Year of the Horse: Chinese Zodiac Sign, Personality, Compatibility
The seventh zodiac animal sign of Chinese astrology, the Horse, is a passionate and temperamental sign. Those born in the year of the Horse sign wear their heart on their sleeve. They’re adventurous and independent, wanting to make a name for themselves using their open mind, discerning eye, and eloquence. And one last thing, Horses fall in love as easily as out, so they’re definitely not for the faint of heart!
In Chinese culture, a person’s zodiac animal affects not only their personality but also their entire horoscope: romantic matches, work character, current luck, and much more. For example, a person born in the year of the Horse will risk offending Tai Sui, the Guardian God of the year, when the year of the Horse comes around again.
Chinese Zodiac Years for Horse
There are 12 zodiacs, so the year of the Horse comes around once every 12-year cycle, usually in January or early February around Chinese New Year, as the Chinese lunar calendar isn’t an exact match for the Gregorian calendar we use. The year 2014 was the last Horse year, and the next will be 2026. You can double-check if you’re a Horse with the Chinese zodiac sign calculator.
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Read moreChart of Horse Years, Dates, and Elements
Horse Year | Start of Lunar Year | End of Lunar Year | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
1918 | February 11, 1918 | January 31, 1919 | Earth |
1930 | January 30, 1930 | February 16, 1931 | Metal |
1942 | February 15, 1942 | February 4, 1943 | Water |
1954 | February 3, 1954 | January 23, 1955 | Wood |
1966 | January 21, 1966 | February 8, 1967 | Fire |
1978 | February 7, 1978 | January 27, 1979 | Earth |
1990 | January 27, 1990 | February 14, 1991 | Metal |
2002 | February 12, 2002 | January 31, 2003 | Water |
2014 | January 31, 2014 | February 18, 2015 | Wood |
2026 | February 17, 2026 | February 5, 2027 | Fire |
Horse Zodiac: Personality and Traits
Horses are always energetic, if at times also chaotic. They’re a confident and easygoing breed with excellent abilities to manage and allocate. They’re not at all conservative and can verge on ostentation with the way they dress and behave at times. Horses much prefer attention over acceptance, so even if others don’t approve, that’s just fine by them!
Horses are energetic, and their decisiveness may appear as being rash; supremely adaptable, they’re confident they can weather any storm.
A stereotype of the Horse is a brash teenager deciding to drop out of school and make something of their life, although that doesn’t mean the Horse plans to suffer for years until success is within reach—like the Ox or the Goat, for example. The Horse is a fun-loving sign, who is witty and excels at sports, making them popular no matter how humble their beginning may be. It’s also one of the Chinese zodiac’s yang symbols, in contrast to yin zodiac animals such as the Rooster and the Goat (Sheep).
But it’s inevitable that the Horse’s thirst for freedom and happiness will lead them to the type of authentic success that many will envy. For that to occur, however, the Horse will first need to rein in their fiery temper and learn not to be cocky at every minor win. That’s the only key to this sign going far in life.
Male Horses
Male Horses can charm anyone with their open heart, but they can be impatient in the face of professional or romantic setbacks. They’re naturally gifted athletes, which can help make them more tenacious. They can really hurt others with their temper, and most annoying of all, the Male Horse will quickly forget about their affront—leaving those they hurt in the dust.
Female Horses
Female Horses are fortunate and more patient than their male counterparts, although they can often be hot and cold to their suitors as well as friends, despite their friendly demeanor. Female Horses can be ruthless towards people they dislike, but all that means is that they’ll have more time to devote to those they love!
Horse and the Five Elements
Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are the five elements that the ancient Chinese believed constituted everything in the world. The Chinese zodiac Horse is associated with the element of fire, but in addition, the birth year of a person can make them a Horse of these elements. A Horse born in 1990 is a metal Horse, for example.
Element | Year | Personality |
|---|---|---|
Metal | 1930, 1990 | Metal Horses are the most loyal of the Horses. When they reckon themselves in love, they’ll be constant in their affections, although sometimes that love may come to an abrupt and unexplained stop. They’re very straightforward, which may rub some the wrong way; however, it is appreciated in the right quarters, so there’s no reason to change who you are. |
Water | 1942, 2002
| Water Horses are decisive and caring at work and in their friendships but extremely hesitant when it comes to love. Perhaps it’s the exclusive nature of long-term relationships that bugs these independent creatures. They’re lucky in money and generous with the people in their lives, making them very well-liked as superiors or entrepreneurs. |
Wood | 1954, 2014
| Wood Horses are imaginative and very perceptive. Given time and the right guidance, they could mature into excellent strategists who can predict their opponent’s every move and intention. On the flip side, Wood Horses lose their tempers all the time and may even have an emotional meltdown if things are bad. |
Fire | 1966, 2026 | Fire Horses are bold and decisive, with an agile intellect backed by the wherewithal to take any mission to the finish line. They’re popular as leaders or, alternatively, as style icons people love to follow on social media. They’re loyal in love but may neglect their loved one for the temptations outside once the relationship becomes too stable. |
Earth | 1918, 1978 | Earth Horses are kind and like nothing better than to help others. They’re judicious and responsible, with plenty of friends from all walks of life, including among those who wield the power that they need. For these reasons, Earth Horses stand to become very wealthy—as long as they’re willing to put in the work. |
Lucky Things for Horses
Water overcomes fire, and since the Horse is a fire zodiac, things that are fire related are lucky for the Horse, while those that are water related are unlucky. Here’s a list of lucky and unlucky items for the Horse, although the five-element theory lists many more for each zodiac sign.
Lucky Things
Lucky numbers: 4, 9
Lucky colors: Red, Green
Lucky directions: West, Southwest
Lucky flowers: Iris, Jasmine, Calla Lily
Things to Avoid
Unlucky numbers: 5, 7
Unlucky colors: Grey, Black
Unlucky directions: North, Northeast
Other unlucky things or things to be avoided: befriending liars, speculation.
Compatibility: Best and Worst Matches for Horse
Certain zodiac signs get along best with certain others, which depends on the five-element theory, as well as more complex calculations.
The Horse’s dashing confidence is attractive from day one, making them quite the sign for love at first sight. Over time, however, the Horse needs to learn that attraction isn’t everything and that vulnerability and intimacy will go a long way to make their love stand the test of time.
As far as love compatibility, the Horse’s most auspicious matches are those born in the year of the Tiger, the Dog, and the Goat. These signs adore the Horse’s energetic nature, and each has their own way of reining in the Horse’s need for independence until it’s no longer a deterrent to a long-term relationship.
Those born in either the year of the Rabbit, the Rat, or the Ox don’t suit the Horse very well. These more “conservative” zodiac signs bore the Horse, and before long, the Horse may find themselves galloping away from their relationship.
Most Compatible: Tiger, Dog, Goat
The best zodiac matches for the Horse are the Tiger, the Dog, and the Goat. These zodiac signs form the other half to the Horse in the most auspicious aspects, creating unions that aren’t perfect, yet make both partners better than before.
The Horse will have started experiencing life earlier than the Tiger, which the Tiger finds intriguing. Both are ambitious in different ways, with the Horse providing endless energy and the Tiger guiding the way for their union. On top of all that, the Horse and the Tiger also make each other laugh!
Both the Horse and the Dog are energetic and open-minded, making this a “birds of the same flock” kind of union. The Dog is more patient than the Horse, while the Horse is more refined than the Dog. These two are perfectly accepting of the other’s flaws while appreciating the wonderful qualities that they both bring to this flourishing relationship.
The Horse shares similar beliefs and goals in life with the seemingly different Goat. This union helps both partners become more of who they are and make up for the shortcomings of each. The Horse takes the dominant role, which the Goat is more than happy to support with a constant stream of care and affection.
Least Compatible: Rat, Ox, Rabbit
The Horse isn’t exactly perfect. In fact, their flaws are as prominent as their virtues, if not more so. Younger Horses may even have trouble with straying if they haven’t learned the importance and advantages of commitment. More traditional and careful signs like the Rat, the Ox, and the Rabbit find that aspect of the Horse’s personality difficult to deal with in a relationship.
In some ways, the Rat is just as energetic as the Horse, but the Rat would rather devote that energy to their relationship and family, whereas the Horse needs to expand in all ways in order not to feel stifled. The Rat will ask for more contribution to the relationship, which only leads the Horse to rebel even further until the Rat finds this behavior too hurtful to continue.
The Horse and the Ox don’t seem to have anything in common, neither in interests nor in lifestyle. The Horse’s usual passion can’t find an outlet with the duller Ox, while the Ox finds the Horse’s capriciousness very stressful. Neither finds what they’re looking for in this relationship, which will break off in no time.
Unfortunately, the Horse’s tendency to stray happens most frequently in unions with the Rabbit. The Rabbit is sensitive and sweet and needs their partner’s understanding and support, all of which is just a little too heavy for the Horse. The only way for this relationship to last is for the Rabbit to endure, but why should they when the Horse is putting nothing in?
Best Jobs and Careers for Horse
The independent and free-spirited Horse has no shortage of energy, but they don’t always follow through with their longer-term plans. They would make great freelancers, especially those who work on shorter or more exciting assignments, as well as all kinds of sales positions, operations, and customer-facing careers like tourism, entertainment, and hospitality.
The Horse doesn’t love full-time work, especially not the kind that requires years of toil and investment. Therefore, they might want to look for a marketable skill that suits their natural inclinations and become experts in that field by taking on freelance assignments. For example, they might make excellent war zone reporters since the adrenaline will fuel their need for adventure.
Horses also tend to be social and good with people. Any career path that requires them to mingle and butter up people will be a natural choice for the Horse. Service, entertainment, and sales are just a few examples of careers that will provide the variety and the potential high returns that Horses need to feel fulfilled in life.
Health and Lifestyle Advice
The Horse loves their freedom and doesn’t want to be tied down by traditions like marriages and full-time work. As a result, their life may be filled with changes, minimalist living, and turbulence until at least middle age. Eventually, the Horse will learn to take care of their body, as well as their savings account.
Curiously, the Horse never seems to be short of money despite the changes in their life and their disinclination to work full-time. Money seems to follow their journey in life, even if they’re likely to spend everything without a second thought. That’s all fine and well, but it never hurts to put a little something away in case of an emergency health problem, whether it’s as minor as a sprained ankle or as major as heart surgery!
Horse and the 12 Zodiac Animals (Origin Story)
Chinese lore is rich with stories that describe how the 12 zodiac animals came to be. But in all of them, the Horse is the seventh animal, falling behind less impressive animals like the Rat and the Rabbit, as well as less energetic signs like the Ox and the Snake. What happened there?
There are a few renditions of the legend that tells why these 12 animals make up the Chinese zodiac signs. One of them said that the Jade Emperor, who ruled the heavens, ordered the animals to race across the celestial river to compete for a spot. The Horse’s magnificent form and energy made it a favorite to win, but it proved neither as committed to the race as the Ox nor as agile as the Rat and the Rabbit.
Alas, while the Horse did its best with its natural gifts of energy and speed, it was its less determined character that ended up hurting its chances of winning. Seventh place isn’t bad, but perhaps it’s less than everyone, including the Horse, expected of this powerful animal.
Famous People Born in the Year of the Horse
Horses are energetic and confident if at times a bit over the top. That makes them excellent candidates to be in the public eye. Here’s a list of famous Horses.
Cindy Crawford
Sean Connery
Paul McCartney
John Travolta
Harrison Ford
Neil Armstrong
Clint Eastwood
Jackie Chan
Emma Watson
Kobe Bryant
Gordon Ramsay