MT MT - Meghan Rouns, 27, horseback riding, horse found, phone found in saddlebag, McMaster Hills Rec Area, NE of Helena, 4 Oct 2024 *Active Search*

[Knox]

If the track is accurate, it's amazing what detail there is. This path in green displays a horseman's "discussion" with a horse not wanting to go forward to an obstacle, like a riverbank:

View attachment 536217

The pair wasn't blown into the river if you asked me. The horse was asked repeatedly until it responded by stepping or leaping in. The leap could have unseated RM and things snowballed from there?

This is the exact pattern a novice horse will take when introducing it to a ditch crossing or water obstacle.

Here are some photo's of Meghan's horses. The one she was riding is named Betty, someone said she's a mustang - not sure if that's true. We also don't know how long Meghan had this horse, or how far along in training she was.

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Thanks for posting this, now we know why LE is focusing on a water search.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

This from the link Missing woman's phone & horse found - cops reveal she sent photo after vanishing

"Lewis and County Sheriff Leo Dutton told The U.S. Sun a search crew located Rouns' horse up the hill from Hauser Lake on Saturday.

Rouns' cell phone and a tracker were also uncovered in a saddle bag."

Search crew found the horse.
The first we've read about a tracker. Unfortunate that it wasn't on her person.

""

She sent a pic after she vanished??

 

[Angelcat13]

Things that spook a horse: Things that move & things that don't move

You must be a horse person! I’ve seen a horse spook at the same tiny pile of leaves in a corner of the ring EVERY TIME he went past it. And my daughter’s horse used to think that all of the decorative flowers on jumps were horse-eating monsters.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Mine get spooked on slightly windy days in their pasture, that they live in. At 50 there are days I step outside and say “not today” based on the breeze. I don’t bounce any more.

Unfortunately I think this is a recovery situation. I suspect something happened at the waters edge or slightly in the water. A slip, trip, some sort of spook and she went in and the horse went out.

One of the last times I fell off, I did lots of circles trying to get control before going off outside the circle. Had a thorny branch my mare picked up in her tail that started poking her back legs. She panicked and I ended up with broken ribs.

The circles look like an attempt to get control to me.
IMOO.

Thank you for sharing some of your experiences and your expertise. May God protect and keep you safe while riding. Horses are gorgeous creatures. I never mastered the skill of moving "with the horse." Consequently, I haven't ridden too many times.

My Granddad raised Quarter Horses. Before I was born, one of their friend's daughter was killed loading or unloading her horse. It was never lost on me how quickly things can take a turn.

I hope this family doesn't have to wait long for answers. If she did drown, I would like to think, as someone upthread suggested, that her final act was to save the horse she loved so much.

 

[Angelcat13]

She sent a pic after she vanished??

I caught the same statement and had the same reaction.

 

[Knox]

She sent a pic after she vanished??

It’s the Sun, take that with a grain of salt.

“Sheriff Dutton says the last known contact anyone had with Meghan was at about 4:20 pm on Friday when she took a picture on SnapChat. She was last known to be wearing blue jeans, a black shirt, possibly a grey hoodie and a ball cap”.

This ^^^^ is what the Sheriff said in all other news reports.

 

[whitelilac]

You must be a horse person! I’ve seen a horse spook at the same tiny pile of leaves in a corner of the ring EVERY TIME he went past it. And my daughter’s horse used to think that all of the decorative flowers on jumps were horse-eating monsters.

Right.
Many years ago I was with a group who decided to visit a horse riding outfit. We were 8, they had 8 horses.
Who among you is experienced, the owner asked, because one of the horses is "frisky". Everyone pointed to me. I had SAT on a horse once, for a picture.
So I got the frisky one. Ofcourse something spooked him, something unnoticeable to us humans. Ran off with me holding on for dear life, was nearly decapitated by a low hanging branch.

Meghan is/was experienced. She would have known what to do. But there are times where things are completely out of one's control. I'm convinced that something did spook her horse, sadly.

 

[Knox]

The focus of the search is at the Hauser Lake shoreline along a 500-yard stretch between where Rouns' horse Betty and her hat were discovered.

The search continues for Meghan Rouns Northeast of Helena

On Monday, searchers brought in specialized dogs from Gallatin County to try and locate Meghan Rouns by scent.

www.ktvh.com

<modsnip> her hat was found in the water, <modsnip>

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Right.
Many years ago I was with a group who decided to visit a horse riding outfit. We were 8, they had 8 horses.
Who among you is experienced, the owner asked, because one of the horses is "frisky". Everyone pointed to me. I had SAT on a horse once, for a picture.
So I got the frisky one. Ofcourse something spooked him, something unnoticeable to us humans. Ran off with me holding on for dear life, was nearly decapitated by a low hanging branch.

Meghan is/was experienced. She would have known what to do. But there are times where things are completely out of one's control. I'm convinced that something did spook her horse, sadly.

What a terrifying ordeal! My palms are sweating just thinking about being on a runaway horse.

 

[OckhamsRazor22]

This happened in Montana, a state known for its dense population of puma and brown bear. Perhaps an apex predator appeared or charged/threatened the duo? Anything is possible, but only a few are genuinely likely. JMOO.

 

[LadyL]

darn I was really hoping she was waiting to be found somewhere with a broken ankle
the map of the water tracking ...

 

[OckhamsRazor22]

My Granddad raised Quarter Horses. Before I was born, one of their friend's daughter was killed loading or unloading her horse. It was never lost on me how quickly things can take a turn.

As part of a large band of First Nation indigenous “horse people” I grew up riding. I had a friend whose family owned a quarter horse race track. One morning he was feeding the horses in the slip stalls before school when he was suddenly kicked in the head by one of their stallions. He died before the ambulance reached the hospital.

Horses have FREE WILL. They are capable of anything and everything. They don’t HAVE to do anything they do not want to do — and they KNOW this. They are unpredictable and can be dangerous as a result. My experiences across the years with these beautiful beasts could fill page after page with the unexpected accidents both experienced first hand and also those somehow magically thwarted.

 

[OckhamsRazor22]

The one she was riding is named Betty, someone said she's a mustang - not sure if that's true.

That fact is shocking, especially if it was adopted from the BLM during previous round-ups and sales. Mustangs are exceedingly adept, extremely sure-footed, and not a breed to spook easily. This just adds another layer to the mystery.

 

[whitelilac]

That fact is shocking, especially if it was adopted from the BLM during previous round-ups and sales. Mustangs are exceedingly adept, extremely sure-footed, and not a breed to spook easily. This just adds another layer to the mystery.

from post #33 by azure:
"Incidentally, the black horse she is often seen with in photos is a mustang, you can tell by the freeze brand on its neck. If that was the one she was riding, they're generally very surefooted and sensible. But anything can happen out in the open on a horse."

Do we in fact know that Meghan was riding this particular horse?

 

[crhedBngr]

Heartbreaking and frustrating that she hasn't been found yet.

Praying she is found soon.

JMVHO.

 

[Megnut]

She sent a pic after she vanished??

I caught the same statement and had the same reaction.

It’s the Sun, take that with a grain of salt.

“Sheriff Dutton says the last known contact anyone had with Meghan was at about 4:20 pm on Friday when she took a picture on SnapChat. She was last known to be wearing blue jeans, a black shirt, possibly a grey hoodie and a ball cap”.

This ^^^^ is what the Sheriff said in all other news reports.

Agreed. Just poor wording in the article. Should have been: she took a photo after she'd left for her ride.

Jmo

 

[dms]

Things that spook a horse: Things that move & things that don't move

Day 1: Horse walks calmly past mailbox.
Day 2-9: Horse walks calmly past mailbox.
Day 10: OMG MAILBOX RUN

 

[justtrish]

She sent a pic after she vanished??

I'm wondering if what was meant was she sent a photo after she left to go riding. I saw the news about the snapchat of her while riding so I wonder if that is what this report meant and not after the incident that separated her from her horse. I don't know how she could have sent a photo after if her phone was with the horse.

Unless she got into trouble and had her phone and sent a photo maybe of her location and a message for help and then put her phone back in the bag on the horse and then the horse ran off..

OR she tried to send a message and it wouldn't go through.. maybe no signal at that location and she put the phone in the bag on the horse and then when the horse ran off and got to a location with better signal, the message sent then.

 

[bestill]

Day 1: Horse walks calmly past mailbox.
Day 2-9: Horse walks calmly past mailbox.
Day 10: OMG MAILBOX RUN

And this is why after I sold my horse I said "I will never ride anything with a brain again", seriously! So we bought a boat.

 

[mickey2942]

I really wonder if a huge gust of wind came up, and startled the horse. That night, wind got up to 60 mph in Helena. She may have bolted, and as someone above stated, the circles on the tracker looked like someone trying to settle the horse down.

Strong winds with a cold front Friday evening/night

A cold front is going to bring strong winds (wind gusts between 50 and 70 mph) to most of Montana Friday evening/night.

www.kxlh.com

I was at Alpine today, business as usual. They are such a great team. This probably hurts them to the core.