2026 Is the Year of the Horse: How PETA Is Helping Real Horses

The 2026 Lunar New Year celebrates the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac—symbolizing freedom, strength, energy, and vitality. This year is extra-special since it’s a Fire Horse year, the first since 1966. The Fire Horse supposedly brings intense passion, unstoppable action, and rapid transformation, making 2026 a decisive moment to turn symbolism into action. From exposing cruelty to pushing institutions to tell the truth, PETA is working to turn 2026 into a year of progress for horses everywhere.

3 Ways PETA Is Making 2026 a Year of Progress for Horses

1. Loudly Revealing How Horses Suffer When Used for Tourism

Across continents, horses used in tourism endure similar abuse. In Egypt, horses pulling carriages near iconic landmarks are whipped and beaten to keep them moving. In Southeast Asia, horses are tied up for hours under the blazing sun, waiting for the next paying tourist. And in the U.S., horses are forced to navigate busy streets filled with traffic and noise while pulling carriages—conditions that cause intense fear, stress, and painful hoof and joint damage.

No matter where in the world horses are used for profit, they suffer.

2. Exposing How Horses Suffer When Used for Racing

Hold your pixelated horses! Did you know that an average of 24 horses die on U.S. racetracks every week? PETA wrote to Unicode Consortium CEO Toral Cowieson, asking her to replace the idealized horse-racing-themed emojis. The current, cheerful depictions mask the suffering endured by horses in the racing industry, who jockeys force to sprint at speeds so fast that they frequently sustain catastrophic and often fatal injuries.

Since images are more powerful than words, PETA suggests an emoji that’s a more true-to-life depiction of horses in the racing industry, like a collapsed horse suffering from a severely broken leg.

Already in 2026, PETA has made significant strides for horses used in the racing industry. A top jockey who repeatedly whipped horses in violation of rules was suspended after PETA reported it, and another horse-abusing jockey was banned for life after being caught participating in unsanctioned horse races. PETA also released footage and called for the expulsion of two leading jockeys caught at an illegal cockfight.

3. Celebrating the Lunar New Year at a Vegan Party

Celebrating the Year of the Horse should mean honoring horses—not exploiting them. That’s why PETA is joining our friends at Men and Beasts, a stellar vegan Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles, to cook up the ultimate Lunar New Year celebration.

At the Lumineve Soiree, guests can enjoy a DJ soundscape, delicious vegan specialties, traditional Chinese calligraphy, and tea tastings, among other enchanting experiences to make the evening one to remember.

How You Can Help Make 2026 a Year for Horses

Horses are herd animals who, in nature, spend their lives with one another, grazing in meadows, playing, and roaming wherever they choose. They don’t want to carry tourists through crowded city streets, be confined in stalls for 23 hours a day at racetracks, or die after being forced to run at breakneck speeds.

Want to help turn the Year of the Horse into something meaningful for real horses? Here’s how you can join PETA in making change:

• Skip horse-drawn carriage rides and urge others to do the same.
• Say no to horse racing cruelty. Don’t attend, place bets on, or watch races as long as horses routinely die for entertainment.
• Share and take immediate action on PETA’s investigations. Signing action alerts and spreading the truth helps expose cruelty and pressures industries to change.
• Support bans and reforms in your city. From carriage horse bans to racing oversight, local action saves lives.