All the names have been changed for use in this article

Sally had always worked at a ranch in Arizona which specialized in breeding Friesians. She loved her work, especially due to the fact that her own horse ‘Dodger’ was kept on the yard. Sally loved talking to him as she worked and he would often follow her up and down his field as she got on with her daily chores. If he was in his stall and could not see her, he could be heard kicking at the door until she came in to see him.

When Dodger died; Sally’s days seemed longer and lacked the laughter she had once known thanks to her equine friend. She would often gaze out at the field where he used to play and wish she could see him one last time.

About three months after he had died, Sally was sweeping the yard when she heard a horse kicking the side of their stable door. Going into the barn to see where the noise was coming from, she was shocked to see that all the other horses were dozing. As she walked past Dodger’s old stall the kicking noise stopped. Confused, Sally returned to her chores. Only a few minutes passed before she heard the same kicking noise. This time Sally walked straight to Dodger’s stall, once again the noise stopped.

Sure her mind was playing tricks on her; she opened the door and stepped into the empty stall closing the door behind her. As soon as the door shut Sally felt a horse’s nose pressed against her back. Turning quickly, Sally was half expectant to see her beloved friend. Instead she stared into emptiness. Sally went to walk out of the stable and felt the same feeling on her back again. This time she stayed where she was and was sure she could feel Dodger pressing her nose against her. After a few minutes the feeling went and Sally could feel Dodger’s essence slowly disappearing.

Sally never heard the door being kicked again after that day, nor did she ever feel Dodger’s presence again. No one believed her on the yard about her paranormal experience, but Sally knew that beloved friend had come to say a final farewell to her today.

Strange but true asks; did Dodger really come back to visit Sally or did she imagine it due to her own grief? Is this tale just another camp fire ghost story or can the connection between humans and horses be strong enough to continue through two worlds?

If you have a strange but True? Story you would like us to report please write to Cherries at the AVH paper.