Years ago when I lived on the Pacific coast I used to ride my horse in the evening along the beach. This particular night there was a fog bank coming in over the ocean and everything was so beautifully surreal that I rode along just appreciating what a great night this was.
Tiger, my quarter horse gelding was stepping right along with his running walk when he threw his head up and acted like there was something behind him. I didn't hear or see anything at that time and figured a sea bird had passed behind us.
He began acting more agitated until he was actually rearing and plunging...very skittish behavior for a horse who had been ridden at night many times. Then I heard the hoofbeats coming up behind us.
Whoever was riding was pushing his horse way too fast for the conditions. He was gaining on us fast. I pulled Tiger toward the cliff to give the other horse room to get by and when he whooshed past us I saw...absolutely nothing. Both Tiger and I could hear the hoofbeats pass us and continue down the beach. The return to the stable was accompanied by chills and concern for this runaway rider.
The stable manager was there when we got back and I told him of my experience. This is his story:
During World War 2 the stables had been part of a barracks where young military men (Navy or Coast Guard) were quartered. There job was to patrol the beach on horseback looking for signs of submarines or mines washed up on shore. They carried bulky crank type radios that they used to report in. One night a young sailor rode out on his patrol on a night very much like this night. He tried to call in at the limit of his range and his radio was nothing but static. He turned his horse toward the stables and began galloping back to make his report.
When he didn't arrive they sent a search party to look for him and found him and his horse shortly after dawn. He had thrown down the malfunctioning radio and was racing back to make a report when his horse stumbled and went down. The young sailor was thrown and broke his neck. His horse was destroyed with a broken leg. No one knows what he saw that caused him to race back to the barracks at such speed.
This is the only case I have been associated with where an animal actually heard and reacted to the presence of a ghost. I also learned from the stable master that other riders had heard the ghost horse and rider pass on nights when they were riding. Personally, I never want to repeat that experience.
