You’ve probably already seen the story–the graceful pair has been a topic of talk on the Horses In The Morning online radio show and has been on the Yahoo! news reel. I’m talking about the creative German girl who had a cow when her parents refused to buy her a horse.

Regina Mayer, a 15-year-old from southern Germany, was like any other horse-crazy girl and begged her parents for an equine companion of her own. When her parents said no, she decided to go a different route–Luna, a brown and white dairy cow that was born on the family farm two years ago.

After the cow grew more accustomed to human contact (through daily walks with Regina), she was introduced to an English saddle and other riding equipment (I am especially fond of the splint boots–I wonder if those are custom?). Six months later, Regina threw her leg over Luna and slowly taught her the voice commands “go,” “stand,” and “gallop.”

Give the girl some props! She had the patience to patiently work with the bovine, finally building it up to jumping verticals that look to stand maybe two or three feet high. She even enlisted help from a cow expert in Switzerland for some behavioral issues. “She is often very headstrong but can also be really adorable,” Regina told The Sun