After a thorough examination of the lyrics to the song “Home on the Range,” it can be concluded that the animal not mentioned in the song is a horse. While the song paints a vivid picture of the American West, with its vast prairies and diverse wildlife, horses are conspicuously absent from the narrative.
The song’s focus on cattle and cowboys, along with mentions of other animals like antelopes, buffalo, prairie dogs, rattlesnakes, coyotes, hawks, eagles, deer, elk, and birds, creates a comprehensive representation of the region’s fauna. However, the absence of horses, which played a crucial role in the lives of cowboys and the development of the American West, is an intriguing omission.
This omission could be attributed to various factors, such as the song’s focus on the pastoral aspects of the West or the desire to create a more concise and lyrical arrangement. Regardless of the reason, the absence of horses in “Home on the Range” stands out as a notable deviation from the song’s otherwise detailed depiction of the Western landscape and its inhabitants.