4 Amazing Equine-Related Songs To Celebrate the Year of the Horse

The Lunar New Year for 2026 began in February, ushering in the Year of the Horse. We thought that made it the perfect time to look back at some songs that are strongly associated with equines.

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We’re not talking only about songs with “horse” in the name, a la “Wild Horses” or “A Horse With No Name”. These four wonderful songs deal directly with horses in a literal or metaphorical fashion.

“The Chestnut Mare” by The Byrds

Many is the time that a musician tried to deliver a high-concept project that they couldn’t quite bring to fruition. On several of these occasions, those musicians were able to salvage songs and release them elsewhere. Such was the case with Roger McGuinn, who wrote “Chestnut Mare” for an abandoned musical. He penned it with Jacques Levy, who later popped up as the collaborator on Bob Dylan’s Desire album. “Chestnut Mare” appears on the Byrds 1970 album (Untitled). It’s an interesting mix of spoken-word verses and elegant choruses. And, of course, it features McGuinn’s inimitable 12-string guitar work as its most memorable musical feature.

“Wildfire” by Michael Martin Murphey

Michael Martin Murphey gave us one of the best songs about horses with “Wildfire”, as well as easily one of the most mysterious singer-songwriter efforts of the 70s. Murphey, who wrote the song with Larry Cansler, was inspired by tales of ghost horses that he’d heard as a kid. Instead of filling the narrative out with details, he chooses to parcel out snapshots of the story. That allows listeners to fill in the rest with whatever their imagination might conjure. The images that we do get are unforgettable, especially when Wildfire busts out of its stall in some manic quest. This horse ran away with the hearts of fans, leading to a No. 3 chart finish in 1975.

“Ballad Of The Absent Mare” by Leonard Cohen

Leave it to Leonard Cohen to write a horse-centric, old-fashioned Western song that works on so many levels beyond the surface. Cohen made this the closing track on his 1979 LP Recent Songs. For much of the song, we hear as the narrator desperately tries to tame the titular equine, who occasionally draws near only to willfully pull away again. You can certainly hear an allegory for tortured romance in the lyrics. To confuse us even more, Cohen goes from omniscient narrator to first-person participant in the final stages of the song. “Ballad Of The Absent Mare” stands as one of his most unheralded epics.

“Run For The Roses” by Dan Fogelberg

Dan Fogelberg was asked to write a song about the Kentucky Derby for a telecast of the show. That request led to this stellar song from The Innocent Age, the double album that helped Fogelberg to the top of the soft-rock heap in 1981. Even if you don’t know a thing about horse racing, you can appreciate the lovely melody, loping rhythm, and stirring chorus. Fogelberg managed to tap into the ephemeral nature of the Kentucky Derby, that rare sporting event where the athletes, in this case three-year-old horses, can compete only once. That fact brings special meaning to the phrase “the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance.”

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