1990 Chinese Zodiac: The Year of the Metal Horse

Detail	1990
Animal	Horse (马)
Element	Metal, yang
Stem and branch	Geng Wu (庚午)
Year starts	January 27, 1990
Year ends	February 14, 1991
Year before	1989, Earth Snake
Year after	1991, Metal Goat

Born in January or February 1990?

The Chinese year does not start on January 1. It starts at Chinese New Year, which follows the Moon and usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, somewhere between January 21 and February 20. In 1990 it fell on January 27 (China time), so the Horse starts with births on that day and everyone born before it in 1990 is still an Earth Snake. If your birthday sits close to the line, the Chinese zodiac calculator checks the exact date for you.

The Horse in Chinese astrology

Lively, sociable and happiest in motion, the Horse is the free spirit of Chinese astrology. Horse people are described as independent, quick-witted and warm, with a talent for conversation and an appetite for travel, new places and new projects. They are read as honest to a fault and generous with their time when they feel respected. Others experience a Horse as good company, cheerful and spontaneous, and hard to confine.

The blind spots are the mirror image of the freedom. A Horse may start more than it finishes, speak before thinking, and chafe at routine or at anyone who tries to set the pace. Impatience can read as a lack of commitment, even when the Horse's feelings are sincere. If you are a Horse, the tradition would encourage you to choose a few commitments and honor them, so that your energy builds something durable. Friends and partners tend to value a Horse most when they are given room, and when the Horse remembers to check in without being asked.

The Metal Horse

In Chinese astrology Metal is the element of clarity, discipline and resolve. Tradition links it to autumn, to the blade and the bell, and reads a Metal year as adding firmness and a taste for precision to the animal it touches. Metal people are described as determined, principled and economical with words. The classical shadow is rigidity: a tendency to hold a position after the situation has changed, and to keep feelings polished and out of view. Metal asks the animal to be exact.

Most Horses run toward the horizon; the Metal Horse picks a particular point on it. Tradition describes ambition, hard work and a straight line from start to finish. Beside the freewheeling reputation of the sign, this Horse looks disciplined, with a calendar and a goal. Admirers see drive, while critics see a stern independence and a stubborn streak. The restlessness is harder to hide than it thinks, and it tends to show as impatience with slower company. Scheduling rest and play keeps determination from hardening into a verdict on everyone else, and one afternoon a week with no destination is a fair start.

The same pairing of element and animal returns every sixty years, so 1930 and 2050 are Metal Horse years as well. The other metal year next to 1990 is 1991, a Metal Goat, because each element lasts two years, one yang and one yin.

Horse compatibility

Tradition groups the twelve animals into four trines of three. The Horse shares its trine with the Tiger and the Dog, the pairings read as the easiest. Its secret friend, a second close match, is the Goat, while the Rat, six places away on the wheel, is read as its clash. These are tendencies of the tradition, not verdicts on any couple.

Ardent, honest and sometimes restless, the Horse falls in love quickly and wants a bond with room in it. Horses are playful, affectionate and happiest when they can share adventures. They dislike being questioned or monitored, and may leave a situation rather than argue. A Horse does best with a partner who is secure, curious and willing to travel along, and who lets the Horse's independence stand without taking it personally.

The Horse at work

Energetic, persuasive and quick to adapt, the Horse is happiest in roles with variety, travel or direct contact with people. With money, Horses are read as generous and sometimes careless, earning well and spending freely. Follow-through is the old weak point: tasks that lose their novelty can be left unfinished, and routine paperwork may be quietly avoided.

Other Horse years

The Horse comes back every twelve years, each time with the next element: 1930 Metal Horse, 1942 Water Horse, 1954 Wood Horse, 1966 Fire Horse, 1978 Earth Horse, 1990 Metal Horse (this page), 2002 Water Horse, 2014 Wood Horse, 2026 Fire Horse.

Your Western sign

Your Chinese sign comes from your birth year. Western astrology works from the sky on the day you were born instead: your Sun sign follows the date, and your Moon sign and rising sign also need the time and place. Two people born in 1990 share the Horse and can still have any of the twelve Western Sun signs. Draw your free birth chart to see your Sun, Moon and rising sign together, or look up your Sun sign by date with the zodiac sign dates calculator.

All twelve animals, the five elements and every year from 1930 to 2030 are listed in Chinese zodiac years.