Lunar New Year is on Feb. 17 in 2026, and that means the Snake will bow out in favor of the Horse. According to the zodiac legend, the speedy Horse was doing well in the Jade Emperor’s race to decide the calendar—until the Snake spooked him, claiming his spot.
Along with the Rat sneakily hitching a ride on the Ox, and the Tiger trying to eat the Rabbit, there’s cheating all over this race. In my opinion, the Jade Emperor should have disqualified half of these animals.
Horses represent freedom, speed, motion and moving forward. What’s more, 2026 is the year of the Fire Horse, representing intensity and passion. People born in the year of the Fire Horse are especially lively, smart, charismatic and enthusiastic. But also stubborn.
With this year’s theme of energy and motion, the obvious thing to watch for is burnout. Yes, horses only sleep in short bursts, often standing up, amounting to only two hours in a day. They sleep so little because they are prey animals, used to staying watchful. They sleep more in herds when they can rely on their friends, and in general their mental health is better when they have a herd or a companion animal like a goat or donkey. One lesson to take from horses is the importance of community.
Literature and history praise horses for their strength and nobility as workers, soldiers and companion animals. But some of the most beloved horses of story meet a tragic fate: Artax drowning in the swamps of sadness, Black Beauty enduring abuse while being treated like a machine rather than a living creature, and Boxer being exploited for his labor by two political systems.
This is the duality of horses: for all their strength, they are still prey animals. In 2026, let’s acknowledge our vulnerability and stay grounded in community even as we work hard to move ahead. And of course, let’s be kind to real horses and our other animal friends. (Even snakes: They’re more afraid of you than you are of them.)
