The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupƍ
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikƍura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Invercargill teenager saddles up and rides pet cow

Tess Nichol
Reporter·NZ Herald·
29 Dec, 2016 04:45 AM2 mins to read
‌

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
As a child her parents said no to a pony so the now-18-year-old took matters into her own hands, saddling up her pet cow instead.

Invercargill teenager Hannah Simpson is a bit of a cowgirl - literally.

As a child her parents said no to a pony so the now-18-year-old took matters into her own hands, saddling up her pet cow instead.

"Her name is Lilac, I've been riding her six and a half years," Simpson told the Herald.

"I've always loved adventure and stuff like that. I wanted a horse and I couldn't have one."

It was Simpson's younger brother, Tim, who first suggested they give riding Lilac a go when she was six months old, and the young calf took to it well.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We just jumped on and away we went, there was no training. And she's got better the more I ride her," Simpson said.

View this post on Instagram

I love this cow💕 #christmasday #lovinglife #cowgirl #cowriding #nzfarming #farmgirl #cows #brownswiss #summerfun #outdoors #fun #riding #nz #ruralnz #nzfarmer #fedphoto #431am #dairynz #farming #farmersweeklycomp #lifeofafarmer #dairyfarming #southland #lifeoflilac #farmlifeisthebest #summer

A post shared by Hannah Simpson (@hanney_simpson) on Dec 25, 2016 at 2:55am PST

Lilac can jump, climb over fallen trees and loves to receive cuddles and scratches.

Simpson said she had tried to ride a few cows but apart from one other they'd all bucked her off.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Her friends thought she was a bit mad, Simpson said.

"I think they think I'm a little bit crazy. [But] I think they think it's kind of cool."

She has a horse now but still rides Lilac just as much if not more.

Simpson posts photos and videos of her bovine adventures to her Instagram account, where one photo was recently picked up by NZ Farming.

The photo was shared on NZ Farming's social media platforms attracting thousands of likes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Simpson has been working at a dairy farm for the last three months, getting up in the early hours for work only to come home and look after the cows on her family's lifestyle block as well.

"I don't mind though, I love cows," she said.

Simpson hadn't tried to ride any of the cows at work yet and said she probably never would, but had seen a few that she thought might be capable of it.

Hannah and Lilac on an adventure. Photo/ Instagram
Hannah and Lilac on an adventure. Photo/ Instagram
Save
    Share this article

Latest from The Country

OpinionKem Ormond

Kem Ormond: When life gives you lemons – make lemon curd

16 May 05:00 PM
Premium
The Country

The $3m ‘money mule’ allegedly kidnapped in kiwifruit tax scam set to be deported

16 May 05:00 PM
The Country

The bird‑sized spiders of Buena Vista, 1880

16 May 05:00 PM

Sponsored

The punch that eggs pack

13 May 01:24 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Kem Ormond: When life gives you lemons – make lemon curd
Kem Ormond
OpinionKem Ormond

Kem Ormond: When life gives you lemons – make lemon curd

OPINION: An update on what's happening in my garden, and what to do with a lemon surplus.

16 May 05:00 PM
Premium
Premium
The $3m ‘money mule’ allegedly kidnapped in kiwifruit tax scam set to be deported
The Country

The $3m ‘money mule’ allegedly kidnapped in kiwifruit tax scam set to be deported

16 May 05:00 PM
The bird‑sized spiders of Buena Vista, 1880
The Country

The bird‑sized spiders of Buena Vista, 1880

16 May 05:00 PM


The punch that eggs pack
Sponsored

The punch that eggs pack

13 May 01:24 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • NZME Digital Performance Marketing
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP