# Horses vs Stairs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horses-vs-stairs/368511>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 13, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horses-vs-stairs/368511 "2006-08-13T02:23:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aSaxon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f4b2a3/32.png) [@aSaxon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aSaxon)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horses-vs-stairs/368511/1 "2006-08-13T02:23:58Z")

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Are horses unable to traverse down stairs?

I have a number of friends who insist that horse or cow would become trapped if they climbed a set of stairs and did not have an elevator to ride down in. They always cite an example that just smacks of being an urban legend, that as a school prank at their friends high school someone under cover of night put a horse/cow on the second floor for the school staff to have to deal the next day. Then invariably the animal would have to be put down because they are unable to go down stairs.

Is there any evidence to suggest such a prank happened and resulted in this?

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**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horses-vs-stairs/368511/2 "2006-08-13T02:27:45Z")

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I’ve seen horses navigate stairs, like the marble stairs in front of public buildings. I don’t think a horse would become trapped by any set of stairs.

Cows are dumb, though. Really dumb.

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**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horses-vs-stairs/368511/3 "2006-08-13T03:04:20Z")

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I tried to look up a thread on it from a few months ago for a thread started a week ago on this exact question. 😃

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**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horses-vs-stairs/368511/4 "2006-08-13T06:31:01Z")

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We had [a thread on this exact same subject](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=382880) just a few days ago.

There is no doubt whatsoever that cows and horses can walk down stairs with ease.

The prank never happened.

The whole thing is an urban myth.

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**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horses-vs-stairs/368511/5 "2006-08-13T20:40:07Z")

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I second Blake, from first hand experience. Not too much fun, but definitely possible.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horses-vs-stairs/368511/6 "2006-08-13T20:47:23Z")

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**aSaxon**. Welcome. Since this one is part of a recent thread, please post anything further to that thread. The one to which **Blake** linked.

**samclem** GQ moderator