Combat des Reines (Battle of the Queens)

A swiss tradition like no other. The Combat des Reines or Battle of the queens takes place every year in the canton of Valais, where local Swiss cowboys bring their best Herens (Eringer) cows to combat to see who will be the queen of them all.

These cows naturally fight to determine who will lead and dominate the herd and even though, this is a competition, it is very organized by different weigh categories to protect the cows more. It is a fun competition, and unlike cock fighting, no cows are physically hurt except for their honor. No one induces the fights and many times the cows do not want to engage either, if the cow does not engage into fighting, then it is automatically disqualified until the last one standing gets to be called La Reine des Reines or The Queen of Queens. Check out these other websites for more information http://www.finale-cantonale.ch/ or http://www.fest300.com/festivals/combat-des-reines and enjoy these fun pictures and video.