On Tuesday, 17 February 2026, around 2 billion people will celebrate the start of a lunar new year. The lunar calendar marks each year with one of 12 animals, and 2026 moves from the Year of the Snake a biodiversity hero in its own right to that of the horse.
Horses have quietly shaped their environments for more than 50 million years and accompanied human development for the past 4 millennia. Every July, these creatures are honored on World Horse Day, and this year is also the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, recognizing specific types of communities and ecosystems that have been critically supported by horses.
While there is only one truly wild horse species left (and not many of them remain), the importance of wild horses and other wild grazers for maintaining and restoring ecosystems is undeniable. Other free-roaming (feral) and domestic horses also play important roles. When managed sustainably and treated ethically, they will continue to contribute to societies and ecosystems across the world.
At this dawn of the Year of the Horse, were turning attention to horses as well as other equine species from asses to zebras that play important roles in the health of our planet.
Here are four lessons on environmental action that we can learn from horses.
- Horses are ecosystem engineers
Grasslands, shrublands and savannahs are among the least protected and most undervalued ecosystems on the planet. They are threatened by degradation, unsustainable use and climate change. Adequate management of large grazing animals, such as horses, can help restore the balance.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) supports projects that reintroduce wild horses to these fragile ecosystems. One of them is the Altyn Dala Initiative in Kazakhstan, which has been recognized as a World Restoration Flagship under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
After decades of biodiversity loss, the Altyn Dala ecosystem literally translating to golden steppe had become susceptible to wildfires, as grasses grow too long and start to burn more easily due to climate change. The Initiative tackles this problem by reintroducing a trio of grass eaters: Saiga antelope, kulan (a wild donkey) and Przewalskis horse a rare, wild horse native to Central Asia. These horses had disappeared from Kazakhstans plains for more than 200 years and are now being rewilded thanks to a partnership with European zoos.
- Horses improve the environment for other species if managed sustainably
Horses actions in ecosystems often make them more hospitable for other species, too.
Around the world, horses have been observed digging wells up to two meters deep to search for water, which other species then flock to as well. Free-roaming horses are known to help with seed dispersal and support soils nutrient cycles, and through their grazing, they maintain open spaces, which then attract a variety of insects, birds and plants.
However, when too many horses graze in a landscape, the pressure can become unsustainable. To improve herd health and help avoid overgrazing, UNEPs Vanishing Treasures Programme provides vaccination and tagging stations in the field in Central Asia. This helps prevent diseases from spreading to other animals and enables better herd management to avoid pasture degradation and desertification. Between June 2022 and June 2024, more than 6,500 horses were tagged and 120 horses vaccinated in Kyrgyzstan alone.
- Horses are resilience in action
Even in todays high-tech world, domestic horses are still part of daily life in many regions. They help reach remote places inaccessible to cars, herd cattle across vast rangelands, and provide a traditional food source in certain regions. Mongolias population of 3.3 million people still relies heavily on the countrys 3.4 million horses.
Horses embody resilience. The are strong workers, have adapted to extreme weather conditions and can conquer rough terrain. In mountainous Kyrgyzstan, UNEP is supporting the government in setting up a mountainous ecological corridor, its largest protected area to date. Horses are used by rangers to monitor the corridor, as well as in horse rides supporting the ecotourism economy.
Meanwhile, in Latin Americas Andes Mountains, communities are using horses for mass tree-planting ceremonies in a drive to restore the regions high-altitude forests.
- Horses are stronger together
Horses are not equipped with sharp fangs or powerful paws. Their secret weapon is that they stick together and seek safety in numbers. This behavior helps them stay vigilant and warn each other of approaching predators. When faced with danger, herds move as a group. Zebras have been observed forming protective rings when attacked by lions, placing foals in the middle and facing inwards, while kicking outwards.
About theUN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
The UN General Assembly has declared 20212030 a UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Led by the UN Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, together with the support of partners, it is designed to prevent, halt, and reverse the loss and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. It aims at reviving billions of hectares, covering terrestrial as well as aquatic ecosystems. A global call to action, the UN Decade draws together political support, scientific research, and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration.
