Your Day of Birth
Yang · 7 of 12

Year of the Horse

The Horse is independent, energetic and at its best on the move. Horses are cheerful, love their freedom and bring enthusiasm to everything they do.

Your year

It's the Year of the Fire Horse right now, from February 17, 2026 to February 5, 2027. In Chinese tradition your own animal's year (ben ming nian) calls for a little extra care, and wearing something red is said to keep bad luck away.

Horse years

YearDatesType
1906Jan 25, 1906 to Feb 12, 1907Fire Horse
1918Feb 11, 1918 to Jan 31, 1919Earth Horse
1930Jan 30, 1930 to Feb 16, 1931Metal Horse
1942Feb 15, 1942 to Feb 4, 1943Water Horse
1954Feb 3, 1954 to Jan 23, 1955Wood Horse
1966Jan 21, 1966 to Feb 8, 1967Fire Horse
1978Feb 7, 1978 to Jan 27, 1979Earth Horse
1990Jan 27, 1990 to Feb 14, 1991Metal Horse
2002Feb 12, 2002 to Jan 31, 2003Water Horse
2014Jan 31, 2014 to Feb 18, 2015Wood Horse
2026Feb 17, 2026 to Feb 5, 2027Fire Horse
2038Feb 4, 2038 to Jan 23, 2039Earth Horse

Born in January or February? Check the dates: if your birthday is before that year’s start date, you belong to the animal before.

Strengths

  • Energetic
  • Independent
  • Warm and cheerful
  • Hardworking

Watch out for

  • Restless
  • Can be impatient
  • Dislikes being tied down

The five kinds of Horse

Metal Horse
1930, 1990
Metal adds determination and backbone. Metal types set high standards, keep their word and don't give up easily.
Water Horse
1942, 2002
Water adds intuition and flexibility. Water types read people well, adapt fast and are good at finding a way around problems.
Wood Horse
1954, 2014
Wood adds warmth and generosity. Wood types are cooperative and fair, and they like to see things, and people, grow.
Fire Horse
1906, 1966, 2026
Fire adds passion and drive. Fire types are bold, energetic and hard to ignore, sometimes a little too fast to act.
Earth Horse
1918, 1978, 2038
Earth adds steadiness and common sense. Earth types are practical, patient and the person everyone relies on.
Lucky numbers
2, 3, 7
Lucky colors
Yellow, green
Lucky flowers
Calla lily, jasmine
Yin or yang
Yang

Compatibility

Tradition groups the animals into teams of three that think alike, pairs of “secret friends”, and opposite signs that clash.

Best matchDogSee the Dog →Best matchTigerSee the Tiger →Secret friendGoatSee the Goat →Opposite sign, can clashRatSee the Rat →

Famous people born in the Year of the Horse

Nelson MandelaPresident of South Africa and anti-apartheid activistJuly 18, 1918 · Earth HorseNeil ArmstrongAmerican astronaut and lunar explorerAugust 5, 1930 · Metal HorseWarren BuffettAmerican investor, entrepreneur and businessmanAugust 30, 1930 · Metal HorseJames DeanAmerican actorFebruary 8, 1931 · Metal Horse (born before Lunar New Year)Aretha FranklinAmerican singer, songwriter, and pianistMarch 25, 1942 · Water HorseBarbra StreisandAmerican singer and actressApril 24, 1942 · Water HorsePaul McCartneyEnglish musician and member of the BeatlesJune 18, 1942 · Water HorseHarrison FordAmerican actorJuly 13, 1942 · Water HorseJanis JoplinAmerican singerJanuary 19, 1943 · Water Horse (born before Lunar New Year)Halle BerryAmerican actressAugust 14, 1966 · Fire HorseKristen StewartAmerican actressApril 9, 1990 · Metal HorseEmma WatsonEnglish actressApril 15, 1990 · Metal Horse

Find your animal

The Chinese year starts at Lunar New Year, between January 21 and February 20, so a January or early February birthday often belongs to the year before. We use the exact date. We don’t save your birthdate or link it to you.

The other animals

Rat1984, 1996, 2008, 2020Ox1985, 1997, 2009, 2021Tiger1986, 1998, 2010, 2022Rabbit1987, 1999, 2011, 2023Dragon1988, 2000, 2012, 2024Snake1989, 2001, 2013, 2025Horse1990, 2002, 2014, 2026Goat1979, 1991, 2003, 2015Monkey1980, 1992, 2004, 2016Rooster1981, 1993, 2005, 2017Dog1982, 1994, 2006, 2018Pig1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

Personality traits, lucky items and compatibility come from Chinese tradition and are shared for fun, not as predictions. Lucky numbers, colors and flowers follow China Highlights' zodiac guide. Lunar New Year dates are calculated from the Chinese calendar and checked against a published table for 1924 to 2043. Famous birthdays come from Wikidata.