I still get a little giddy thinking about that clack of hooves and a glowing skull in a dark convention hallway. My favorite approach is to treat it like a miniature puppet theater you wear: build a lightweight frame that sits on a comfortable harness (I use an old hiking backpack cut down to straps) and spread the horse body around my waist so the rider portion sits naturally above it.
For the skeleton skull I carve EVA foam or use a 3D-printed skull shell, then add amber or red LEDs for the eyes and a little diffusion tape. The horse body can be foam covered with stretched chiffon or tulle to get that translucent, trailing look. I anchor the front of the “neck” to my shoulders with a two-point strap and let the rear drape into a ghostly shroud; adding fishing line from the head to a shoulder strap helps give it a slightly floating motion when I walk.
Always test for visibility and weight. I pad contact points, practice turning in tight spaces, and bring a friend to help with quick fixes. A small battery pack hidden in a waist pouch runs the lights, and a tiny fogger can be used for dramatic photos—just not indoors without permission. The whole trick is balance: light materials, clever suspension, and a bit of movement to sell the illusion.