Her Parents Wouldn't Buy Her A Horse, So She Trained Her Dairy Cow Instead

December 29, 2016

At 11 years old, Hannah Simpson was told she couldn't have a horse because they are too expensive. So the farm worker from New Zealand decided to hop on the next best thing instead - a dairy cow.

girl trains cow to ride like horse

Now 18, Simpson and her seven-year-old Swiss Brown, Leila, have become a regular sight on their daily rides.

Here's a video, not the best but it'll do. #lovinglife #cowgirl #cowriding #nzfarming #farmgirl #cows #brownswiss #summerfun #outdoors #fun #riding #nz #ruralnz #nzfarmer #fedphoto #431am #dairynz #countrygirl #farmersweeklycomp #lifeofafarmer #dairyfarming #southland #farmlifeisthebest

A video posted by Hannah Simpson (@hanney_simpson) on Dec 28, 2016 at 1:24am PST

"Leila was only six months then and I was just a midget," Simpson said. "It was a dare from my brother to jump on and she seemed OK with it so we kept going."

One of her slightly rare speedy moments🐮 #lovinglife #cowgirl #cowriding #nzfarming #canteringcow #farmgirl #cows #brownswiss #summerfun #outdoors #fun #riding #nz #ruralnz #nzfarmer #431am #dairynz #lifeofafarmer #dairyfarming #southland #farmlifeisthebest

A video posted by Hannah Simpson (@hanney_simpson) on Dec 28, 2016 at 1:09pm PST

"I have always loved jumping, I always wanted to do show-jumping on a horse," said Simpson. "And Leila was always jumping out of the cow shed when she was young so I think she likes it, too. We started her off with stepping over logs and it just got bigger and bigger."

Simpson has attempted to ride other cows without much success. Leila, she says, is undoubtedly "special."

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