by Pam From Hell

Created on: April 14, 2011

Romping Cows

Scenic mountain views in Virginia can take your breath away. Endless fields of corn, bales of hay, silos, barns, tractors and farm equipment dot the landscape. Summery haze periodically blots out the mountain tops and lazily curls around trees and farm houses. As we drove down winding country roads I couldn’t help but notice what a different world this was, far from the city and suburban life I was so accustomed to. This was a tranquil scene of country life, back to basics, back to nature. 

Suddenly, several cows came loping into view, and I was startled because I had never seen a cow run before. Actually I’d never seen cows do much more than just stand around. They stood clustered around trees, clustered around the food trough, clustered near the barns, clustered in groups in the fields, and some even clustered around in the shallow ponds keeping cool in the summer heat. But they usually just stood there. They weren’t exactly sprinting around the fields doing relay races. But this group of cows must have had a burst of unexplained energy, because they were actually running, like they had a reason or a destination. Where could they be going that they would be on a schedule? Did they have to be somewhere other than the field? Were they late? How would they know if they were late? Why would they have any sense of urgency to do anything other than stand around all day? Nobody was herding them, or prodding them to run, they were just running around on their own. 

Maybe they were just running for the fun of it?  Were they simply romping cows? Were they showing off to the other cows like “Look at me – I can run and look cool and you just look boring and lazy?” Or were they trying to get somewhere before the other cows did, like getting to the food first, or the best place to sleep? Maybe these cows knew something the others didn’t, such as the first cows to the barn get an afternoon treat? The other non-romping cows seemed to care less that this rambunctious group was making the rest of them look pretty damn lethargic. So what motivated this particular group of athletic, romping cows? 

After awhile, I realized this was very possibly a question that would never be answered. The romping cow phenomenon will remain a mystery … at least to me. I will prefer to believe that they are happy, romping cows, running just for the joy of feeling the wind in their hair, and keeping the flies, gnats, and various farm bugs off of them. They were getting exercise … or training for a “cow-athon” so they could make their fellow romping cows proud. 

For whatever reason, the romping cows will forever remain one of my fond memories. I will find it hard not to look at a burger or a steak and wonder … was this a former romping cow who just didn’t train hard enough?

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