, simply by bracing their four legs against the tippy two-legged slow-thinking creatures.

5. Cows do not sleep standing up

6. Cows can kick, run, jump, or charge and send a person flying over the fence with her head. They also happen to run faster than a human.

7. Cows can adjust their center of gravity simply by the way they stand or where they stand.

8. Cows have a lower center of gravity than humans

9. Not all cows are dumb enough to let a bunch of drunk, tittering teenage boys near them; most'll take off if they don't recognize any of the boys.

Cow tipping, often considered an urban legend, is a pastime allegedly common in rural areas in which participants sneak up on an upright sleeping cow and then push it over for amusement. There are factors which make the possibility unlikely at most; one such factor being that cows (as with most herd-prey animals) only take irregular naps throughout the day, often surrounded by awake members of the herd, making them almost impossible to sneak up on. One factor towards the likelihood of cow tipping being in existence is the fact that Florida considered placing a ban on the pastime, indicating that there is at least enough evidence in favor of cow tipping's existence to present legislation. Some variants of this urban legend state that the cow is then unable to get up. Basing on the cow's weight and body structure, calculations of the necessary force show that the tipping by pushing is physically impossible for a single person. Studies have shown that it would require four or five people, and it is unlikely that a group of that size could sneak up on a sleeping cow. The amount of force and feasibility of tipping would also be highly dependent upon the stance of cow at the moment. However cow tipping may work not through physical force, but rather the cow being startled into losing balance itself. Adding to this problem is the fact that cattle, unlike horses, do not sleep while standing.