The Poetry of Brian Langley
Not Just the Drovers Horse
You may sing of the drover’s companion
That carried him far, far from home.
For months at a time they would travel,
Together the country they’d roam.
As they moved all the sheep and the cattle
To places the grasses grow sweet;
Then moving them down to the saleyards
All fat so there’ll be lots of meat.
You may tell of the sure footed pony
As he raced down the mountains at speed;
As one with the stockman who rode him;
Together, the man and his steed.
As they followed the wild bush horses
Through scrub where no horses should go.
Crashing their way through the mulga,
Where the Snowy and Jindabyne flow.
You may write of the thoroughbred racer,
As he surges away from the gate
Then settles to run the whole distance,
With a burst at full speed down the straight.
To take on the favourite and beat him;
To win by a very short nose.
It’s races like that that are legends,
That are set down in poems and prose.
But for all of the telling of stories
Of the horses the jockeys ride hard,
And those of the drovers out droving
And the stock horses down at the yard.
There’s many who’s roles are forgotten
With hardly a mention at all,
They too are the ones we should sing of
They too helped our country stand tall
This poem has a further six verses which may be read in "Driving in the Outback"
