Meet Lilac, the cow that thinks she's a horse

The Brown Swiss heifer can gallop, swim and jump

New Zealand is home to 10 million cows, but only one behaves quite like Lilac.

She is the Brown Swiss heifer that - seemingly - thinks she’s a horse.

Ridden by her owner Hannah Simpson, 18, Lilac can trot, canter, gallop and even jump around her farm near Invercargill, on New Zealand’s South Island.

Despite her bulky size, Lilac can leap over obstacles nearly 1.5 metres tall.

The dairy cow also enjoys swimming in the rivers which trail through the Southland countryside.

Lilac received no formal training after Ms Simpson first attempted to ride her aged 11 following a dare from her brother.

The cow, now six, was just a few months old at the time.

But despite being frequently ridden, Lilac doesn’t like saddles and Ms Simpson has to ride her bareback, as her instagram account shows.

And despite the frequent activity, Lilac still has a lazy streak.

“She is a cow and I can’t expect her to ride like a horse,” Ms Simpson told the Guardian. “Without a bit of prodding she wouldn’t really do anything, she has a very chilled-out nature.”

Ms Simpson continued to ride Lilac after her parents refused her a pony.

“I have always loved jumping, I always wanted to do show-jumping on a horse,” Ms Simpson told the newspaper.

“And Leila was always jumping out of the cow shed when she was young so I think she likes it, too. We started her off with stepping over logs and it just got bigger and bigger.”

Despite having been thrown from Lilac said she plans to continue riding Lilac and would never sell her “best friend”.