Heren's Cow

The Heren��s cow is a traditional breed of cattle from Valais in Switzerland. Apparently they are the smallest breed of cattle in Europe, but they don��t feel like that when you are up close next to their stocky muscular bodies. They are quite feisty and you often see them locking horns. The H�ren��s cows have a highly combative temperament and display hierarchical behaviour which means they naturally lock horns as they journey to the high alpine pastures each spring, with the most dominant becoming the ���queen�� for the summer. In fact, since the 1920��s cow fighting events or ���The Combats de Reines�� are held between April and May in different regions of Switzerland annually. I originally photographed this cow above Marmotte in Verbier, Switzerland in the summer. The original photograph is also available!