2026 The Year of the Horse
As someone who spends time daily with horses, my take on the year of the horse is different from what is being circulated on social media. We have a lot to learn from the horse, but its not what most people would expect.
Horses love to kick their heels up, run, and jump around for no reason whatsoever. They love to have fun by moving their bodies freely to express their joy and happiness and playfulness with each other. Those pictures that you see of a gorgeous stallion running through a field are usually pictures of a horse having fun and running for the joy of running.
In my picture you see my chestnut yearling horse Clover with her best friend Lulubelle who loves to make silly faces for the camera. Lulubelle is one of the silliest animals I've ever known. Even though Lulu is a senior and Clover is a baby, these two love playing together, frolicking and galloping around together.
Horses are herd animals and are highly socially attuned to their herd. They show affection and have strong bonds with their friends. Horses also watch out for each other. Where I live in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, we have bears and mountain lions. I have three equines and I have never seen all 3 of them sleeping at the same time. When 2 are sleeping, the other one is standing watch for them allowing them to rest. They have each other’s backs and each one contributes to the safety of the herd.
When we feel supported by a herd, we feel free to rest and relax, and then we feel free to have fun, kick our feet up and express ourselves. I believe that when we feel supported, rested, and having fun, we are more able to move boldly towards our goals. We can accomplish so much more from this state of connection, relaxation, and joy than when we are feeling stressed, anxious, or unsupported. When you feel relaxed and playful, your energy flows naturally and you are able to achieve your goals with ease.
In many ways our culture glorifies hard work and struggle. Those of us who struggled early in life may even feel like life is supposed to be hard. For me as a dyslexic kid, reading was hard, school was a struggle and I had this sense that everything was supposed to feel difficult, that nothing could come easily to me. There is nothing wrong with hard work. It builds character and strength but our whole life doesn’t have to feel like a struggle if we don’t want it to be.
I believe that we humans have a lot to learn from animals and that’s why so many cultures have animals as symbols like in Chinese and Western Astrology. I think that the horse is teaching us that we will have the power to accomplish our goals easily and rapidly if we:
Live like a horse by cultivating a herd of mutually supportive relationships.
Allow ourselves the rest and relaxation that refresh our creativity and allow us to have fun and experience joy.
From this relaxed, playful state, we can accomplish our goals with the speed, grace, and power of the horse.
Some questions to consider:
Which relationships in my life feel safe and mutually supportive? How can I build on those feelings of mutual support and nourish those relationships? How can I build my herd of mutually supportive relationships?
How can I help create these feelings of “herd safety” in my family for my children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. so they feel supported?
Do I feel that the only way to accomplish goals is through struggle or stress? Could I actually be more productive if I felt safe, relaxed, and playful?
Do I feel safe enough to relax and have fun? Do I allow myself time to rest and play knowing that it will refuel me?
Wishing you a wonderful year of the horse!