Detail: Welcome the Year of the Fire Horse with our special display of equine sculptures in the Visitor Center.

Symbolizing immense prowess across Asia, the horse was seen as an emblem of success and elevated social status dating back to the fourth century. It is likely that horses were domesticated during the late Neolithic period, around 2500 B.C., and were first introduced to China as means of transportation by bowmen living in Southeastern Europe and Western Asia shortly before 300 B.C. Horses were used not only for transportation along trade routes but also as chargers in war and
were bred as such.

This Lunar New Year, which begins on February 17, 2026, is the Year of the Fire Horse. One of the earliest known mentions of the horse in the context of the zodiac is from The Book of Songs (circa 11th–7th BCE), a foundational text in Chinese culture. Another early mention occurs in a popular Chinese Daoist legend, in which the Jade Emperor held a race for all animals in pursuit of selecting the first twelve to finish as animals of the zodiac cycle. Throughout the cycle, one animal is associated with one of the Five Elements each year: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth.

The intersection of the two is thought to determine the qualities and personality of a person born during that zodiac year, with each element bringing out different attributes. (Asia Society’s founder John D. Rockefeller 3rd was born in a Year of the Fire Horse, in 1906.) For 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse is expected to bring to the world a cycle of heightened passion, boldness, energy, and courage.