A moo-ving experience! Farm-stay B&B offers ‘cow cuddling’ therapy with its bovines Bonnie and Bella
- The therapy sessions take place at the Mountain Horse Farm in New York state
- Sessions allow guests to pet and brush two cows for $75 a time
- The owners say the cows aren’t forced to interact with guests they dislike
Pull the udder one.
A sprawling farm-stay B&B set in New York state is offering ‘cow cuddling’ therapy.
The $75 sessions take place at the 33-acre Mountain Horse Farm, which is located in the stunning Finger Lakes region.
A holiday for moo-vers and shakers: A guest embraces one of the cows at the 33-acre Mountain Horse Farm B&B, which offers ‘cow cuddling’ therapy
Pull the udder one: As well as embracing the animals, guests also get the opportunity to brush and pet the cows
The hour-long sessions, for up to two people, feature the farm’s two cows, Bonnie and Bella.
As well as embracing the animals, guests also get the opportunity to brush and pet them, and meet some of the farm’s horses.
The farm is run by Suzanne and Rudi Vullers, who are originally from the Netherlands, where the unusual practice of cow cuddling is more common.
They say that the horse and cow experience at the farm is a ‘unique way of connecting, interacting, getting close, playing, learning, sharing space, finding wellness and having fun with our herd of horses and cows’.
How a-moo-sing: Guests are warned that the cows aren’t forced to interact with anyone they may take a disliking to
A moo-ving experience: The cow cuddling sessions are only planned for times which suit the ‘natural rhythm of the animals’
But the couple warns that the cows and their horses aren’t forced to interact with any guests they may take a disliking to.
Their website states: ‘When you spend time with them, you enter their space, and connecting with them is as much their choice as it is yours and when that connection happens it’s magical because it comes from a mutual desire.
‘Giving them that freedom and choice makes all the difference. Knowing that they can say yes or no, makes our horses and cows love their interactions with humans.’
The farm only offers up to two sessions a day on no more than four days each week.
The 33-acre Mountain Horse Farm is located in the stunning Finger Lakes region of New York
It adds that the sessions are planned at times which suit the ‘natural rhythm of the animals’.
Mountain Horse Farm has several accommodation options including rooms in the main Carriage House, the Lodge and glamping-style tipis.
The B&B is close to the stunning Bristol Hills as well as Letchworth State Park and various wine and beer trails.