Chinese Zodiac Horse

In the Chinese zodiac, the Horse (马) ranks the seventh position of the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac animals, following the Snake and ahead of the Goat. The 12 zodiac animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig in order.

In traditional Chinese culture, the Horse is considered as the symbol of energy and freedom. People born in the year of the Horse are usually energetic, spirited, and independent.

The latest year of the Horse was 2014 and the upcoming year of the Horse will be 2026, to be more specific, a Fire Horse year. Chinese Lunar New Year starts from February 17, 2026, and lasts until February 5, 2027.

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Chinese Zodiac Horse Years – Am I a Horse?

The Chinese zodiac signs occur in a repeating order every 12 years. For Horse people, your Chinese zodiac year comes when you are 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84...

The recent Chinese zodiac years of Horse include 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2034, and 2050.

Want to find out whether your Chinese zodiac animal is Horse? Generally speaking, if you were born in one of the years above, you are probably a Horse. However, if you were born in early February in 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, and 2027, your Chinese zodiac animal sign may be Horse or Goat.

In Chinese traditions, Chinese zodiac signs are set by a Chinese solar term called Lichun instead of the Chinese New Year. Lichun (立春) is the first solar term of the 24 Solar Terms in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, signifying the beginning of spring. It usually falls on February 3, 4, or 5 of the Gregorian calendar. For example, if a person was born on February 4, 2002, his/her zodiac animal sign is Horse, even though the Chinese New Year 2002 fell on February 12, 2002.

If you were born on February 3, 4, or 5, you need to firstly switch the Gregorian calendar to the Chinese lunar calendar. Then find out the date of Lichun on Chinese lunisolar calendar. Or, you can simply check out the table below to determine your correct Chinese zodiac sign with no nerve-wracking calculation.

Recent Chinese Zodiac Horse Years

Chinese Zodiac Horse in Chinese Culture

1. Longma (Dragon Horse)

According to Chinese mythology and legend, Longma (龙马, Dragon Horse) is a winged horse with a dragon’s head and scales. It’s believed that seeing a Longma was an auspicious omen and embodiment of legendary sage-rulers of prehistoric China, particularly the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

It was said that a Longma emerged from the Yellow River and revealed the Hetu to Fu Xi (伏羲, a mythical Chinese sovereign and deity, one of the Three Sovereigns). Hetu (河图, Yellow River Map) and Luoshu (洛书, Lo Shu Square) are two diagrams of ancient Chinese mathematical and divinatory traditions.

Therefore, Longma is considered as the spirit of the Yellow River, symbolizing vigorous spirits and the ethos of the Chinese nation.

2. Bai Longma (White Dragon Horse)

Bai Longma (白龙马, White Dragon Horse) is a protagonist in the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West (西游记), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

In the novel, Bai Longma is the third son of the Dragon King of the West Sea named Ao Lie. He committed a capital offense by incinerating a gift from the Jade Emperor. Though spared from a death sentence with Guanyin’s meditation, he was banished to wait for Buddhist monk Xuanzang at the Shepan Mountain and assist Xuanzang in bringing back Buddhist scriptures from India.

However, Ao Lie ate Xuanzang’s mount by accident. Then he transformed into the White Dragon Horse and served as Xuanzang’s mount for the rest of the journey.

3. Tianma (Heavenly Horse)

According to Chinese folklore, Tianma (天马, Heavenly Horse) is a mythical horse with wings descending from dragons. It was also referred to as a constellation recognized in the Western Zhou empire.

Historically, Tianma was linked to Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. He imported superior horses from Central Asia to fight against the invading Xiongnu nomads. The Chinese court called these horses Tianma.

4. Mamian - Guardian of the Hell

Mamian (马面, Horse-Face) is a guardian of the underworld in Chinese mythology, with his partner Niutou (牛头, Ox-Head). As indicated by his name, Horse-Face has the body of man and the head of a horse. As guardians of Diyu (地狱, Hell in Chinese), Ox-Head and Horse-Face usher in the newly dead to Hell, bring them before the courts of underworld.

5. Symbol of Competence and Talents

Qianlima (千里马, Thousand-Li Horse ) is a fabled horse in Chinese classics, which is said to be able to travel one thousand li a day. Li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance. One li equals 500 meters, so one thousand li are more than 310 miles. Ancient Chinese people use Qianli Ma as a metaphor for a person of great talent.

As legend has it that Emperor Mu, the fifth king of the Zhou dynasty from the 10th century BC, had a chariot ride with eight divine horses. The Eight Horses of Emperor Mu are actually a metaphor for his group of ministers. With outstanding talents and extraordinary abilities, they jointly assisted Emperor Mu in managing the kingdom.

6. Great Assistant in Life

The horse was considered as the most important animal of six main kinds of domestic animals in ancient China, along with cattle, pig, goat, dog, and chicken. Horses played an important role in transportation and trade. Take the well-known Ancient Tea Horse Road for example. Horse caravans carried tea, salt, and various goods to Tibet, Nepal, India, etc.

The sturdy horses were also crucially important to the military force in ancient China. They were used for mounted reconnaissance and charges, as well as raiding and supply work.

Lucky and Unlucky Things for People Born in the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Horse

Things to Bring Horse Good Luck

Things to Bring Horse Bad Luck

Chinese Zodiac Horse Traits: Energetic, Efficient, Generous, Easy-going, ...

The Horse has a very high status in traditional Chinese culture. It is the 7th zodiac sign of the Chinese zodiac, symbolizing independence, strength, speed, beauty, and freedom. It’s believed that people born in the year of the Horse take on the characteristics of the Horse zodiac animal.

People under the Horse zodiac sign are active, energetic, cheerful, enthusiastic, and lively. They are also generous, kind, charming, easy to get along with and loyal to friends. Therefore, Horse people are good at making friends and appreciated by everyone around them. In addition. They are also frank and outspoken, and sparing no effort to help friends and the weak.

People born in a Horse year are also intelligent, quick-minded, efficient, and capable of taking several tasks at the same time. So they are easy to succeed when they are young. They are determined, cunning, insightful, and responsible, making them born natural leaders.

On the flip side, Horse people are overly confident, self-conceit, and stubborn. They often act on their own intuition and hard to follow a schedule prepared by someone else. Horses rarely listen to anyone’s advice or regard for what other people think. It’s advisable to be more humble and realize the importance of different perspectives.

Horse people are also very emotional, irritable, short-tempered, and impatient. When something comes up, they show a positive attitude at the beginning. However, they are easily distracted, and easy to give up doing things halfway once they encounter small obstacles.

Strengths of Horse

Weakness of Horse

Male Horse Characteristics

Men born in the Chinese zodiac year of Horse are independent, confident, generous, courageous, easy-going, and highly capable of managing. They are good at making friends and loyal to them. Besides, they are also willing to do whatever they can to help other people.

But male Horses also have short tempers. They become angry easily. But they also forget quickly, even if who they hurt are still angry with them. Their negative personality traits also include being hot-headed, grumpy, and lack of calm. They are occasionally self-righteous and deaf to advise.

Female Horse Characteristics

In Chinese zodiac signs, Horse women are lively, active, and always full of energy. They are also straightforward, easy-going, and with a good sense of humor. It’s very easy for them to make friends and pass joy to other people. As for career, Horse women are efficient and capable of doing multiple tasks.

The shortcomings for female Horses are that they are subjective, stubborn, and unwilling to adopt the opinions of others. What’s more, they are overly concerned about gain and loss at times. They are afraid of failure though always showing a tough face.

Chinese Zodiac Horse Five Elements for Five Personalities

Zodiac Horse Love Compatibility – Your Most Compatible Zodiacs

According to traditional Chinese astrology, Chinese zodiac animals’ compatibility is derived from the relations of twelve Dizhi (地支, Earthly Branches). Since the relations of 12 Earthly Branches include inter-promotion and interaction, some zodiac animals are compatible while others are not. Read on to find out what Chinese zodiac animal signs are most compatible with zodiac Horse in love, friendship, and business.

Best Matches: Tiger, Dog, Goat

The Horse zodiac sign is linked with the Earthly Branch wu (午, wǔ). In Chinese astrology, the Tiger, the Horse, and the Dog are one of the four trines of the San He (三合, Three Harmonies) groups. People born in the year of the Horse usually have a great relationship with those born in the year of the Tiger and Dog.

The Horse and the Goat are one pair of the Liu He (六合, Six Harmonies) groups. As such, Horse people and Goat people are harmonious together and help each other secretly.

Generally, Three Harmonies is better than Six Harmonies. Therefore, Horse people best match the Tiger and the Dog, while the Goat is the second-best compatibility for Horse people.

Least Matches: Rat, Ox, Horse

The Horse and the Rat are in one group of the Earthly Branches Liu Chong (六冲, Six Conflicting) groups. Horse people and Rat people have opposite views of the world and have trouble tolerating each other’s failures. Besides, both of them love their freedom and do not want to follow the direction pointed by the other.

The Horse and the Ox are in the same group of the Liu Hai (六害, Six Harming) groups, making them incompatible with each other. Harming means being harmful to each other generally. As friends, the Horse and the Ox fare better. As lovers, they may drive each other crazy at times because they have difficulty understanding each other.

In addition, the Horse and the Horse are also in the same group of the Zi Xing (自刑, Self Punishment) groups. Though they understand each other very well, they will very likely have a hot-and-cold relationship in love. And it’s hard for them to enjoy a stable family.

Horse's Compatibility with 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals

Guide for Horses’ Career

According to Chinese zodiac signs, Horse people have ever-changing emotions, making them unsuitable for monotonous and repetitive work. It’s very painful for the Horse natives to do the same kind of work over and over again all day long.

To fully utilize their talents, Horse people are more suitable for effective and challenging work which requires quick reflexes, such as journalist, simultaneous interpreter, bond trader, salesman, pilot, etc. Horse people are also very adaptable and intelligent, and they often estimate things that others can't tell before, so they are also very suitable to be politicians and commentators.

Naturally active and confident, people born in the Year of the Horse can also engage in some very active jobs or jobs without restraint, like adventurers, architects, performers, entertainers, etc.

Zodiac Horses’ Horoscope in 2022 the Year of Tiger

Gone are the troubled days in the year of the Ox 2021 because of offending Tai Sui God, who governs an entire year. Entering the year of the Tiger 2022, people born in the Chinese zodiac year of the Horse are predicted a flourishing and lucky life.

Under the positive influence of three lucky stars “Santai”, “Jiangxing” and “Tangfu”, Horse people will very likely take a turn for the better in all aspects of your life, especially in terms of career development.

However, there also are several inauspicious stars influencing the life of the Horse zodiac during 2022. You tend to be emotionally unstable, suspicious, and nervous. Please pay high attention to legal matters. It’s advisable to follow all rules and be extra careful with legal documents.

Love & Relationship

In 2022, the luck in love for those belonging to the Chinese Horse zodiac sign is average. Without the help of lucky stars, the year of the Tiger is not filled with many opportunities to find love for the single Horses. It’s good to be active in social life. It may increase your chances of meeting someone that makes your heartbeat flustered.

If you are married or in a relationship, there will be some difficulties in your relationship this year. You have to strive for a balance between family and career. Avoid being too dedicated to work to care for your family. Spend more quality time with a loved one, communicate often, and consider a romantic holiday.

Wealth

According to the Chinese horoscope for Tiger year 2022, Horse people will have great financial prospects this year. As several auspicious stars will enter their lives, Horse natives will experience a clear uptick in both Direct Wealth (正财) and Indirect Wealth (偏财).

Horse people who have worked hard will be recognized, so there will be a salary increase. Outside their work income, Horse people can also get a good income from investments. But it’s advisable not to indulge in speculative projects. Business owners born under the Horse zodiac sign are likely to expand your business and see your company continue to grow. However, you should be careful with legal matters in case of getting into a legal entanglement.

Career

To all those who belong to the Chinese Horse zodiac sign, 2022 is a year of career breakthrough. Horse natives can not only be appreciated for their talents and contribution, but also get an increase for both position and salary. If you are already a leader in the workplace, you may achieve further development.

The Chinese horoscope for the year of the Tiger 2022 promises great career prospects for Horse people. Yet it’s worth noting the inauspicious influence of unlucky stars. It’s suggested to stay modest and cautious because you will face backstabbers and villains. 

Health

There will be no major health problems for the Horse in 2022. But there will be a lot of social activities this year. It’s better not to drink too much alcohol, especially if you have heart disease or other chronic diseases. 

Horse people also need to pay attention to mental health. Due to long-term work pressure and the influence of unlucky stars “Wugui” and “Guxu”, you may become suspicious and depressed. Try to relax yourself and learn to deal with mood swings.

Zodiac Horse Famous People

Chinese Zodiac Horse Vocabulary & Idioms