The Dobbin: A Heartfelt Poem About Losing a Beloved Horse

The Dobbin, Cecilia Clark-Taljaard, Flash horse, horse poem, horse poetry, poems about horses, poems about losing a horse, losing a beloved horse, horse memorial poem, horse grief, horse loss, death of a horse, grieving a horse, saying goodbye to a horse, horse tribute, horse and human bond, emotional horse stories, senior horses, old horses, 37-year-old horse, retired police horse, police horse retirement, horse companionship, equestrian poetry, horse lovers, Eastern Cape South Africa, Canadian Horse Journ
Updated: 
November 10, 2026
Love of Horses

By Cecilia Clark-Taljaard

Submitted to Horse Community Journals by Cecilia Clark-Taljaard of Eastern Cape, South Africa, this heartfelt poem honours Flash, a beloved gelding whose long life included years of service as a police horse before finding a loving home for his final years.

The Story Behind the Poem

“Dobbin” is an affectionate, old-fashioned term for a workhorse, and the inspiration for this poem was Cecilia's 37-year-old gelding, Flash, who passed away following colic and a heart attack.

Flash had served as a police horse for 14 years before eventually becoming Cecilia's cherished companion. She cared for him for at least seven years, during which he would faithfully wait at the gate for her to arrive with a carrot — his favourite treat.

Cecilia was already a teenager when Flash was given to her by a woman who wanted to find him a good home. But the old gelding brought out the little girl in her who had always dreamed of having a horse of her own.

“He was indeed that dream horse,” she recalls.

The Dobbin

For an old friend

He stands at the gate,

Ears pricked forward, waiting

For the girl to placate

His hunger for a sweet thing

Many years old, he was,

Many jobs he had.

Policing the streets he was,

His riders protecting good from bad.

Then he remembered the sheep,

The farmer sitting on his back,

Turning back home with a sweep,

His hooves trotting clack, clack, clack.

Many years past,

He belongs to the girl now.

These years are his last –

She greets him with a bow.

So few years left with her,

He helps her smile grow,

Stands on her toes to feed him better,

Will she be tall? He won’t know,

Not until after

She laughs her last laugh,

His heavy head in her lap.

Tears running with her soft sobs,

She whimpers to God to give him back.

He left his limp, cooling body

And stared helplessly at the girl

Who loves him so.

Nickering soundlessly in her ear,

He felt her sadness grow.

“It’s not your fault,” he would tell her.

If he could speak, he would not lie.

To the heavens her Dobbin would wander,

Neighing a soundless goodbye.

— Cecilia Clark-Taljaard

Related: Love of Horses - Winston at Work

Related: Ringo Star - A Horse with Therapeutic Value

© 2026