Year of the Horse —
the free-spirited doer
| Horse years | 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038 |
|---|---|
| Most recent | 2026 (Fire Horse) |
| Next Horse year | 2038 (Earth Horse) |
| Branch · element | 午 Wu · Yang Fire |
| Best matches | Goat, Tiger, Dog |
| Hardest matches | Rat, Ox |
| In 2027 | 95/100 — an excellent year |
Horses are bright, active and fast. They hate being tied down and are always half a step toward the next new thing.
Horse years
Each Horse year starts at Chinese New Year, so January and early-February birthdays belong to the sign before. The dates below are the Chinese calendar (UTC+8).
| Year | Sign | From – to |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Metal Horse 庚午 | Jan 30, 1930 – Feb 16, 1931 |
| 1942 | Water Horse 壬午 | Feb 15, 1942 – Feb 4, 1943 |
| 1954 | Wood Horse 甲午 | Feb 3, 1954 – Jan 23, 1955 |
| 1966 | Fire Horse 丙午 | Jan 21, 1966 – Feb 8, 1967 |
| 1978 | Earth Horse 戊午 | Feb 7, 1978 – Jan 27, 1979 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse 庚午 | Jan 27, 1990 – Feb 14, 1991 |
| 2002 | Water Horse 壬午 | Feb 12, 2002 – Jan 31, 2003 |
| 2014 | Wood Horse 甲午 | Jan 31, 2014 – Feb 18, 2015 |
| 2026 | Fire Horse 丙午 | Feb 17, 2026 – Feb 5, 2027 |
Personality
Strengths: energy and enthusiasm; quick decisions; warmth that lifts a group.
Challenges: restlessness; moods that swing with circumstances; losing interest before the finish.
In love. Horses fall fast and passionately. If a relationship starts to feel like a fence, their heart leaves first.
At work. Horses come alive in sales, travel, fieldwork, events and anything that moves. Desk-bound routine wears them out.
The five Horses
The year’s heavenly stem adds one of five elements, so a 1990 Horse and a 2002 one are not quite the same animal.
- Wood Horse1954, 2014
The Wood Horse is friendly and cooperative, the Horse most able to channel its energy into a shared goal. - Fire Horse1966, 2026
The Fire Horse is the most famous and the most fiery: passionate, daring and impossible to ignore. - Earth Horse1978
The Earth Horse is the steadiest Horse — still quick, but sensible about money and commitments. - Metal Horse1930, 1990
The Metal Horse is independent and headstrong, with great stamina and a strong need for freedom. - Water Horse1942, 2002
The Water Horse is adaptable and witty, a skilled communicator who changes course with ease.
Best and worst matches
Best: Goat (96), Tiger (84), Dog (84). Hardest: Rat (32), Ox (45).
| With | Score | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Goat 未 | 96 | Made for each other Secret friends |
| Tiger 寅 | 84 | A strong match Natural allies |
| Dog 戌 | 84 | A strong match Natural allies |
| Snake 巳 | 71 | A comfortable match Same season |
| Dragon 辰 | 66 | A comfortable match Neutral |
| Rabbit 卯 | 59 | Needs work Break |
| Horse & Horse 午 | 59 | Needs work Self-punishment |
| Monkey 申 | 54 | Needs work Neutral |
| Rooster 酉 | 54 | Needs work Neutral |
| Pig 亥 | 54 | Needs work Neutral |
| Ox 丑 | 45 | A clashing pair Quiet resentment |
| Rat 子 | 32 | A clashing pair Opposites |
Element associations
The Horse’s branch carries Fire (火) — warmth, drive and visibility. In Korean tradition, Fire goes with red and orange, the south, and the numbers 2 and 7.
Beyond the year animal
Your animal sign is one of eight characters in a Korean saju chart, and not the one that describes you most closely. That job belongs to the Day Master, the stem of your birth day: ten natures from the Tall Pine to the Morning Dew. What saju is explains how the eight fit together.
The Horse in 2027
The Year of the Fire Goat gives the Horse 95/100 — an excellent year (secret friends with the goat). Read the Horse’s 2027 horoscope → · Month by month for the Horse
Questions about the Horse
What years are the Year of the Horse?
1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 and 2038. Each Horse year starts at Chinese New Year, between January 21 and February 20, so a birthday early in one of those years can still belong to the sign before.
When is the next Year of the Horse?
2038 — the Earth Horse. The most recent was 2026, the Fire Horse.
What is the Horse most compatible with?
The Horse’s best matches are the Goat (96/100), the Tiger (84/100) and the Dog (84/100); the hardest are the Rat (32) and the Ox (45).
What element is the Horse?
The Horse’s branch 午 carries Fire, which it keeps every year. The year’s stem adds a second element, so there are five kinds of Horse: Wood Horse, Fire Horse, Earth Horse, Metal Horse, Water Horse.
Korean: 말띠 · 말띠 궁합 · 2027년 말띠 운세 · All signs: Rat · Ox · Tiger · Rabbit · Dragon · Snake · Horse · Goat · Monkey · Rooster · Dog · Pig
