Girl Who Wasn't Allowed to Have a Horse Learns How to Ride a Cow Instead

When Hannah Simpson's parents said she wasn't allowed to have a horse, the then-11-year-old got creative.

She turned to one of the family's cows, Lilac, and jumped on her back.

Read: Meet Beryl, the 9-Month-Old Cow That Broke Into a Home and Made Herself Comfortable

Now 18, Simpson, of Southland, New Zealand, rides 7-year-old Lilac most days. Together, they race across fields and master jumps, as documented on Simpson's Instagram page.

"I didn't really teach her, I just jumped on and away we went," Simpson told InsideEdition.com. "I think she enjoys it. She loves going to new places like up the road, hills [and] creeks."

 

Here's a video of Lilac jumping, 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

Simpson, who works at a dairy farm, says she's tried to ride other cows, "but I've only had one other who could jump."

And even Lilac isn't the most perfectly behaved steed. She doesn't like to run too fast, and when Simpson tried to put a horse saddle on her, Lilac didn't like it. So Simpson now rides her bareback.

"She doesn't always behave but she's still awesome," Simpson said.

Read: Holy Cow! A 6-Foot-4-Inch Bovine May Take the World Record for Tallest of Its Kind

While Simpson admits she was a particularly adventurous kid and wouldn't necessarily advise other people to try riding cows, you could "if you have a semi-friendly cow," she suggested. "Then you could just try like I did."

And although Simpson now has her own horse, Lilac the Brown Swiss will always be her favorite.

"I kinda have always thought my cows are extra special," she said.

Watch: Family Shocked When Cow Gives Birth to Two-Headed Calf