Horace Horsecollar

Horace Horsecollar is a cartoon character created in 1929 by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. Horace is a tall anthropomorphic black horse and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Characterized as a cheerful know-it-all, Horace helped Mickey on his sleuthing expeditions in the comics before Goofy assumed that role. Horace most commonly appears as a funny animal, although a common gag in his early appearances was his ability to change at will from being a regular horse to a more human-like character.

Horace first appeared as Mickey's plow horse in the cartoon "The Plow Boy" in 1929. Later that same year, he appeared in The Jazz Fool, and afterwards he became a regular member of the Disney supporting cast, along with Clarabelle Cow, Clara Cluck, and other minor characters. In recent years, Horace has appeared in Mickey Mouse Works and Disney's House of Mouse.

Horace has never really been more than a supporting character, though he has starred in numerous European comic book stories of his own. In these, he plays a much bigger role than elsewhere, accompanying Mickey on his adventures or acting as Clarabelle Cow's paramour and fiance. Clarabelle and Horace were engaged in the comics according to some 1931 and 1932 continuities, but neither ever followed through.

Some modern European-made stories with Horace as star character were published in the United States by Gemstone from 2003–2008, including
 * "King of the Bungaloos" (Walt Disney's Comics and Stories 635, 2003)
 * "World's Greatest Horace" (WDC&S 641, 2004)
 * "Horace's Secret Helper" (Mickey Mouse 266, 2004)
 * "Horace's Travails" (MM 268, 2004)
 * "Driving Clarabelle Buggy" (WDC&S 651, 2004)
 * "All Aboard the Blunder Bus" (WDC&S 652, 2005)
 * "Blockheads" (WDC&S 656, 2005)
 * "High Horace" (WDC&S 692, 2008)
 * "'Tis Better to Give Than to Deceive" (Christmas Parade 5, 2008)

Though produced in Denmark, these Horace stories were written by Americans: Stefan Petrucha, Sarah Kinney, and Don Markstein. Horace is also a very common co-star in modern Mickey comics by these writers.