2016 Halloween parade: No Headless Horseman?

[waldiddy]

We attended the 9/20 Halloween party in the MK last week, and was disappointed that no Headless Horseman rode through at the start of the parade. It's been over 10 years since we last attended the party, so maybe he's been gone awhile, but I had the impression he was still around and would be seen in the parade. Anybody know?

Great party, though. The parade, fireworks, decorations and characters were fantastic.

 

[yulilin3]

Had it rained and the ground was still wet? We went about 2 weeks ago and the Headless Horseman came out for the second parade

 

[luvpooh]

Was it rainy or wet out? He usually doesn't ride if the ground is slippery.

 

[FantasmicDad!]

We got to see the Headless Horseman at the 9/25 /16 party.

 

[MOM POPPINS]

We almost missed him. We went to the first party of this year and he actually came by about 10 minutes before parade time. We were in Frontierland.

 

[Accident]

He can be very early, especially if your watching from the hub or main street. Even from the back, he rides about 10 minutes before the rest of the parade. From the front it's about 30 minutes from when you see him until the parade is there.

And rain plays a part in the safety of the horse and the rider who can't see anything going down the parade route (the horse is trained to run the route without help from the rider).

And last.. it's a real horse. late parade and it's less likely to happen. the horse might be under the weather or anything that would be cruel to have it run around mk for us.

 

[LadyRayado]

And last.. it's a real horse. late parade and it's less likely to happen. the horse might be under the weather or anything that would be cruel to have it run around mk for us.

Yes, this. The rider is a contracted employee who gets to make the call whether he rides or not. Disney has no control over it - so rain, wet pavement, or even the horse having an "off" night could contribute to him not riding.

 

[SureAsLiz]

It did rain that night at the beginning of the party, and the first parade was running the rain-modified version (with the pirates carrying mops instead of flags). The stage was also delayed about 10 minutes which impacted crowds in the area.

The second parade was the regular version, so it's possible he came out then (I watched in frontierland that time, so not sure what happened on Main Street)

 

[11290]

Horse steps off in Frontierland 5 minutes prior to parade step off (8:25 for an 8:30 parade). Handlers from Tri Circle D ranch survey the route about 15 minutes prior to step off and determine whether the route is too wet to safely continue.

Tri Circle D ranch is a part of Disney at Ft. Wilderness where you can visit to see a lot of the horses and other animals, horse back riding and carriage rides.

 

[bumbershoot]

From the front it's about 30 minutes from when you see him until the parade is there.

Wow, that's seriously early!

 

[11290]

Wow, that's seriously early!

Horse move relatively fast, parade is slower.

 

[SureAsLiz]

Wow, that's seriously early!

The same thing happens during the day parade, though I don't think it's quite as extreme.
The Grand Marshal generally steps off 10 minutes before the parade, but since they move faster than the rest of the parade it can be a longer difference by the time it reaches Main Street

 

[MakiraMarlena]

He has been in the parade this year, weather permitting.

 

[TXHauntedMansionFan]

Agreed, we saw him before the parade at the second Halloween party this year. I would also agree that he does come by quite a bit before the rest of the parade shows up. It was probably 10 full minutes before we saw any floats and we were standing by Liberty Tree Tavern.

 

[bumbershoot]

Horse move relatively fast, parade is slower.

Oh sure, it makes sense once you think about it.

But when we make plans we tend to think of how the schedule goes for how we are planning to do it. So the one Halloween party we went to, we knew we were going to watch it from Frontierland, and planned accordingly. I have just never thought of it further down the line so I hadn't thought of how it would go for people who plan to watch it elsewhere. And I, despite being on here pretty close to all the time, had managed to never read that it is so early for Hub watchers! So I was surprised. And then I thought about it and it totally makes sense.

 

[disneyfam23]

He wasn't in the 2nd parade on the 20th either. I heard a CM telling someone he wouldn't be there but never heard any reason why. I assume the late hour and the rain earlier in the night.

 

[CarolynU]

I was there on the 20th and didn't see him in either parade. It had rained earlier and it stopped around 7 pm and then didn't rain any more, so I was really hoping to see him at the later parade if not the earlier one, but nothing. I felt sad at the time, but considering the weather forecast was for torrential rain all night and we didn't get it I had to think myself lucky.

 

[CallieS]

He rode before both parades on September 8th. We saw him in Liberty Square, which by the way is probably the most awesome spot to see the Headless Horseman. The theming couldn't be more perfect!

 

[KT0191]

He rode before both parades on September 8th. We saw him in Liberty Square, which by the way is probably the most awesome spot to see the Headless Horseman. The theming couldn't be more perfect!

We watched him on 9/11 for the second parade right in font of Sleepy Hollow and I agree- couldn't have been more perfect with the theme!

 

[k5thbeatle]

Depends on weather and the call of the rider who is contracted but the horse is NOT trained to run the route without help from the rider as suggested.