You’ve got to give this girl credit for thinking outside the box and making the best of what she had.

When 15-year old Regina Mayer’s parents wouldn’t buy her a horse, she drafted of the heifers on her parents’ farm in Bavaria for the job. Luna, named after the cow who jumped over the moon, has lived up to her namesake — she shows some talent over fences!

Regina began the training two years ago by taking Luna for walks in the woods led by an increasingly long line attached to a halter. After six months Regina started to saddle her up. While Luna can be stubborn, with patience and tact Regina now has her own cow pony — she regularly goes for long trail rides and even jumps Luna over fences up to a meter in height. For all you bitless bridle supporters, yes, Luna is ridden in a simple sidepull design!

Jumping cows is not a new phenomenon. Cows can certainly be trained and they are especially susceptible to bribery. According to Anne Wiltafsky, who trains cows near the Swiss city of Zurich, cows are very devoted to people they like. I’d say that Luna looks pretty pleased with herself.