Eagle Mountain’s ‘Headless Horseman’ says she does it for the smiles

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Holidays, for many, are a mixed bag, and that doesn’t just mean a variety of candy. Holidays can bring about emotions that are hard to experience, let alone talk about. One Eagle Mountain woman, however, has taken it upon herself to bring joy to members of her community during holidays in a rather unique way: dressing in costumes while riding around town on her horse.

For the past seven years, Tiffany Ulmer has been dressing up in a variety of costumes — from Santa Claus to Princess Elsa, Spider-Man and Captain America. But one costume is heads and shoulders above the rest — well, maybe just shoulders.

During October, she has dressed as the Headless Horseman, galloping her gory way through town. Ulmer, who has lived in the Utah County town for nearly 25 years, said seeing the smiles on the faces of residents and visitors is why she does it.

“I like bringing smiles to people,” she said. “Doing this helps brighten their day and it’s so exciting to see someone smile when you wave at them.”

While the Headless Horseman is not a character that smiles back, Eagle Mountain resident Natashia McLean said this doesn’t stop her children from screaming in excitement each time they see Ulmer atop her 17-year-old Percheron named Jack.

“My kids just get so excited — and I get so excited — every time we see her!” McLean said.

In fact, McLean first spotted the “Headless Horseman” two years ago while driving with her son. She said that the sight was so spectacular that her son insisted she pull over and meet the smile-less equestrian. That meeting led to McLean, who is a local artist, to immortalize her newfound friend in charcoal form. She even posted a video of her encounter on social media, garnering over 600,000 views. McLean said that that first encounter has led to her entire family looking forward each year to when they will see Ulmer again.

“She just brings so much joy to the community,” McLean said. “It really makes people smile to see this headless horseman, and all my kids just love every time they get to see her. I know that in the community, everyone gets so excited. People post about their sightings on social media which is why I initially posted mine. It’s kind of just a community excitement.”

But Ulmer isn’t doing it for the clicks.

“Tiffany is just one of those people who does it just to bring good into the world, and not for anything else,” McLean said. “In fact, since I do social media, I actually reached out to her and offered to help her build a social media presence, but she declined. She said that she’s not doing it for that, but that she just does it to bring joy. I just think that’s beautiful.”

Along with the smiles she sees on the faces of young people in the community, Ulmer said she loves the response she gets when people learn it is a woman behind the mask.

“Eagle Mountain residents have adapted really well when they find there is a girl under the suit,” she said. “I have made it acceptable for any gender to be any superhero they want. I have ridden around as Spider-Man and Captain America. I also ride as Elsa in the colder months, especially the day before a snowstorm. There is no age limit to those who enjoy the magic of this season.”

Ulmer will continue to take rides dressed as the Headless Horseman throughout the month of October, but will not ride on Halloween in order to protect her horse and trick-or-treaters.

With only a couple of weeks left for residents to catch sightings of Ulmer’s October character, beginning on Dec. 1, Santa Claus will be making the horseback rounds, and will often be accompanied by elves and Eagle Mountain’s notorious Grinch.