I don't think anyone has mentioned the horse songs composed by John Warner of Australia. Here's one of my favorites:

BLOSSOM, THE MINING HORSE
words: © John Warner 9/3/93; recorded on PITHEAD IN THE FERN
tune: Margaret Walters/Kim Poole 9/3/93

Now Blossom was a mining horse,
    Among the coal and slack,
Who hauled the skips with all her force,
    Get out of that, gee up you beggar,
    Come here, gee off, whoa back.

Wonthaggi miners all did know ...
What happened when Bloss refused to go ...

Now Bloss came out of the bord one day ...
Pulled to a stand and blocked the way ...

She had a full and heavy load ...
Of skips which blocked the wheeling road ...

Now Harry the wheeler cursed and cried ...
But Bloss dug in whatever he tried ...

With ears laid back our Bloss stood fast ...
No man behind in the bord got past ...

So Mac, who fired the shots, did say ...
"Let's eat, we could be here all day" ...

But, as the lads got out their lunch ...
The roof caved in with a deadly crunch ...

Our Blossom saved the miners all ...
She stood between them and the fall ...

And when the rescue team dug through ...
The lads were alive and Blossom too ...

Which goes to show, now and again ...
The mining heroes weren't all men ...

Unfortunately Warner's CD THE SEA AND THE SOIL is long out of print and it contains the beautiful "Horses of the World" and the related song "Farrier's Trade." Maybe some of our friends in Oz have already transcribed these two songs and will post the lyrics.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble