Meet Lilac, the cow that thinks she's a horse
The Brown Swiss heifer can gallop, swim and jump
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.New Zealand is home to 10 million cows, but only one behaves quite like Lilac.
She is the Brown Swiss heifer that - seemingly - thinks she’s a horse.
Ridden by her owner Hannah Simpson, 18, Lilac can trot, canter, gallop and even jump around her farm near Invercargill, on New Zealand’s South Island.
Despite her bulky size, Lilac can leap over obstacles nearly 1.5 metres tall.
The dairy cow also enjoys swimming in the rivers which trail through the Southland countryside.
Lilac received no formal training after Ms Simpson first attempted to ride her aged 11 following a dare from her brother.
The cow, now six, was just a few months old at the time.
But despite being frequently ridden, Lilac doesn’t like saddles and Ms Simpson has to ride her bareback, as her instagram account shows.
And despite the frequent activity, Lilac still has a lazy streak.
“She is a cow and I can’t expect her to ride like a horse,” Ms Simpson told the Guardian. “Without a bit of prodding she wouldn’t really do anything, she has a very chilled-out nature.”
Ms Simpson continued to ride Lilac after her parents refused her a pony.
“I have always loved jumping, I always wanted to do show-jumping on a horse,” Ms Simpson told the newspaper.
“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.”
Despite having been thrown from Lilac said she plans to continue riding Lilac and would never sell her “best friend”.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments