2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse – Celebrate by Horseback Riding in the Tri-State

2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse – Celebrate by Horseback Riding in the Tri-State

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2026 Is the Year of the Fire Horse

Around midnight on January 1, my feed filled up with posts saying, “2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. Better get to lunging.”

If you are not familiar with lunging, it’s a common exercise for horses. You attach a long rope, stand in the center, and ask the horse to walk, trot, and canter in a circle around you. It helps them learn skills, burn energy, and focus. People with "hot" horses often lunge before riding to take the edge off first.

Turns out, a lot of us might need a little pre-ride prep for 2026 too.

What the Year of the Fire Horse Actually Means

The Year of the Fire Horse, also called the Red Horse, comes from the Chinese zodiac and officially begins with the Lunar New Year on February 17, 2026. It is described as an intensely energetic period tied to passion, bold action, freedom, and transformation.

This combination only happens once every 60 years. The last Fire Horse year was 1966. These years have a reputation for being loud, fast, and full of momentum. They are about movement, big choices, and doing the thing even when it scares the people watching from the gate.

It is not a year that whispers. It runs.

Ash
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A Facebook Giveaway That Cracked Something Open

This morning, I saw a post from Molly’s Custom Silver, the business where I bought my daughter’s belt buckle last year. They are doing a Facebook giveaway where you submit a photo and story about a horse you have loved and lost for a chance to win a buckle. Genius marketing. Truly.

I have been a horse person my entire life, and I have loved and lost a few along the way. But I knew immediately the horse I wanted to submit.

His name was Stormy.

He was my heart horse. A grumpy old man my mom bought for me after I graduated from a particularly challenging pony. Stormy was the opposite of a fire horse. He was steady, level headed, and safe. Exactly what I needed at that stage of my life.

Writing his story forced me to face something I had carried quietly for years. When I went off to college, I essentially left him behind. I chose the full college experience, and the bond we had through middle and high school faded as life moved forward. I blubbered while writing it.

ASH
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A Second Chance I Never Expected

Years later, when my daughter fell head over heels for horses, that ache came back. She started with lessons, but it was obvious early on that the barn felt like home to her. We knew it was time for her to have her own horse.

That is when we found Tucker.

Another black and white paint. Similar look. Similar temperament. My daughter never bonded with him, but I did. When we decided to upgrade her to a more athletic horse, I made a choice I never thought I would get to make.

I kept Tucker for myself.

Why the Year of the Fire Horse Feels Personal

I tell you all of this because even though the Year of the Fire Horse does not officially start until mid-February, many of us use January as our mental reset. New goals. New intentions. A quiet hope that maybe this year we do things differently.

There is a line in Forrest Gump where a woman in Times Square casually says, “Don’t you just love New Year’s? You get to start all over. Everybody gets a second chance.”

That's one of my favorite lines from Forrest Gump and I think about it every new year. And this year, it hits different. In keeping Tucker, I got to start over. I got a second chance.

What I Want for the Year of the Fire Horse

You can look at 2026 and see a year that will likely be politically and socially turbulent, and aren't we are all a little bolder when we sit behind a computer screen? But I don't think that's what this is about. I am choosing to take the energy of the Fire Horse and actually do something with it.

I want to be bolder. Louder. Willing to try things that scare me.

Letting the Fire Horse Lead a Little

Maybe this is the year I stop watching my daughter from the sidelines and step into the show ring myself. Maybe I will finally learn to haul my truck and trailer without white knuckling every mile. Maybe I will take a deeper look at my faith. Maybe I will love harder, take more chances, and live a little more wide-open.

The good news is I do not have to decide everything right now. I have an entire year to work toward it.

What Will YOU Do During the Year of the Fire Horse?

There is real science behind this idea of leaning into what lights you up. In 2021, researchers surveyed 500 adults during the height of the pandemic. They found that people who nurtured hobbies and playful interests were more optimistic, more resilient, and better at coping with stress.

According to Frontiers in Psychology, playful individuals were more likely to reframe challenges, adapt to loss, and see difficulty as an opportunity for growth.

That matters.

As adults, it can be hard to cultivate passions. We spend so much time supporting our kids’ interests, working, and managing life that our own dreams get pushed to the back burner. Starting something new can feel embarrassing, especially when you are a beginner again.

But don't ever let time, fear, or embarrassment stop you. One Evansville stable hosts an adult horse camp a few times a year, and it sells out every single time. It's okay to start new things as an adult. And there are a LOT of people just like you who have no experience who start from the groundwork up.

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Maybe This Is Your Year Too

Being the Year of the Fire Horse, I strongly encourage everyone to follow their passions. And if you have been quietly eyeing a new one, maybe this is the year you give yourself permission to try.

You do not have to run full speed on day one.

But you can take the first step out of the gate.

Sometimes my daughter struggles a bit with containing her excessive amounts of energy. But when she's with her horses, everything is relaxed. Horseback riding lessons give her confidence, leadership skills, and above all, give her a passion.

Horseback riding isn't about jumping on your first ride. It's about connecting with the animal, understanding the basics of telling your horse what it needs to do, learning about tack, proper procedure, horse care, and safety, riding a horse in many different landscapes, and yes even cleaning stalls.

There are so many benefits from getting up in a saddle and down in the dirt. And there's nothing quite like the smell of a horse barn. It's just... wholesome and simple and free. If you and/or your child would like to try out horseback riding lessons, there are several places locally to contact including:

Indiana

Kentucky

Illinois

My suggestion is to do your homework. Talk to the instructors and make barn visits to determine which one will be the best fit for you. To add your stable to the list, contact me at evansville.dme@townsquaremedia.com!

Pam Dawson
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