Short answer: Hang a 7 horses painting on the east wall of your living room, with the horses running into the room, not towards the main door. The south wall is my second choice. Pick seven white horses running together under a rising sun, and keep it out of the bedroom, the pooja room and the wall facing the entrance.
Updated 3 November 2026
Why seven horses, and why do they point east?
Seven horses pull the chariot of Surya, the Sun, in Indian tradition, and the Sun rises in the east. So the painting belongs to the Sun’s direction.
Each horse is said to stand for one colour of sunlight, and some say one day of the week. People hang the picture for momentum: a sense of things moving forward at work. That is the whole idea behind it. It is a picture that carries a mood, and the wall it sits on decides whether that mood fits the room.
I’ll be straight with you. A painting does not bring a promotion or money on its own. What I have seen it do is set the tone of a living room, and remind the person who chose it of what they are working towards. Hang it for that, and you will not be disappointed.
7 horses painting direction: which wall is best?
The east wall is best, the south wall is a good second, and the north wall is fine in a work corner. I avoid the west wall and the north-east corner for this painting.
| Wall of the room | My view | Why |
|---|---|---|
| East | Best | The Sun’s own direction; suits growth and a fresh start at work |
| South | Good | Mars rules the south: drive, and recognition for hard work |
| North | Fair | Mercury’s side, linked with business; fine behind a home-office desk area |
| West | Avoid | The sunset side, ruled by Saturn; a racing picture sits oddly there |
| North-east corner | Avoid | I keep this corner light and quiet; a big, busy picture crowds it |
Use a compass to find the walls of the room itself, not the facing of the building. Many living rooms in an east-facing flat have their long wall on the south. My free Vastu compass and direction checker will tell you in a minute.
Which way should the horses run?
The horses should run into the room, towards the inside of the home. They should never be shown racing towards the main door or out of a window.
The thinking is simple. Horses running out of the door read as something leaving the house. Horses running in read as something arriving. On an east wall, a painting where the horses look out at you, into the room, is perfect.
On a south wall, stand facing the painting. East is on your left. So pick a painting where the horses run from right to left, towards the east end of the wall, if the room allows it. If the main door happens to be on that left side, flip the choice: running away from the door matters more than running east.
How do I choose a good 7 horses painting?
Choose seven calm, white horses galloping together on a bright background, all seven fully visible. Count them before you buy; a lot of prints show six or eight.
- White or light horses. White reads as clean and steady. Brown is fine. I would skip black horses and horses drawn in angry reds.
- A rising sun, not a sunset. A sun low on the horizon looks the same in both, so look for the morning sky: pale gold and blue, not deep orange and purple.
- Together, in one direction. A herd running as one. Not horses rearing at each other, not a scattered group.
- No riders, reins or chains. The point of the picture is free movement.
- Calm ground. Grass, open land or calm shallow water is fine. A stormy sea or lightning in the sky is not a mood you want on a wall you see daily.
- Whole and clean. No cropped horses at the edge, no torn canvas, no cracked glass. Replace a faded print rather than leaving it up.
Size matters less than people think. It should suit the wall, with some space around it. A painting that fills the wall from end to end feels heavy. For colours that suit each wall behind the frame, see my notes on Vastu colours for each direction and room.
If the same living room has a brass tortoise, keep it on the north side, clear of the painting; my tortoise placement in the living room notes cover it.
Where should you not hang a 7 horses painting?
Not in the bedroom, the pooja room, a toilet or a staircase wall, and not directly opposite the main door with the horses running out. These are the places I ask clients to move it from.
- Bedroom. The bedroom is for rest, and a running herd is the opposite of rest. Above the bed is the worst spot of all. My bedroom Vastu: bed, wardrobe and room zone page has what does suit that room.
- Pooja room or pooja unit. Keep the shrine for the deity. A Surya image there is a different matter from a decor painting.
- Facing the main door, horses running out. This is the most common mistake I see. If it must go near the entrance, the horses run in. My main door Vastu rules page covers the rest of the entrance.
- Toilet walls, staircase walls and the kitchen. These are passing or working spaces, and the painting gets steam, oil or knocks.
- Opposite a mirror. The reflection doubles the picture and the room starts to feel busy. Where mirrors do work is on my mirror placement Vastu page.
7 horses painting in the office: where does it go?
In an office cabin, hang it on the east or south wall where you can see it from your chair. In a reception area, the south wall facing visitors works well.
Most people put it behind their own seat, so visitors see it and the owner never does. If the painting is meant to keep you moving, it should be in your line of sight. If you sit facing north, as I usually suggest, that means a side wall: the east wall on your right.
Shops and showrooms follow the same rule as homes: horses running into the shop, not out of the shutter. For the seating, the cash counter and the owner’s desk, my guide to office Vastu for cabins and desks goes further. Working from home? Then the home office Vastu set-up page is the better fit.
Is it all right to gift a 7 horses painting?
Yes. It is a popular gift for a new home, a new office or a shop opening, and a kind one, as long as you let the person choose the wall.
- Pick a calm one: white horses, morning sky, all seven whole.
- Give it framed and ready to hang. A loose canvas tends to sit in a cupboard.
- Do not tell them which wall it must go on. Mention the east wall if they ask.
- If you are not sure the family likes horse paintings, ask first. Some people simply don’t, and that is fine.
If you have received one and the only free wall is a poor one, it is fine to keep it in another room for now, or to hang it in your office instead. A gift is not a rule.
Does your birth chart change where the painting goes?
Sometimes. The painting belongs to the Sun, so for someone whose chart has a strong Sun, or who is running a Sun period, the east wall carries more weight.
Where the Sun is under strain in a chart, I look at the east side of the home first, before anyone buys decor for it: is it blocked by a wardrobe, a store room or a toilet? Clearing that does more than any painting. If you would like both looked at together, that is what my Astro-Vastu reading of home and birth chart is for.
Want me to place it, and everything else, for you?
Send me your floor plan with north marked and a photo of the walls you are thinking of. I will tell you where the painting goes and look at the living room around it, the sofa, the TV and the mirrors included. Home Vastu is ₹1,499 for one floor or one flat, on a 45-minute call online or at my Begur studio, with a written report in 48 hours. Start with my online home Vastu consultation page, and for the room itself, my living room Vastu: sofa, TV and entrance guide. The full set of rooms is in my Vastu for home room-by-room guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which direction should the 7 horses painting face?
The painting itself goes on the east wall, so it faces west into the room, and the horses should run into the room. What matters most is that the horses do not run towards the main door or a window.
Can I hang a 7 horses painting in the bedroom?
I would not. A bedroom needs a still, restful feel, and a herd at full gallop works against that. Move it to the living room or a study, and keep the bedroom walls soft and simple.
Is a 7 horses painting good for a south-facing house?
Yes. The facing of the house does not decide the wall; the walls of the room do. In many south-facing homes the living room has a clear east or south wall, and either works.
Should the horses be running left or right?
Neither is fixed. They should run into the room and away from the main door. On a south wall, horses running right to left run towards the east, which I like when the door allows it.
Can the 7 horses painting go on the west wall?
It is my last choice. If west is truly the only free wall, I would rather you hang it in the office or a study with an east or south wall. If it stays on the west wall, make sure the horses run into the room.
Does the 7 horses painting bring money?
Not by itself, and I won’t pretend it does. It is a picture of momentum. Placed well, it suits a room where you plan and work. Money comes from the work, and from a home that supports it.
Is a 7 horses painting with water or a sea background fine?
Calm, shallow water is fine. A rough sea, crashing waves or a dark stormy sky is not something I would hang in a room you sit in every day.
How high should I hang the painting?
Hang it so the centre of the painting sits around eye level when you stand, a little lower above a sofa. Leave space above and around it so the wall does not feel crowded.
