In the Northern Neck there is a lot of history. That goes without saying, as it was founded in 1653, however the story that I’m about to tell you doesn’t take place in one of the many centuries-old plantation houses that dot the area. Instead, it takes place on a now-abandoned overgrown farmstead.

This is also one of the only times that I think I actually saw an apparition of some sort. And it wasn’t a person, nope, it was a horse.

Several years ago, my friend and I were driving on a side road off of Newland Road between Westmoreland County and Warsaw, Virginia. (For privacy reasons I’m not giving out the actual address.)

When we came across what I’d thought was an abandoned farm. To my surprise there in the field was a white, speckled Appaloosa horse trotting around without a care in the world. Something which I pointed out to my friend. Only to watch in surprise as the color drained out of his face and he began to hyperventilate. A bit of an overreaction to my opinion when it comes to a horse.

Once, we hit a stop sign he’d gotten himself under control and he told me a story about the house in question. My friend’s mother is a hospice nurse and had been for years. When he was younger she used to care for the woman who owned that farm. There she had a white horse the last of the farm stock that she had, the horse which no one rode ran freely in the fields. A pet for the dying old woman inside.

My friend used to feed and play with the horse when his mother was at the house caring for the woman who was at the end of her days. She soon passed by the time he was maybe 11. And several days after she passed so did the horse. It refused to eat and simply lay down and died. (I’ve never seen this in Horses but I’ve seen dogs do this when other Dogs pass away that they were close too.) The house and adjoining farmland then went to the old woman’s family, who lived out of state.

This happens a lot in the Northern Neck, and what tends to happen is the family members then sell it off or more likely simply let the place fall apart as this lady’s family did. The house is abandoned, the barn is overgrown and so is the field. Not, believing my friend we turned around and drove back. I was expecting to find some semblance of a farm. Instead, we found nothing.

He did however point out in the middle of the field where they’d buried the horse. Most stories people tell about ghosts talk about thin wispy figures, but until I found out otherwise I’d of argued that this was a living, breathing horse. If he hadn’t told me that story I’d of continued my day without thinking I’d witnessed anything wonderous.

I’ve seent the horse in the field on two other occassions since then. So have others that I know that live in the area. Many, like me are shocked to find out that they’ve witnessed a ghost.