Chinese Zodiac Horse - Animal of 2026

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.

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 Calculator

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

Lucky numbers: 3, 4, 9, and numbers containing 3, 4, 9 such as 43 and 94

Lucky colors: green, red, pink

Lucky flower: jasmine

Lucky directions: east, southeast, south

Lucky months: the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th Chinese lunar months

Things to Bring Horse Bad Luck

Unlucky numbers: 1

Unlucky colors: black, gray

Unlucky direction: north

Unlucky months: the 10th, 11th Chinese lunar months

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

Horse people are self-motivated and courageous in doing everything.

They are natural leaders with great insight and decisive ability.

Cheerful, optimistic, energetic, and eloquent.

They are enthusiastic, generous, and outgoing, so they have a rich social life.

Kind, warm-hearted, heroic, and love helping others.

Eager to try new things.

Weakness of Horse

Horses are impatient and easy to give up halfway.

Too conceited to admit his/her mistakes.

Sometimes they are too straightforward. They may offend others without realizing it.

Impulsive, short-tempered, and lack self-control at times.

Not good at saving money.

Bad at keeping secrets.

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 2026 - the Year of Horse

In the new year of 2026, the overall horoscope of those born in the Year of the Horse will see a significant improvement. Although it is their Ben Ming Nian (Zodiac Year of Birth) and they will be in conflict with Tai Sui (the Grand Duke Jupiter), which may bring some setbacks in various aspects of their lives, many new opportunities will also arise. If they seize these opportunities, they can usher in a positive turning point. In general, 2026 is a great year for the Horse who are known for their outgoing and bold personality, particularly in business. If they have entrepreneurial ideas, they should take action, as they may be pleasantly surprised.

Career

The Horse will experience fluctuating career development in 2026. They may find themselves stuck in a position, unable to advance or retreat, causing them great frustration and a sense of helplessness. For those Horse people who want to start a business, it's advisable to take action. However, it's crucial to find a suitable path and seek help from mentors and friends to ensure smooth progress. Impulsive and reckless actions should be avoided.

Wealth

In 2026, it is recommended that people born under the zodiac sign of the Horse should maintain a cautious and rational attitude towards money. When facing various large-scale expenditures, try to wait and listen to advice instead of actually making the expenditures. In terms of shopping, also manage the spending and settlement of wealth properly, and avoid momentary impulse.

Health

In 2026, the Horse will be affected by the inauspicious stars Fuyin and Shensha in terms of health. Therefore, they should be extra cautious, as they may face unexpected car accidents. For those born in the Year of the Horse who frequently drive long distances, they should avoid driving while fatigued and, more importantly, never drive under the influence of alcohol, to prevent accidents caused by their negligence, which could bring trouble and crisis upon themselves.

Love & Relationship

For those born in the Year of the Zodiac Horse, 2026 will be a stable year in terms of love and relationships, but they still need to continuously improve themselves. While their outstanding personal charm will attract many suitors, they should also be wary of unwanted romantic advances. They should promptly reject those they don't like to avoid persistent harassment and negatively impacting their overall fortune.

Zodiac Horse Famous People

Neil Armstrong: born on August 5 (the 11th day of the intercalary sixth lunar month), 1930, Metal Horse

Stephen Hawking: born on January 8 (the 22nd day of the eleven lunar month of year 1941), 1942, Water Horse

Paul McCartney: born on June 18 (the 5th day of the fifth lunar month), 1942, Water Horse

Angela Merkel: born on July 17 (the 18th day of the sixth lunar month), 1954, Wood Horse

Jackie Chan: born on April 7 (the 5th day of the third lunar month), 1954, Wood Horse

Jennifer Lawrence: born on August 15 (the 25th day of the sixth lunar month), 1990, Metal Horse

Chinese Zodiac Horse Vocabulary & Idioms