No more talking cows?

[d^_^b 27]

I remember one episode in season 1 or 2 there was a cow in Ponyville who said hello to Pinkie Pie! She actually talked! Then one or two episodes in later seasons, including the latest one, "It Isn't the Mane Thing About You", the cows were more like farm animals, only making bovine sounds like, "moo". Am I the only one who found this out?

Sure, we have other talking 4-legged animals, such as zebras, donkeys, mules, buffalo, yaks, and of course ponies, but not cattle? Pigs, chickens, sure; they never have spoken before in the animated show. There was also one episode where goats only made goat sounds and only Iron Will understood what they were saying; they even had jobs. But one cow did speak, before. Sure, they have been on the show very rarely, but it still doesn't make sense to those of us who have been watching the show since season 1 to reduce cows to farm animals from another sentient race. Why not make cattle talk anymore?

Edited September 19, 2017 by d^_^b

[Pr0m4NV14 839]

If the cows were sentient,mp milking them... Would be complicated.

[Soaring Symphony 372]

On 10/5/2017 at 8:26 AM, Pr0m4NV14 said:

If the cows were sentient,mp milking them... Would be complicated.

I bet your glad you don't live in the "Ponies After People" AU where Earth gets flooded with magic, causing humans to turn into ponies and animals to get way smarter.

Edited October 10, 2017 by Soaring Symphony

[AlbaTross 1,586]

This discussion seems to be based around the show but I'll leave it here as it has the potential to expand into other media.  

For example, I can bring the comics into this discussion.  The show introduced sentient cows, and I hope that long barn outside of Ponyville where they supposedly live isn't where Ponyville gets its milk from as that's slavery.  Also, if Ponyville does it, do other towns and cities?  In The Good the Bad and the Ponies, which isn't a good comic by the way, we get to see what is likely the common fate of the bulls, given their fairly limited use in a world where they won't be eaten.  It's highly possible that the reason why that group of bandit bulls rides through towns demanding produce and attempted to secure ownership of a town and the local farm is because bulls can't integrate into pony society and thus have to do what they can to survive.  It's just part of my headcanon on why the hatred of ponies by other creatures may not be entirely unwarranted.

Anyways, to answer the OP question, the above is why I think we haven't seen the sentient cows since season 2.

[Tiny Hoofs 200]

On 05/10/2017 at 0:26 PM, Pr0m4NV14 said:

If the cows were sentient,mp milking them... Would be complicated.

I'm not so sure about that. I think all of the ponies on the show are herbivores, but eat eggs and dairy products. The chickens obviously provide the ponies with eggs, the cattle with milk, the sheep with wool and I think the pigs could sniff out truffles and mushrooms. I don't think any of the sapient animals are in slavery or anything. I think the cows and animals voluntarily provide the ponies with their services (e.g. milk) in exchange for shelter and protection; kind of like a mutual symbiotic relationship.

The cows appear to have a degree freedom and independence. We've seen Daisy Jo roaming about Ponyville like the donkeys.

I love seeing non-pony animals which are sapient, especially when they're other hooved animals. I'm really hoping the deer from the comics also appear on the show.

[Castle Bleck 19,341]

On 2017-10-15 at 12:00 PM, Tiny Hoofs said:

Come to think of it, she's underratedly adorable.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Even Evil Has Standards

[EpicEnergy 23,214]

Because the writers forgot about talking cows 

I mean there could be cows who talked and some cows who didn't, and that the talking cows left Equestria in favor of finding a more suitable land for them.

[Tom Gallagher 33,581]

I think they forgot about them. 

[Megas 27,610]

Either they forgot or no one bothered to do their homework during the later seasons. That last one is probably the most likely