It’s the year of the horse! Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring festival, is a celebration of the new year cycle on the lunisolar calendar. This year, it falls on the 17th February and lasts for around two weeks. In 2026, we welcome the Year of the Horse – but how much do you really know about these amazing Luna animals? We thought it’s time you got to know the horse! Here are some surprising things you might not know about these amazing mammals! Let’s hot to trot!
Horses spend nearly all day eating
Did you know that horses eat for around 18 hours a day?! That’s only six hours of day and night spent not eating! They do this because they have a mega long intestine and produce stomach acid constantly, meaning it’s better for them to eat little and often rather than large meals in short bursts. In the wild, horses have to cover vast areas of land to get the nutrients they need, so eating for long periods of time helps them to collect as much as possible! Apparently, chewing constantly also helps to regulate their mood and prevent boredom. This 19th century painting from our V&A collection shows horses getting their hunger fix: hungry hungry horses!
Horses have almost 360 degree vision!
Horses have amazing eyes! Did you know that they have the largest eye balls of any land mammal, which helps to protect themselves from any potential predators? When they graze, their eyes align with the horizon, helping them to see any light changes or movement around them. Their vision gives them nearly 360° vision, but they have two blind spots: right in front of them and right behind them. This is why people say never stand behind a horse as their natural instinct is to kick, which they can do in 0.3 seconds by the way. OUCH!
Newborn foals can run just hours after being born
This one is quite amazing! As we previously mentioned, horses have many attributes and tricks that help them protect themselves from predators in the wild, like their huge eyes and quick reflexes. But, they can also be ready to run within just hours of being born! That’s right, foals, which are born with soft tissue around their hooves (called fairy feet – aww!) to protect the mother’s stomach, shed them quickly and are soon stood up and able to move around and even run within mere hours. This is so that they could get away from danger as soon as possible. So awesome! This 19th century engraving shows a mare with her foal, all upright and raring to go!
They can sleep standing up!
Did you know that horses can sleep standing up? Thinking about it now – you don’t often see horses laying down do you? This is again to protect them as prey from other animals. They can lock their legs to keep upright while having light naps, and lay down for deeper sleeps. How handy! It’s a shame humans can’t do this. In the wild, one horse may keep watch or sleep standing while others lay down and get some proper rest in!
Their closest relatives are rhinos!
Surprisingly, horses’ closest living relatives are rhinoceroses and tapirs. That’s pretty surprising considering they’re such different animals, but believe it or not, they are their closest cousin species and share an ancient ancestor. These three species are all odd-toed ungulates called Perissodactyla, meaning they walk on an uneven number of toes – try to say that at a party! They diverted from even-toed animals like pigs and cows way back in evolution. Horses are in the same family group (Equidae) as zebras, donkeys and Przewalski’s Horse – the only truly wild horse.
A horse has a spiritual meaning!
As this is the year of the horse, many cultures believe that these zodiac symbols have spiritual meanings. According to these beliefs, horses symbolise freedom, strength, power and energy. They can also be seen as holding a strong energy, which signals moving forward, as well as independence and endurance. Some say horses are spiritual guides, and they mirror our inner feelings, giving us a helpful insight to self reflection. What will the year of the horse bring you?
