Saddle up a Holstein in Switzerland

New Cow Trekking Tour Gives Participants a Taste of Swiss Rural Life

Oct 22, 2008

Switzerland is known for cows, cheese and stunning landscapes. For a taste of this rural way of life, spend a day enjoying the scenery on the back of a cow. Yes, a cow.

Horseback riding, camel riding and even elephant trekking are becoming common place, but there are not too many places to saddle up a Holstein.

The Tour in a Nutshell

At the Bolderhof farm in Hemishofen, located in Eastern Switzerland, groups of four to eight people can get a taste of life on the farm with the $150, four-hour cow-trekking tour. Participants will get a chance to bond with their cow by grooming and preparing it for the ride. This is an important part of the process because the cows need to be comfortable with the rider or it won’t allow him or her to mount.

Led by Heinz Morgenegg, owner of the farm, the group carves out a path over the 60-acre farm to ride alongside the Rhine River, which cuts through the property. Midway through the ride, the group stops to picnic alongside the river, enjoying produce, beef and juice from the farm.

According to Morgenegg the idea for cow trekking came from his young daughter who complained when she had to wait in a long line for a camel ride at a fair. He jokingly suggested that she ride one of their cows instead, and then thought that the idea wasn’t half-bad. He tested it out and the farm began offering the tour last winter.

More Fun on the Farm

For people who want to continue the farm experience, many overnight options exist at Bolderhof. Families with young kids will get a kick out of sleeping in the hayloft. Twenty-nine dollars gets you a place in the straw, blankets and breakfast the following morning. For those who don’t want to rough it, dorms and apartments are also available.

On the farm guests can help with the morning chores, sign-up for a cheese-making workshop or explore the many bike and hiking paths in the area. Children are amused by a variety of farm games including “shoot the boot,” where the goal is to toss a boot by launching it through your legs and over your head.

The farm, which has been in Morgenegg’s family for 45-years has been 100 percent organic for 11 years. The onsite restaurant is one of only 20 in Switzerland to be certified fully organic.

“The farm is a special experience,” said Morgenegg. “It’s very Swiss.”

Practical Tips for Planning a Farm Day or Stay

The copyright of the article Saddle up a Holstein in Switzerland in Switzerland Travel is owned by Dena Braun. Permission to republish Saddle up a Holstein in Switzerland in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.