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German Cow Trained To Ride, Jump
When Regina Mayer’s parents dashed her hopes of getting a horse, the resourceful 15-year-old didn’t sit in her room and sulk. Instead, she turned to a cow called Luna to make her riding dreams come true.
  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,” Mayer joked on a recent sunny afternoon as she sat atop the impassive brown-and-white jersey.
  It all started about 2 years ago, shortly after Luna was born on the Mayers’ sprawling farm in the hamlet of Laufen, just minutes from the Austrian border. They started off with walks in the woods during which Luna wore a halter. Then Mayer slowly got her cow more accustomed to human contact and riding equipment.
  About 6 months later, it was time to see how Luna would respond to a rider on her back. Mayer sat in the saddle, and all went as planned – at least at first.
  “She was really well behaved and walked normally,” says Mayer, decked out in riding gear. “But after a couple of meters, she wanted me to get off. You could see that she was a bit peeved.”
  Luna and Mayer are now soul mates, spending most afternoons together once the teen – who aspires to become a nurse one day – comes home from school. Their extensive routine involves grooming, petting, jumps and a roughly one-hour ride. That’s also the case in winter, when Mayer drapes a blanket over Luna to keep her warm. (Go to FarmShow.com to see a video of Luna in action.)


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2012 - Volume #36, Issue #3