Born in 1978: the Horse

Anyone born in 1978 is an Earth Horse. The year's traditional two-part name is 戊午 (wùwǔ), number 55 in the 60-year cycle, and it is a yang year, the active, outgoing half of the cycle. The base Horse traits (free-spirited, energetic, sociable) come filtered through a grounded, practical and patient Earth tone.

The 1978 lunar year ran from February 7, 1978 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1979 (January 28, 1979). If you were born on or after February 7, 1978 you are a Horse; if you were born earlier in 1978, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Snake. Someone born in 1978 turns 48 in 2026 (or 47 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1978's Chinese New Year fell on a Tuesday, and that lunar year ran 355 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Earth element adds

Earth is the element of the harvest, stability and realism. An Earth year makes an animal steadier and more dependable, focused on security and the long game, though it can also make it slower to change course.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so an Earth Horse year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1978 was 1918, and the next is 2038. People born in it are said to combine free-spirited and energetic with the element's grounded nature. Every Horse year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Earth element and the full Earth Horse profile.

1978 at a glance

Animal	🐎 Horse (马)
Element	Earth
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	戊午 (wùwǔ)
Place in the 60-year cycle	55 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 7, 1978 to January 27, 1979
Age in 2026	47–48
Traditional best match	Goat
Traditional hardest match	Rat
Lucky numbers	2, 3, 7
Lucky colors	yellow, green

Horse compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1978 Horse gets on best with the Goat (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Tiger and Dog. The hardest pairing is the Rat, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Horse compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1978 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1978 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 6, 1978	Snake (the 1977 year)
February 7, 1978 to December 31, 1978	Horse
January 1, 1979 to January 27, 1979	Horse (still the 1978 year)
January 28, 1979 onward	Goat (the 1979 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1978 Horse

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1978 is 2026 (this year), around age 48, then 2038, around age 60. Tradition calls this your běnmìngnián. Despite being "your" year, it is thought to clash with Tài Suì (the God of Age) and to carry a higher chance of setbacks, so many people wear red through it for protection.

The element pair: 1978 and 1979

Earth years come in pairs. 1978 is the yang year and 1979 is the yin year, the Goat. So a 1978 Horse and a 1979 Goat share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Horse and Goat pairing as excellent: one of the six classic 'secret friend' pairings — a naturally supportive, stabilizing match. See the Horse and Goat pairing.

Other Horse years

1930 1942 1954 1966 1990 2002 2014 2026 2038

Full Horse personality profile →   Horse compatibility with every sign →

Know your exact birth date? Use the calculator for your full combination →

What an Earth year changes for the Horse

Talking. The Earth element shows up in how a 1978 Horse speaks: it gets steadier and more patient about it, in no hurry to make the point. Another element on the same animal would sound different.

Work. In 1978 the Earth element steadies and grounds the Horse's habits at work, so this version runs things slower but with more staying power than most. It changes the style, not the choice of career.

Love. A 1978 Horse shows affection through consistency and follow-through. That follows from the element: earth is the element of the harvest, stability and realism.

For the sign as a whole (how the Horse communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Horse profile. This page covers what is different about 1978.

Known Horses

Emma Watson, Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford are among the names most often cited as Horses, though none of them was born in the 1978 lunar year. They're referenced here as examples of the animal's free-spirited streak generally, not proof of what a Earth Horse specifically looks like.