Invercargill teenager saddles up and rides pet cow

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.

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

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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.

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.

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