Happy Year of the Fire Horse

Written By Eliot Prisby

Happy Year of the Fire Horse!

Art by Master Andrew Bloch

Overview

2026 is Year of the Horse! The Lunar calendar is different from the Gregorian calendar; Year of the Horse is February 17th 2026 thru February 5th 2027. The Chinese zodiac rotates in a twelve year cycle; the horse is the 7th year in the cycle. Furthermore, there are five year elemental cycles. 2026 is fire, and thus is known as Year of the Fire Horse. Use this website to determine your Chinese zodiac sign. You are a horse if you were born in:

  • 2026

  • 2014

  • 2002

  • 1990

  • 1978

  • 1966

  • 1954

  • 1942

  • 1930

Note that the Zodiac is based on the lunar calendar, which sometimes falls slightly outside of the Gregorian calendar - check the website above for a precise answer.

Elements

There are five elements in the Chinese Zodiac (also in Chinese medicine and the Cycles of Mutual Creation and Destruction in Taoism):

  • Metal

  • Wood

  • Water

  • Fire

  • Earth

So, there are five different types of horses:

  • Metal Horse: Kind, straightforward, calm, rational, always ready to help others, and popular among friends

  • Wood Horse: Irritable and sentimental, with abundant imagination and insightful analyses of issues

  • Water Horse: Sentimental, irritable, reliable, amicable, always ready to help others, and very charming to romantic partners

  • Fire Horse: Smart, charismatic, lively, overflowing with enthusiasm, but stubborn

  • Earth Horse: Optimistic, kind-hearted, righteous, but irritable; with a strong sense of responsibility, and always ready to help others

History & Legend

In ancient times, many cultures used horses for transportation. The legend of the horse as a Zodiac animal is based upon the story of the Jade Emperor’s Great Race. The story says that a long time ago, the horse had wings and was capable of flying as well as running on land. Called the “Heavenly Horse” or “Celestial Horse”, the Jade Emperor claimed the horse as his own steed. But the Celestial Horse was unhappy with being domesticated, and broke out of the Celestial Palace in a rage, charging at the Dragon Palace, where the gods of the ocean resided. The Celestial Horse killed the tortoise guarding the Dragon Palace. The Jade Emperor was enraged. As punishment he removed the Celestial Horse’s wings and imprisoned it under the Kunlun Mountain for three hundred years.

Hundreds of years later, an ancestor of humanity passed by the Kunlun Mountains, and the Celestial Horse cried out, telling the human it would serve the human for life if rescued. The human rescued the horse, and in gratitude, the horse dedicated its life to serving the human and its ancestors. It carried the humans, helped on farms, and even joined them in battle, and horses and humans became close friends.

When the Jade Emperor was preparing the Great Race to select the Twelve Zodiac Animals, the horse was highly recommended by the humans. The horse was distracted by the adoration and affection from its fans and started the race late. It ran hard during the race and would have come in sixth place, except it did not notice that the snake had curled around its hoof, and unfurled at the last moment to beat the horse in the race, placing the horse as the seventh Zodiac Animal.

Qualities

The horse has the following strengths:

  • Active

  • Agreeable

  • Animated

  • Brave

  • Candid

  • Cheerful

  • Confident

  • Considerate

  • Decisive

  • Elegant

  • Energetic

  • Enthusiastic

  • Friendly

  • Independent

  • Insightful

  • Inspired

  • Intelligent

  • Logical

  • Perceptive

  • Popular

  • Principled

  • Powerful

  • Quick-witted

  • Responsible

  • Sincere

  • Sociable

  • Straightforward

  • Talented

The horse has the following weaknesses:

  • Attention-seeking

  • Easily bored

  • Foolhardy

  • Impatient

  • Impressionable

  • Impulsive

  • Overly ambitious

  • Overly sophisticated

  • Self-glorifying

  • Stubborn

  • They do not conceal their emotions well

  • They are not good at saving money

  • Vain

Lucky Things for Horses in 2026:

Lucky Numbers: 2, 3, 7 (and numbers containing them, like 23 and 37)
Lucky Colors: brown, yellow, purple, red, pink, purple
Lucky Flowers: calla lily, jasmine, marigold
Lucky Directions: northeast, southwest and northwest

Unlucky Things for horses in 2026:

Unlucky Numbers: 1, 5, 6
Unlucky Colors: blue, white, gold, black
Unlucky Direction: southeast

Famous Horses

  • Kathy D. (Wood)

  • Ilze G. (Wood)

  • Sheila M. (Fire)

  • Doronit B. (Earth)

  • Scott M. (Earth)

  • Karan P. (Metal)

  • Brie M. (Wood)

  • Maya M. (Wood)

Sources

China highlights. 12 Animal Signs and 2026 Horoscope Predictions. (n.d.). https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/

Wikimedia Foundation. (2026, February 13). Chinese zodiac. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac

Eliot Prisby
Next

Kung Fu Ranking ~ December 6th 2025