丙午 Fire Horse Year Part II: The Horse
Welcome to our continued exploration of the Fire Horse Year, which begins on February 17th, 2026. In Part I, we looked at the “Fire” of the Fire Horse. Today we will be looking at the Horse as symbol in Classical Chinese Cosmology and Culture. Understanding the meaning of the Horse is important to understanding the symbolism of the coming year, and our ability to take the Fire Horse by the reins!
Horse painting by 20th-century Chinese master Xu Beihong
Throughout history, the Horse was a powerful and revered animal in China. In the early Chinese dynasties, Horses were rarely used as draft animals to plow fields - an activity better suited to Oxen - instead Horses were put to use through riding. That is to say, Horses were used to get you where you were going, and fast! They were also valuable military assets, adding power and speed to attacks and maneuvers.
This role of the horse as a multiplier of force and speed is the essence of how the Horse is seen in the Chinese Zodiac, as well. Horses are associated with High Noon & Summer Solstice: symbolizing the peak of Yang energy. The Horse is an animal so full of vitality it can hardly be contained - and thus it needs to be put into action to direct that intense energy towards a productive end, or else it will become chaotic and destructive.
The Horse is a therefore primarily a symbol of acceleration: bringing desires and intentions into reality with a burst of speed and energy. This is classic “be careful what you wish for” territory: the Horse makes things happen quickly, amplifying everything, including mistakes! In the coming year when things will be moving very fast, it is doubly important to slow down, check our work and make sure this energy of the Horse is carrying us off-track from where we want to be. when intention is clear, the Horse is a wonderful ally, but Horses also startle easily, so when we are confused, rushed or stressed, the Horse will react in kind, and multiply the chaos.
Combining the fast and intense energy of the Horse “making things happen” with the Fire illuminating our deepest desires (discussed in the previous post), we can already see this is shaping up to be a dramatic year. In the final post, we will bring these elements together to talk about what Fire Horse energy will look like in the coming year, and how this energy has played out in previous Fire Horse years. Stay tuned!
- Dr. Paul Arellano
Are you are interested in learning about how the Fire Horse year will affect you personally? I offer Chinese Astrology readings where we take a deep dive into the resources and skills you have to draw on throughout your life, and follow-up readings to look at month-by-month map of the coming year, and how to best ride the energy of the Fire Horse for you personally - find out more below: