A lightning strike is being blamed for death of a horse at a popular North Carolina trail riding destination.

Henderson County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Major Frank Stout said sheriff’s department personnel responded to a call on July 19 about lightning striking a horse trailer at Pisgah National Forest in a remote area of Mills River. Upon arrival, deputies found that one of the eight horses tied to the trailer had been killed by the lightning strike. The others were unharmed, he said

Stout said the forest is a popular destination for bikers, hikers, and horseback riders. The area had recently experienced unexpected storms producing heavy rains and lightning.

“In this case, the storm came out of nowhere,” Stout said. “Even if we could tell people how to react to a situation like this, it’s impossible to tell where a strike like this is going to happen