Madison County couple trains cows for events and therapy work

Smile Center Orthodontics traded traditional marketing for something more memorable on July 7, bringing therapy Highland cows to its Invisalign open house.

The Edwardsville practice partnered with Powers' Highland Haven, a new Metro East business that brings trained Highland cows to community events. The appearance was one of three stops that day for Amanda Powers and Hayden Powers, who had already visited The Goddard School and another local event before arriving in Edwardsville.

"We started the business about 14 weeks ago, but we're already booked into 2027 for weddings," Amanda Powers said. "Barn weddings are a really big thing right now."

The couple offers appearances at birthday parties, weddings, baby showers, school events and community events, capitalizing on the growing popularity of Highland cows.

"'Holy cow I'm one' is the biggest birthday theme for one year olds," Amanda Powers said.

For Amanda Powers, the business has always been about more than entertainment.

A sixth- through eighth-grade special education teacher who has a psychology degree, Amanda Powers completed Illinois animal-assisted therapy certification so the cows could eventually work alongside children with special needs.

"My ultimate goal, when I got these two, was to use them for animal-assisted therapy," she said. "What I would really like to do is partner with a therapy office that offers art therapy and multimodal sensory therapy for kids and co-treat with other resources. That's my ultimate goal."

The couple has already begun that work, participating in autism-focused events and partnering with a Madison County foster care agency that serves children with special needs.

To prepare the calves, Amanda Powers said, the couple intentionally exposes them to loud, unpredictable environments rather than shielding them from noise.

"People are always like, 'Be quiet around the cows,'" she said. "I'm like, 'No, yell.' I don't want them to be afraid of anything."

Amanda Powers said that training has paid off.

"We've gotten them so docile that they can be around kids who are flapping and stimming and screaming," she said.

The idea of raising Highland cows began as a long-running conversation between the couple. Amanda Powers said she spent nearly a decade trying to convince her husband to buy one.

"That was the only one I was going to buy," she said, pointing to a rust-colored bull. "Then he went to the farm, and the kids were dying for this one."

Hayden Powers laughed as he recalled meeting the second calf.

"He was a day old, and he jumped in my lap," he said. "I was like, 'Yeah, we need him, too.'"

A growing demand for cows

The family now owns three Highland cows, a decision Hayden Powers joked follows an old family rule.

"The old joke was on our farm: If our kids give them a name, we don't get to sell them or eat them," he said.

The couple purchased their cows from Harris Highlands in Bethalto, a breeder Amanda Powers credits with helping them learn how to care for the animals.

The cows, which Amanda Powers said can weigh up to 500 pounds as adults, can provide calming sensory input for children through their size, gentle temperament and willingness to cuddle, Amanda Powers said. At public events, they also pose for photos with visitors.

"You could sit right in front of his face, put your butt right underneath him," Hayden Powers told one child during the event. "He'll put his head right on your lap."

Amanda Powers said demand has grown quickly across the Metro East, particularly in Edwardsville, Collinsville and Troy.

"We also did the Troy Farmers Market in the last couple of weeks, and both of them had two-hour lines just to pet them," Amanda Powers said.

She attributes the popularity partly to the animals' distinctive appearance and the broader trend of Highland cow-themed merchandise.

"I think part of it is the novelty," she said. "They're a good-sized expense to purchase, and you have to have land, so it's not like a super-cool dog where maybe you can get one."

The idea to bring the cows to Smile Center Orthodontics came after two employees at the practice attended a "Pet-a-Cow" event in Alton last Christmas.

"Over Christmas there was a Pet-a-Cow in Alton, and they loved it so much," an employee said. "We thought, 'We should see if cows can come to us.'"

The event was intended to draw visitors to the orthodontic office's annual Invisalign promotion. Dr. Renata Regalado, who has operated Smile Center Orthodontics in Edwardsville since February 2007, said the practice looks for new ways to engage the community after nearly two decades in business.

"We wanted them to come here for our event," Dr. Regalado said. "We want to promote smiles at seven. So today, July 7, we try to do that every year."

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