The headless horseman has appeared in many forms of literature throughout history and throughout the world. Many countries have their own unique version of the headless horseman legend in which some form of the headless horseman appears. In the United States, various states have their own version of a headless horseman tale; Texas' version of the legend, written by Thomas Mayne Reid in 1865 or 1866, tells of ghosts of beheaded horse thieves, who roam the countryside.