You’re walking home from campus late at night when you hear the faint sound of prancing hooves behind you. You turn around, searching the shadows for the source of the unsettling noise, and catch a blur of brown and white, gone in an instant. Don’t panic — it’s just the UIUC Horse.
The Horse entered the public eye in 2020, starting the Instagram account @uiuchorse and trotting around the Allen Hall basement. It has since amassed over 1,500 followers and has become a contender for the University’s most eligible bachelor. Photographers have captured the Horse all across campus, often in the dead of night, hoping to avoid any curious humans.
Since the Horse is unable to speak English, its manager and translator speak on its behalf and have elected to remain anonymous. They clarified that the Horse uses it/its pronouns, but accepts he/him pronouns as assumed by many of its followers.
“‘He’ implies a bit that it’s human, and the horse kind of transcends humanity and our concept of gender,” its manager said. “But also, it is running for the bachelor, which means that it is sort of masculine, but it definitely transcends gender.”
Despite existing beyond humanity’s framework of time, the Horse didn’t make its presence known until the pandemic. Students spent lots of time outside and often struggled to maintain connections due to social distancing rules.
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“The UIUC campus during COVID times was a very interesting time, and there was not a lot of opportunity for students to really connect with each other,” its manager said. “Something during that time really drew the Horse to UIUC, and it decided to gallop around.”
There have been periods where the Horse preferred existing in the shadows, avoiding interaction with or sightings by students. However, it has recently re-entered the spotlight, mainly due to its participation in the Illinois Bachelor run by @illinoischicks.
It has developed a unique horse-ona, combining its campy aesthetic with an eerie, unsettling energy. This unique energy comes across in many of its grainy or poorly lit Instagram posts.
“The Horse, if it doesn’t want to be in the public eye, it’s not in the public eye, and if students on campus see the Horse, it’s because it wants them to,” its manager said. “I would say that the intentions of the Horse are friendly, but the horse has some skeletons in its closet, for sure. However, the Horse is not willing to comment on those.”
At its core, the Horse feels deeply attached to the University, drawn in by the student body’s school spirit. Its Instagram posts around campus and at Illini sports events show this connection.
“It really loves this school, and I think that’s at the core of the Horse,” its manager said. “It enjoys being tapped into the cultural zeitgeist of UIUC’s campus, but the way in which it goes about expressing that doesn’t always translate comprehensively to the human mind … I think as long as there is U of I, as long as there is this campus culture, there will be, in one sense or another, the Horse.”
The Horse has been sweeping the Illinois Bachelor. It has accumulated around 70% of votes against its opponents in every round and made it into the final two.
Bachelor voters who support the Horse, like Chrissy Kim, senior in LAS, admire its charm, mystery and humor.
“I think the Horse is so compelling because he seems very sweet on one hand, but then there’s this mystery enshrouding the Horse,” Kim said. “I think it’s that balance of sweetness and mystery that make him such a great candidate for the Bachelor.”
This entity, whose manager says is, in fact, capable of love and romance, has enjoyed its time in the limelight. This extra attention spurred it into existing in the public eye again.
“The Horse is deeply flattered and enthusiastic about all the support it’s received from the student body,” its manager said. “The Horse has been lonely for a long time. It hasn’t been brave enough to really step out onto campus for a little bit, so this was an opportunity for the Horse to start to come out of its shell and try to connect with its fellow students.”
Its time on the Illinois Bachelor has increased the Horse’s visibility to the point where it has received calls to be a makeshift mascot for the University from students such as Metztli Medina Mora, sophomore in LAS.
“I think that the UIUC horse could be a potential mascot of the U of I, since he’s gained a lot of popularity and has caught a lot of people’s eyes through social media,” Medina Mora said.
However, the Horse isn’t bidding to become the University’s mascot, its manager said. Despite its love for the University’s culture and sports, it doesn’t aspire to be the school’s symbol.
“The Horse does support the Kingfisher and doesn’t want to take away from that,” its manager said. “But, if people want to embrace the horse as a mascot spiritually, that is welcome.”
The Horse may canter around campus more frequently in the future. Its Bachelor success has given it the confidence and support it needs to make an even bigger name for itself.
Students are encouraged to photograph the Horse if they encounter it out and about. Mingling is welcome, if they are brave enough to dare to.
“If students really want to approach the horse, they need to do so with good intentions and be pure of heart,” its manager said. “But I will say, approach with caution.”
