# Kate the Great and her little pony

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kate-the-great-and-her-little-pony/131433>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [October 8, 2002, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kate-the-great-and-her-little-pony/131433 "2002-10-08T21:13:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Arrowzona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/977dab/32.png) [@Arrowzona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrowzona)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kate-the-great-and-her-little-pony/131433/1 "2002-10-08T21:13:40Z")

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When I was at Yale in the '60s some Yale grad students of an earlier generation ('30s perhaps?) claimed to have originated the story of Catherine and her horse. I don’t know how far back the story goes, or if their claim has ever been verified.

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kate-the-great-and-her-little-pony/131433/2 "2002-10-09T05:41:42Z")

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Welcome to the SDMB, and thank thee for posting thy comment.  
Please include a link to Cecil’s column if it’s on the Straight Dope web site.  
To include a link, it can be as simple as including the web page location in thy post (make sure there is a space **before** and **after** the text of the URL).

Cecil’s column can be found on-line at this link:  
[Is it true about Catherine the Great and the horse? (17-Nov-1978)](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_109.html)

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moderator, «[**Comments on Cecil’s Columns**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1)»

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kate-the-great-and-her-little-pony/131433/3 "2002-10-09T15:59:07Z")

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The Straight Dope column says “There is some thought that Polish emigres might have invented it after her death to discredit her”, so tghe story must date from before 1930.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kate-the-great-and-her-little-pony/131433/4 "2002-10-09T17:39:29Z")

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Not necessarily, **Noodles**. It doesn’t say how _long_ after her death, after all. 🙂