A Character Analysis: Long Horse (Trevor Henderson Mythos) [1/40]
Introduction
During the 2020 pandemic, perhaps while bored out of your mind, you decided to scroll through Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr. Perhaps also you are a fan of horror and any twisted and unnerving character designs tied to the genre. If so, you've probably heard of and/or seen the work of Trevor Henderson. Famous for creating artwork of unsettling cryptids and ghosts in found footage styled photographs, with the most well known cryptid of his being Siren Head, who helped kickstart a sudden rise in interest of his work in 2020 after an animated Tiktok video and short video game went viral and caught the attention of the internet.
Since then, Trevor has gone on to create countless more monsters and continues to improve his craft to this day. Now, he has his own book series for young readers, an anthology horror podcast series, 2 upcoming movies that will be focused on his most popular creations (Siren Head and Cartoon Cat), and taken work on other projects with his artistic talent.
With the continuous creations of these cryptids, with some being reoccurring characters, there is an interest when it comes the lore and world building behind this mythos and its creatures. A lot of it is kept vague of course, since that's ultimately where the horror and appeal of Trevor's work comes from. At the same time, it's with that vagueness that allows us to put together any bits of info that we come across and come to our own conclusions, which is always fun.
This will be a series of analyzing and diving into the creatures that Trevor had written down on a list in 2020 and considers to be canon within his mythos. 40 posts to make in total, with this being the first of that lineup. I'd highly encourage you to look at this post that goes into more specific detail on how exactly this will all play out and be formatted. Just so you won't be confused.
Now with that quick introduction done, let's get into this.
Name of Subject: Long Horse
Creation Date: August 24th, 2018
Danger Level: 100% Friendly
Occupation: Patron saint of forewarning, of disaster averted, of curiosity, for better or worse.
Physical Description: Fitting with the name, the cryptid takes on the appearance of a horse skull (specifically a female horse skull: note the lack of canines), missing its lower jaw, attached to an infinitely long neck, which is made up of multiple joints that allows it to bend like a finger. Its skin is pale and white (occasionally with a brown or yellow tint), with it being described as pliable, similar to wax. On the back of its head and sporadically on the rest of its neck is what appears to be black strands of hair; the exact density of which can be inconsistent, as Long Horse looks relatively hairy in some illustrations while not so much in others. It's most likely supposed to give off the appearance of a disheveled mane.
History
"I had that nightmare again, about the horse on the stairs." - August 24th, 2018
This is where Long Horse first makes its debut. The setting takes place at night inside a house, with the horse being shown staring directly at the viewer down the stairs. The photograph has this grainy aesthetic to it, fitting with the surreal and dreamlike nature of this scenario as per the caption.
The speaker here has had nightmares about this horse more than once, but what exactly the horse's motivations are or what it's supposed to be is not made clear. At the very least, we do know that it's connected to dreams, a motif that will be consistent later on.
This creature and its connections to dreams are further reinforced. As the caption implies, it doesn't have any limitations as to where exactly it can pop up and it can follow you anywhere.
We get a clear look at its noticeable lack of a bottom jaw and its elongated neck that can twist at any angle. We now know that this strange horse follows after you, but with those eye sockets being as empty as they are, it's still hard to grasp why.
"long horse in the suburbs" - September 25th, 2018
We're outside again and here we have some things of note. The caption for this illustration is where we first get the name of this creature: Long Horse. Next, while it was apparent that Long Horse had an elongated neck in the previous illustrations, here it is made very clear that its neck goes to absurd lengths. If Long Horse has a body, it is not visible anywhere.
The lone street lamp that lightens part of Long Horse's body gives it this ethereal sort of aura to it. As if it's some sort of deity from another plane entirely. The next two posts may strengthen this claim.
"🐴 Long Horse facts! 🐴" - October 6th, 2018
Trevor uploads a fact sheet about Long Horse where we get to learn a little more about it. You can read it all yourself, but most notably and perhaps surprisingly, it's not one of the hostile cryptids. It's curious and means well, downright helpful even, as its appearance functions as a warning sign for an upcoming disaster. So its still not a great thing to see this horse, but at least you get a heads up for what's to come.
Interestingly, a month before Long Horse's fact sheet was posted, Trevor made this post on his Tumblr about Long Horse, also referred to as Dream Horse here. A lot of the information is the same, but some things of note are how its appearance is preceded by the smell of cinnamon (which comes from its skin), the longer its neck appears to you means the more misfortune soon to come; and how its apparently tied to a rocking horse in a thrift store somewhere. Which we don't get any further info on.
Lastly, its stated that it can only appear in dreams, but can impact the real physical world. An example of this is in an illustration posted on December 4th, 2020, where the caption states that Long Horse caused a photographer who was in a national park to flee out of fear, in turn saving her life before the surrounding area was engulfed by flames.
The illustration is stated to be a photo that the photographer took, perhaps the implication here is that while Long Horse may not be physically present in the real world, it's still present in an abstract sense, which means you can take a photograph or perhaps even a video of it and have it be visible there, despite it not technically existing as far as the naked eye is concerned.
The photographer was most likely trying to capture a scenery photo of the park, before being scared by what the resulting photo showed her. This is supported by another illustration posted on February 9th, 2022, where the caption states that a group of campers heard rustling in the trees overhead while on a trip; they didn't figure out that the source of the noise was Long Horse until they looked at the photos previously taken after the trip was over.
It also had a polaroid photo taken of it by the paranormal polaroid camera, which is stated to have the ability to capture ghosts and other supernatural entities, again reinforcing that Long Horse does have some presence in our world beyond dreams.
"They’re still here. They’ve always been here." - October 15th, 2018
A week later, Trevor would post these series of images on his Tumblr, showcasing prehistoric cave paintings and modern day graffiti of both Long Horse and Siren Head. These paintings along with the caption serve as confirmation that these two are very old beings that have been with us from the beginning, perhaps they're timeless even.
While Siren Head is shown being attacked with spears and bows due to its violent nature, Long Horse is shown circling around a group of humans, in a comforting sort of way, while they stand there calm and content.
It is fully benevolent unlike Siren Head and many other cryptids. It is our living warning signal who wants the best for us. Who always wanted the best for us. It's persistent in constantly showing up in one's dream and following them wherever they go because it genuinely cares about them. With how horrifying it must be to live within this mythos, Long Horse is here to bring even just a little bit of comfort for all of that fear and dread.
"New sighting. He’s on the move." - November 29th, 2018
Long Horse would continue to pop up in illustrations. Whether to give us a friendly hello, words of encouragement, continue to confuse us with its neck disappearing behind something only reappear elsewhere, hang out in trees overhead, or express curiosity. Overall being a pleasant sight that brings joy to the Trevor Henderson fanbase.
Like the other popular and notable cryptids, Long Horse would be given a patron saint portrait and designated title. In its portrait, it's given a radiating halo, and its title further establishes their role as a protector.
Later, Long Horse is described by Trevor in the following post: "Not a horse, this entity breaks down our most fundamental understanding of spatial physics. Able to appear or disappear from behind any object, its length and general shape beyond a head & neck has yet to be determined. Its appearance almost always precedes disaster." - February 17th, 2022. Not much else to say as all of this is stuff we already know, but still worthy of pointing out.
As of writing, the last illustration that involved Long Horse was made in June 21, 2026. Still being our beloved and harmless protector.
In Mayfair Watchers Society
SPOILERS FOR URBAN LEGEND IN THE MAYFAIR WATCHERS SOCIETY PODCAST. If you want to listen to the episode yourself either right now or at a later time, you can click the link here and then come back to this section. Otherwise if you aren't concerned about spoilers or have already listened to the episode, we shall continue.
In the Mayfair Watchers Society podcast, Long Horse makes its appearance in the 18th episode of season 2. The episode is titled "Urban Legend" and was released on February 26th, 2025. Written by Marisa E. Cardin.
The episode centers around Tyler, Simon, Melissa, and Penny, four college kids (with Tyler being a dropout) on a camping trip. One night, after Tyler finishes telling a lame campfire story, Simon chimes in and tells the group about something his grandfather had personally experienced when he used to live in the woods that they were currently camping in. He was chopping wood all day and later was making his way home before it got dark, but as he moved along, he kept stopping, thinking that he heard something and that someone was following him. Before the group could learn what Simon's grandfather saw however, Simon decides to stop the story there. Being uncomfortable with treating what his grandfather experienced as a campfire story.
The story cuts to the POV of two cops in a police station, discussing about children who have gone missing in the northern woods of Mayfair. A couple that went missing recently and a boy scout troop that went disappeared in the summer of 1993 for example. Aside from an empty camp site, these cases leave no traces of the kids behind or any potential evidence that can nail down a culprit. It was as if they just walked away from their site and never came back. Keep a mental note on both this and what Simon's grandfather experienced.
Switching back to the POV of the college kids, Melissa and Penny come running to Tyler and Simon to tell them something. As the girls were out exploring, they saw a massive cave on the other side of a lake, and apparently heard people across it as well. As they're explaining, Simon makes a comment about how nobody has said anything about there being a cave out in these woods. Regardless, the group becomes intrigued by the idea of exploring the cave and getting live footage of it, setting out to find it again after breakfast.
However, when they come back to the area where Melissa and Penny saw the cave, it seems to have disappeared, and they don't hear anyone talking. More bizarrely, Simon points out that they couldn't have possibly seen a cave across the lake with how the ground is sloped, unless it was very close, it would've been out of view. Confused and a bit anxious, the group head back to the campsite.
That night, they discuss about what happened and if there were any explanations for it. Melissa and Penny insist that they saw something and heard others talking, with Penny stating that the people they heard sounded like kids who were possibly on a school trip. This leads to Melissa hypothesizing that what they heard could've been... something mimicking those kids.
As the group becomes convinced that something paranormal is afoot, Simon expresses frustration and doesn't believe any of it. The conversation eventually becomes exhausted and they conclude that they can talk about going back in the morning.
Cutting back to the POV of one of the officers, we listen to a phone interview with the cop and Simon's grandfather, Mr. Barajas, who had previously called the police station, insisting that they go and get his grandson and the other kids since he believes they're in danger.
In the interview, Mr. Barajas explains that something had continuously followed him when he used to live in the woods. Originally believing it to be a figment of his imagination at first, before he started to suspect that something was indeed there. Something that was standing right behind him. He eventually left the woods in the spring of 1993, sometime before the summer of 1993 when the boy scouts went missing. Not much else detail is given besides that, but it is noteworthy that despite being followed by something, Mr. Barajas never mentions the creature being aggressive or trying to harm him. It was if it was trying to scare him out of the woods, before the boy scouts disappeared. Trying to prevent his fate ending up the same.
Switching back to the POV of the camping group once again, we listen to Tyler and Penny, who are going to try and see the cave for themselves while Simon and Melissa sleep back at camp. When they go back to the area where it was previously seen and then disappeared, they see that it has appeared again. Surprised and excited, they rush over to it and make their way through the entrance.
It seems to be a normal cave, but there are some oddities, such as how at around 33:43, Penny hears what sounds like whispering while Tyler doesn't hear anything, and how there's an underground river, which wasn't there before when Penny was with Melissa. It's as if the river isn't actually supposed to be there and for whatever reason suddenly manifested within this cave. Then Tyler and Penny smell something odd as they go deeper in the cave: cinnamon.
They hear odd noises not long after the smell. Tyler then sees something through his camera and is confused, meanwhile Penny is unable to see the creature with her own eyes (solidifying my theory on Long Horse only being visible through photographs or video footage). The sound of a neighing horse is heard as the two kids make their way out of the cave.
We cut to them reaching the campsite and going inside the tent where Simon and Melissa are sleeping. Now woken up, Tyler and Penny explain what they saw to them. Simon is taken aback, as the creature they describe is exactly what his grandfather described when he used to live in the woods. Now we have confirmation that Mr. Barajas was being followed by Long Horse, fitting with Long Horse's described behavior in its early illustrations.
Simon than urges the group to go back to where they saw Long Horse, with him now wanting to see the creature for himself. With a bit of hesitation, everyone packs the necessary supplies and go back to the cave.
As they go inside, they ponder if they should've brought weapons. Simon rebuttals that he doesn't believe that Long Horse is dangerous, perhaps it's just curious of them, if it was out to cause harm it would've done so to his grandfather, but it didn't. Simon then hears the cracking neck of Long Horse somewhere and asks Tyler for the camera. There he sees it with his own eyes. His grandfather was telling the truth after all.
Long Horse stares at the group from a distance for a moment before going elsewhere. The group follow after it, going deeper in the cave. We then cut to a passage in time. The kids are being reprimanded by one of the officers at the police station. Following Mr. Barajas suggestion, they sent someone to find the kids, who conveniently were found at the entrance of the cave, having run in a circle.
The story ends with the kids being free to go, unharmed, which is quite the rarity for protagonists in this podcast, and the policemen coming to the conclusion that, regardless of how the tourists will feel, it's probably for the best to seal off the woods.
In terms of behavior, Long Horse is essentially the same as it is in the Instagram posts, aside from making audible horse noises, something that we haven't been informed about before.
That aside, it is interesting to think about what exactly the "cave" was. It seems that the cave was a paranormal being of its own, separate from Long Horse. The reason why kids who venture into the northern woods go missing is because their curiosity draws them into the cave when they discover it. Its how it was able to make an entire boy scout troop disappear. It's why no traces of them are ever found. The moment that they go into that cave, their fate is sealed, as it suddenly blinks out of existence. The voices that Penny heard were from those boy scouts who suddenly vanished. Whether their spirits are trapped and forever one with the cave or the cave is simply mimicking their voices after having them killed is not made clear.
It seems Long Horse has been aware of how dangerous this being is for a long while now. It constantly followed Mr. Barajas until he got paranoid enough to move out of the woods. It tried scaring away Tyler and Penny when they first entered the cave. When the entire group went inside the cave, it strategized appropriately. Having the kids follow after it so that they could loop back around to the entrance. It was helping them escape and not become trapped. No way would those kids have made it out if it wasn't for Long Horse's help. It can't save everyone, but it will try.
In the end, those kids went unharmed and hopefully learned a lesson on not wandering into places they shouldn't go to. If the woods really are going to be sealed off as the ending implies, then that means no more kids will be lured into that "cave". No more will anyone end up in a fate worse than death. No more parents will have to suffer heartbreak after their child has been reported missing.
As always, Long Horse is a hero who's just here to do what is right. Good horsey.
Additional Lore and/or Speculation
Perhaps one still has some questions. How exactly does Long Horse's neck being as infinitely long as it is work? Does it have a body? Where is it? How come it is always out of view? Is Long Horse some sort of deity?
As we know, its neck appears to stop when going behind something, but that doesn't mean that it actually ends. If you were to try to look around what its neck disappeared behind and followed after it, you'd end up running in circles until it would be out of your line of sight or disappear behind something else.
Even if Long Horse were in an open and wide field, its neck would just lead down into the ground in the near distance. If you were to try to keep your eyes on its neck after it moved elsewhere, it would disappear once out of your line of vision, or crumble into dust if you somehow managed to never look away. Needless to say, Long Horse is not one to abide by physics or logical laws, making quantum mechanics look infinitesimal. It's because of this is why it keeps interactions to a minimum for the most part, as it moves like a needle threading between layers of reality, poking holes while doing so, which can screw with the average mind of a human being.
So does it not have a body at all? Well, Trevor has offered an answer to this question on a few separate occasions. If Long Horse does have a body, it's not one that we can picture, nor is it one that is within our dimension. Described as being located at "the culminating point in the center of where many dimensional layers meet, like a nucleus with the neck and head projecting out." Completely somewhere else, forever existing and not existing. As far as our feeble minds can comprehend though, its neck just continues on forever, folding in on itself.
It's something not constricted within our universe. So what is it? Well, we can only speculate. It's a being with full sentience and most likely sapience. It's something to give respect towards. For example, you could ride it like any other horse as Trevor confirmed, but that would be disrespectful considering its nature. Next, it's stated to spend its time "observing" as Trevor cryptically put it. Lastly, it's stated that Long Horse does serve some sort of purpose, as does Siren Head, at least, Siren Head used to serve a purpose.
With the info we have, the conclusion here is that Long Horse is possibly an ethereal being. A being who either serves under something greater or is something independent, who for one reason or another, came to our universe, as it saw that we needed aid for the countless threats that we would face. I believe that in the chaotic and horrifying mess that is this universe, Long Horse is here to keep a balance within it, otherwise everything would be much worse off than it already is. Considering Trevor has stated that Long Horse's hypothetical body is in the center where many dimensional layers meet, and that it doesn't follow logical laws, it's possible that Long Horse is aiding many universes at once, slipping between different worlds and spaces.
It's the holy protector of all. Observing these worlds and coming to their aid when needed. That is its purpose in every place from everywhere.
Trivia
- Along with smelling like cinnamon, Long Horse smells waxy and dusty.
- Long Horse does exist in a physical space, so you can physically interact with it just fine.
- In response to someone asking if Long Horse pops into existence at random or crawls across the world, Trevor stated that it's a mix of both.
- Long Horse mostly floats around inquisitively, but can have bursts of speed.
- An anonymous user once detailed a dream they had about Long Horse on Trevor's Tumblr, in response, Trevor made that dream canon.
- Once in response to a user asking if Long Horse is a nice being who wants to warn people before something bad happens, Trevor responded with "Either that, or it's indirectly causing bad stuff to happen and can't help it." Do note that Trevor merely suggested this could be an alternative reason for why Long Horse does what it does and so it isn't fully confirmed.
- Any and all pronouns are acceptable to use when referring to Long Horse.
- Long Horse enjoys treats like apples. If one were to offer it an apple, the apple will blacken and wither away, a sign that it accepted the offering < Citation unavailable. Take with a pinch of salt (although considering the dream from the anonymous user mentioned earlier, it's most likely canon).
Personal Thoughts
Long Horse is apart of, what I personally like to call it, "the legendary four." She's there with Siren Head, Cartoon Cat, and The Man With The Upside-Down Face as being among the most popular and recognizable characters in the mythos (even Trevor seems aware of this). It's not hard to see why.
The simple but unnerving visual of a horse skull attached to an infinitely long neck is something unique and it really sticks to your mind. With how dangerous the creatures in Trevor's mythos often are, it's easy to see Long Horse being yet another example of that at first. Then you learn that not only is she friendly, she's downright helpful and caring, and smells like cinnamon! She goes from yet another threat to fear to being this endearing and precious cinnamon roll. Y'know what they say: don't judge a book by its cover.
That's the thing that I love about Trevor's work. Not every cryptid he has made is out to get you unless stated otherwise, it makes going through his illustrations and reading the cryptic captions fun. Our brains naturally see something scary looking and automatically assume it's dangerous, but is what you're seeing truly dangerous? Or is it essentially just a weird looking animal? Maybe it's friendly? Can you approach it? Should you even want to approach it? What are its motives?
It makes this universe feel more grounded in a sense. If every single cryptid was some beast out to kill people, it would feel bland and boring, not to mention not scary because there's a sense of predictability. Ironically, by sprinkling in some friendly or harmless creatures in there, this universe becomes more horrifying; because you can never be sure what you'll run into and what whatever you just encountered has on its mind, if anything at all. Long Horse is an important addition to the mythos since it shows that it has depth and isn't just filled with murder monsters. Keeps things fresh.
Overall, I love Long Horse, from the memorable character design, to the interesting lore, to what they add to this universe. Everything about her is perfect. She's wonderful. A cutie patootie.
First cryptid scratched off the list. 39 more to go! If you want to correct me on something or believe something should be added, please let me know. Thank you for reading and have a snazzy day.
All citations in the order that they appeared in can be found here.