Moo-d boosting therapy: This farm offers relaxation through unique cow cuddling sessions

You've heard of therapy dogs, but now there's a new breed of therapy animal on the streets. In the East Riding of Yorkshire, cuddly cows are the new sue shot way for relaxation.

Cow cuddling

In Arram's Dumble Farm, cow cuddling sessions have become a regular happening in the last nine months.

Once a dairy herd, the bovines are now popular therapy animals that sell out their weekend cuddling sessions well in advance.

"It's a gentle way to stop and relax," explains Fiona Wilson, head farmer at Dumble Farm.

How did cow cuddling start at the farm?

Dumble Farm, as per The Telegraph, is one of many farms in Britain that have become the victim of market forces.Just three decades ago, Britain had around 30,000 dairy farms. Today the number is less than 10,000.

"We didn’t have much hope for the future when we were milking and we’d become quite miserable in the last couple of years," said Wilson, as quoted by the Telegraph.

"We were stuck in a rut. Milk prices dropped dramatically while electricity was climbing. We were working 14 hours every day of the year and losing money. The cost of regulation is onerous. Unless you’re a corporate farm in a big milk-producing region, it's impossible to live like that."

In January 2022, the farmers decided to sell their dairy herd and diversify.

However, they could not rid of all the cows and kept some out of emotional attachment.They then decided to embrace cow cuddling, which had become something of a phenomenon globally.

"We started practising with the cows about a year ago and began inviting customers in during the spring," explained Wilson.

"It took a few months for the cows to get used to it, and get into the right routine so they were all sitting down at the right time," she said.

"Some people like that therapeutic thing of being around animals," said the head farmer, adding, "it's calming to sit next to them. Stroking them, grooming them: you can focus on it. It's a gentle way to stop and relax."

At Dumble farms, visitors get to spend 45 minutes sitting beside the retired dairy cows. They spend the time stroking and grooming the large, docile creatures.

Animals and therapy

In recent years, animal therapy has grown in popularity, with common pet animals like cats and dogs in the spotlight.

As per Rachel Harland, consultant psychiatrist and medical director of the Bristol's Priory Hospital, "There is a lot of evidence about animals being good for us."

"Hormones and endorphins are released when we're around animals, which make us happier. They lower your blood pressure and level out cortisol, the stress hormone."

(With inputs from agencies)