The Horse

The horse takes the seventh position after the snake and before the sheep in the Chinese Zodiac. According to the folklore of the 12 animals who were chosen to represent the 12 years as a cycle, the horse was one of them who joined the Great Race. Then, since the horse is a good runner, how did it get behind the six other animals? 

The zodiac story has that at the beginning of the race, the horse was one of the few fast runners in the front. However, it was so kindhearted that he helped any animals who were in danger or in need of help on its way in the race. It helped the duck who was endangered by the fox. It also helped the snake who participated in the race. On seeing the snake who was bleeding from the long distance running without legs, the horse took great pity and took some grease from its own body and spread it over the snake's belly so that the snake could sneak fast. It even gave the sixth position to the snake! 

For all what it did, the horse earned the name of hero and was liked by other animals. But, all this happened during the race and resulted in a late arrival though it tried very hard to catch up. Up till now, the horse is still respected by the Chinese as a selfless, honest and hardworking animal. 

In the Chinese language, many 4-character idioms related to the horse are often used in praise of one's noble spirit, the leading position, the active attitude towards work, instant success, and one's power, courage and vigor. There is also a wonderful image about the horse in many legends in the Chinese culture: a white horse with two wins flying under the blue sky over the mountains and rivers through white clouds. This image carries the combination of powers of flying and running for an ideal animal. It reflects the good wish from the people to the horse. 

People born in years 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, and 2050 are horse. They are thought to be hardworking, straightforward, intelligent, friendly, cheerful and popular. They are frank about their feelings,  so they will not hide their love or hatred. The horse may encounter marriage crisis becasue of their pursuit to freedom. They can be adventurers, scientists, poets, or politicians. Besides, the horse may get on well with Tigers and Dogs instead of Rats.