Teenage rider trains cow to act as horse

Hours of training, and tons of treats, cajoling and caresses later, the results are impressive – not only do the two regularly go on long rides through the southern German countryside, they do jumps over a makeshift hurdle of beer crates and painted logs.

“She thinks she’s a horse,” Regina explained, as she sat on the brown-and-white cow.

It all started about two years ago, shortly after Luna was born on the Mayers’ farm in the hamlet of Laufen, minutes from the Austrian border. They started off with walks in the woods, then Regina slowly got her cow more accustomed to human contact and riding equipment.

About six months later, it was time to see how Luna would respond to a rider on her back. Regina sat in the saddle and all went as planned – at least at first.

“She was really well behaved and walked normally,” said Regina. “But after a couple of metres, she wanted me to get off. You could see that she got a bit peeved.”

Luna and Regina are now soulmates, spending most afternoons together once the teenager – who hopes to become a nurse – gets back from school.

Their extensive routine involves grooming, jumps and a one-hour ride.

Now, Luna understands commands such as “go”, “stand” and “gallop” – if she feels like it.

“When she wants to do something, she does it, when she doesn’t, she doesn’t,” said Regina, who proudly says Luna thinks of her as her mother. “And she’s often very headstrong but can also be really adorable.”

Luna’s stubborn streak meant that teaching her pony tricks was not always easy, Regina said, saying she sought tips from a cow expert in Switzerland on how to deal with “steering” problems.

Anne Wiltafsky, who trains cows near the Swiss city of Zurich, said historically it was quite common to use cows as workhorses.