Talk:Cow tipping

Semi-protected edit request on 21 July 2023

Change from: "These claims, to date, cannot be reliably verified,[5] with Jake Swearingen of Modern Farmer noting in 2013 that YouTube, a popular source of videos of challenges and stunts, "fails to deliver one single actual cow-tipping video".[32]"

To:"These claims, to date, cannot be reliably verified,[5] with Jake Swearingen of Modern Farmer noting in 2013 that YouTube, a popular source of videos of challenges and stunts, "fails to deliver one single actual cow-tipping video".[32] While several YouTube videos show examples of people taking down cattle, these involve pulling on the neck or legs of the animals, like steer wrestling, and not pushing the cattle over."

Jax0987 (talk) 13:09, 21 July 2023 (UTC)Jax0987 Jax0987 (talk) 13:09, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

 Done, but using different words. ~Anachronist (talk) 23:01, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

But why? Steer wrestling really has nothing to do with cow tipping. --ZimZalaBim ^talk 02:58, 22 July 2023 (UTC)

Because these are examples of getting a cow to fall to the ground from a standing position. I agreed with the proposal that it's a worthwhile and encyclopedic distinction to make. The article already includes a lengthy description of "casting" as a means to topple a cow, so why not a brief mention steer wrestling? It's just one additional sentence. I don't have a strong view on this, so in the spirit of WP:BRD I'll leave it up to Jax0897 to make a case for restoring the sentence removed by ZimZalaBim. ~Anachronist (talk) 14:34, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

Citation Needed request

First paragraph; fourth sentence

"The concept of cow tipping apparently developed in the 1970s, though tales of animals that cannot rise if they fall has historical antecedents dating to the Roman Empire." 2601:543:4200:DE0:4C94:9E86:A6D8:2E9D (talk) 22:50, 18 January 2024 (UTC)

Difficulty

The article makes the case that a single person tipping a cow is impossible. However, in pop culture it is often depicted as difficult. The most famous depiction of cow tipping is in Tommy Boy, where the title character fails to tip a cow. I can’t remember if he said that he was never successful, or had just succeeded once. Perhaps this is part of the myth. In fact, it sounds a lot like a prank in a similar vein to snipe hunting. Should this angle be added to the article? Tinynanorobots (talk) 13:26, 11 July 2024 (UTC)

Because the Tommy Boy article doesn't even mention this, I'd say no. Nevertheless, it is mentioned in Popular culture along with other films. ~Anachronist (talk) 16:45, 19 September 2025 (UTC)

Hazards of attempting cow tipping.

Should be mentioned that a person or persons attempting cow tipping at night are likely to find themselves in a herd of stampeding cattle in the middle of the night.

97.177.156.86 (talk) 11:45, 19 September 2025 (UTC)

Not unless you can find a reliable source reporting on this hazard. ~Anachronist (talk) 16:43, 19 September 2025 (UTC)

Distinction between cow tipping and steer wrestling

There are numerous examples of professional and collegiate athletes saying they've engaged in "cow tipping" when they really mean something more like steer wrestling. Although this Wikipedia article clearly indicates that cow tipping refers to pushing over a sleeping cow, it may be helpful to mention the difference between cow tipping, which there is no evidence of, and wrestling a cow to the ground which there is significant evidence of. CapitalPun (talk) 13:47, 1 November 2025 (UTC)