# Horseshoe in a boxing glove -- how'd this rumor start? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2016, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888 "2016-02-12T01:48:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888/21 "2016-02-18T05:39:02Z")
“The streets of cities were littered with dead horses” > [@tracer](#): > > [Citation needed] > [@JOEL A. TARR - American Heritage Magazine – October 1971](#): > > "In 1880 New York City removed fifteen thousand dead horses from its streets, and as late as 1912 Chicago carted away nearly ten thousand horse carcasses. " > **[URBAN POLLUTION-Many long years ago - CARRIAGE HORSE History - Coalition for...](http://www.banhdc.org/archives/ch-hist-19711000.html)** > > Coalition for New York City Animals ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888/22 "2016-02-18T06:50:51Z")
I’m pretty sure that there’s a Tex Avery gag in which an upended glove yields a whole horse. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888/23 "2016-02-18T12:20:26Z")
[Tampering with the gloves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Lewis)is more a problem. If you remove the padding, the punches are harder and hurt more. Holding on to something, to make a fist also increases the force how hard you can hit without breaking your own hand, while at the same time hurting the opponent more. A horseshoe is in a rather useless shape for that purpose, however loading, hardened and tampering with gloves did happen and most likely still happens. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888/24 "2016-02-18T20:14:21Z")
Deleted post. Accidentally posted here. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888/25 "2016-02-18T20:20:01Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > “The streets of cities were littered with dead horses” > > [URBAN POLLUTION-Many long years ago - CARRIAGE HORSE History - Coalition for New York City Animals](http://www.banhdc.org/archives/ch-hist-19711000.html) _low whistle_ Dayum. Like abandoned cars, only smellier. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888/26 "2016-02-19T02:01:49Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > _low whistle_ > > Dayum. Like abandoned cars, only smellier. But I see on further examination (which I did not know), that in fact they had ready-response crews who tried to get them cleaned up and gone in 10-20 minutes, so they weren’t littering the streets very much, or for very long. Like tow-trucks, only smellier :!) Apparently, very much like tow-trucks. Tilt tray, horse-powered winch. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888/27 "2016-02-19T19:09:42Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Apparently, very much like tow-trucks. Tilt tray, horse-powered winch. Well, THAT had to be awkward for the horse. “Bob, nooooo! We just had lunch together yesterday! You can’t be dead!! … What do you mean, I need to winch him up here like some piece of road trash?!? Bob and I went through so much together! He deserves a proper buri-- oh, I get a sugar cube? Well, okay then! Nothing personal, Bob.” \ ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888/28 "2016-02-22T14:52:21Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I’m pretty sure that there’s a Tex Avery gag in which an upended glove yields a whole horse. I vaguely recall that one too, but can’t provide a cite.:o ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888/29 "2016-02-23T01:25:52Z")
Oh, hey! Look what page just got added to TVTropes two days ago: > **[Weighted Gloves - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WeightedGloves)** > > It is a stock cheat in boxing for one to conceal something hard and heavy in one's glove. Classically done with a horseshoe. A character employing this tactic in non-professional contexts is probably a Combat Pragmatist. Interestingly, the point … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horseshoe-in-a-boxing-glove-howd-this-rumor-start/745888.md?page=1)