Horsemanning

What Does Horsemanning Mean?

Horsemanning is a way to pose for photographs in which the subject appears to be decapitated. This Internet meme involves two subjects in various poses so that one person appears to have no head, while the only the other person’s head is visible. This creates a humorous and often bizarre photo that is shared widely online through websites and social media.

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Techopedia Explains Horsemanning

Horsemanning is believed to have its origins in the 1920s – or perhaps even earlier – and archived photos exist to support this theory. The trend stems from a short story by Washington Irving called “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, which features the Headless Horseman, who “rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head”.

Horsemanning followed on the heels of other photographic Internet trends such as planking and owling. The photographs are displayed online and promoted through social media. Participants submit new photos in an effort to create new and innovative versions of the trend. Horsemanning is considered more interactive than other similar memes because it involves two people.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…