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

[IceIce9]

I can't fathom not being able to swim at her age. This is horrific.

I learned to swim when I was 5. I enrolled my kids in swimming when they were toddlers, and their school had swim class as a regular rotation in PhysEd class.

I’ve always been surprised when I have met someone who doesn’t know how to swim. If I couldn’t swim I would be afraid to be near any body of water.

JMO

 

[mickey2942]

I am surprised too. There is a large community pool in Helena, MT, and two other pools here, all offer both children and adult swim classes. The cost isn't prohibitive.

Although, we don't know, maybe she hit her head on a rock, or something else. But I agree, swimming lessons are not optional. I took all of our kids to swimming classes. It is time consuming, but so important. I remember going to "Mommy and me" swimming classes. My kids were like 6 months old. Can't start too soon.

 

[cutter99]

Longtime (45 years +) horse owner here, and very active trail rider and horse camper.

There are so many things that could have gone wrong for poor Meghan, and we can theorize all we want, but we may never know what actually happened.

Based on the map from her tracking app, it would appear to me like something happened in the water and Meghan tried to regain control of the horse in the water. The horse could have been spooked, Meghan could have been thrown partially off or been just hanging on, or have hung a foot up in a stirrup and the horse struggled until Meghan came free.

My husband, my BFF and I were camping a few years ago when some fellow campers came back into the campground, with one rider off the horse soaking wet and bloodied, with the horse soaking wet as well.

We were told the horse was in the creek when it spooked, and the rider came off but her foot did not come out of the stirrup. The horse circled in a panic, all the while dragging the rider and accidentally kicking her.

Accidents on horses happen very quickly, no matter what the rider’s skill level and how broke the horse is.

One hard and fast rule I always follow is to keep my phone and tracking device on my body and not the horse, because if you become separated, you want to have the phone with you.

In this instance though, because the phone was on the horse, it might provide more information as to what happened.

As far as the horse returning back the way it came, that is not a given. Horses are flight animals, and if scared enough, a horse will flee down the easiest path to get away. If this was a place Meghan had ridden frequently before, the horse would most likely be comfortable in that general area anyway.

I wear a helmet every ride, and had one save my life 4 years ago. Even with the helmet on, I still had a concussion and brain bleed, and was Life Flighted to the nearest trauma center. Add water to a situation, and it can very easily become deadly.

I also use one of two apps I have that track my ride and alert a contact should I stop moving. My husband has been as far away as China, and been able to see exactly where I am at all times.

I am so sorry for Meghan, her husband and her family. She passed way too young.

 

[Boots38]

I learned to swim when I was 5. I enrolled my kids in swimming when they were toddlers, and their school had swim class as a regular rotation in PhysEd class.

I’ve always been surprised when I have met someone who doesn’t know how to swim. If I couldn’t swim I would be afraid to be near any body of water.

JMO

I don't believe she chose to go near the body of water, if I recall the wind spooked the horse into the water.

 

[Shamrock1]

Some colleges make passing a swim test a graduation requirement, though only a handful of such colleges remains a handful today.

https://www.npr.org/2012/05/04/151965224/for-college-seniors-one-last-lap-before-graduation

 

[georgiajean]

So sorry to hear that Meghan was found but deceased. Kind of figured that was how it would end up. I am glad she was found. As a horse rider, I hope there were clues on her body as to what happened, maybe bruises on her ankle if she got hung up in a stirrup, or a hoof print bruise if stepped on. Looking at the AllTrails record of the ride, something happened. Rode horse into water to cool off, horse was reactive to something, she rode it in circles to try and refocus her horse. Or I can see the wind blowing her hat off, and she took the horse in the water to get it, riding in circles to try and grab the hat, and then falling off when the horse stumbled or spooked. So many things could have happened. And if she didn't know how to swim, a helmet would not have saved her if falling in the water is what happened. May her horse be well taken care of.

 

[Angelcat13]

Someone earlier in this thread commented that she may have willingly waded into the water and then the horse may have spooked and she came off but got hung up on something and the seemingly frantic movements caught on the AllTrails app may have been the horse panicking further as he tried to dislodge her - not intentionally, but just being terrified of what he didn’t understand was hanging on. When I first saw this picture I immediately was concerned that she may have gotten caught in the strap that is hanging loosely behind her leg. I’m not very familiar with Western tack but my daughter explained the purpose of the strap but I forget what she said it was called. So it sounds like there’s a purpose to it, but it also looked like a potential safety hazard.

 

[IceIce9]

Someone earlier in this thread commented that she may have willingly waded into the water and then the horse may have spooked and she came off but got hung up on something and the seemingly frantic movements caught on the AllTrails app may have been the horse panicking further as he tried to dislodge her - not intentionally, but just being terrified of what he didn’t understand was hanging on. When I first saw this picture I immediately was concerned that she may have gotten caught in the strap that is hanging loosely behind her leg. I’m not very familiar with Western tack but my daughter explained the purpose of the strap but I forget what she said it was called. So it sounds like there’s a purpose to it, but it also looked like a potential safety hazard.

It appears to be a flank cinch. JMO

 

[ErinC]

I can't fathom not being able to swim at her age. This is horrific.

I can't swim and I'm twice her age. Learning to swim involves some accessibility (someone willing to teach, possibly money to take lessons, an area of accessible safe water, etc) that not everyone has access to. She may simply not have had access to one or more of those things.

 

[georgiajean]

Someone earlier in this thread commented that she may have willingly waded into the water and then the horse may have spooked and she came off but got hung up on something and the seemingly frantic movements caught on the AllTrails app may have been the horse panicking further as he tried to dislodge her - not intentionally, but just being terrified of what he didn’t understand was hanging on. When I first saw this picture I immediately was concerned that she may have gotten caught in the strap that is hanging loosely behind her leg. I’m not very familiar with Western tack but my daughter explained the purpose of the strap but I forget what she said it was called. So it sounds like there’s a purpose to it, but it also looked like a potential safety hazard.

The rear cinch or flank cinch is meant to secure the back end of the western saddle so it doesn't pop up when a horse does athletic things. The rear cinch should fit snuggly but not tight. You bring up a very good point. If the horse had spooked and reacted, or kicked with a hind leg at something, it could get a rear hoof caught in a loose back cinch. That would account for the kind of thrashing around seen in in the map of the ride. Horses can also get hooves caught in stirrups, or bridles caught on saddle horns. Friend had a horse reach back to scratch an itch with its teeth and the horse caught the shank of its bit in the stirrup. So much can happen.

Here is an article about fitting a rear cinch: Western Back Cinches: Key Facts.
And an image from the article:

 

[georgiajean]

In case this hasn't been reported, official cause of death is accidental drowning. Missing Montana Horsewoman Found Deceased

 

[Tower]

I don't believe she chose to go near the body of water, if I recall the wind spooked the horse into the water.

I don’t believe we’ll ever know if wind played a role. We would need a witness to be sure. The gusts were particularly strong that day, so LE speculated wind played a part and it seems to be a good theory.

But I agree that I don’t think she chose to go into the water. Her family would know if it was normal for her to ride into the water, maybe she was very confident that her horse was sure-footed and had no worries. But knowing she was unable to swim would make me guess it wasn’t her choice. Just speculation, moo

 

[KentuckyFilly79]

Just going to throw this out there (and before I do I will say most times I ride, I wear a helmet, but there have been times I haven't -- I believe it is a personal choice) The possibility does exist that she could have come off the horse and hit her head for whatever reason and become unconscious. At that point, being able to swim would be null and void. I paddleboard as well and I can swim, but I very rarely paddle without my life vest. If I am alone, its on every time I'm on the board because even though, if I come off and am knocked out, being able to swim won't be able to help me at that point.

 

[LadyL]

I can't fathom not being able to swim at her age. This is horrific.

a lot of people can't swim, including me, and it has nothing to do with age
my brother can't swim but his twin, our sister is a fish - we all got the same lessons

 

[Angelcat13]

I don’t believe we’ll ever know if wind played a role. We would need a witness to be sure. The gusts were particularly strong that day, so LE speculated wind played a part and it seems to be a good theory.

But I agree that I don’t think she chose to go into the water. Her family would know if it was normal for her to ride into the water, maybe she was very confident that her horse was sure-footed and had no worries. But knowing she was unable to swim would make me guess it wasn’t her choice. Just speculation, moo

I may have missed it, but do we KNOW she couldn’t swim? I feel it’s more likely she was either unconscious or tangled in tack under water.

 

[Angelcat13]

The rear cinch or flank cinch is meant to secure the back end of the western saddle so it doesn't pop up when a horse does athletic things. The rear cinch should fit snuggly but not tight. You bring up a very good point. If the horse had spooked and reacted, or kicked with a hind leg at something, it could get a rear hoof caught in a loose back cinch. That would account for the kind of thrashing around seen in in the map of the ride. Horses can also get hooves caught in stirrups, or bridles caught on saddle horns. Friend had a horse reach back to scratch an itch with its teeth and the horse caught the shank of its bit in the stirrup. So much can happen.

Here is an article about fitting a rear cinch: Western Back Cinches: Key Facts.
And an image from the article: View attachment 536866

Thanks for posting. I mostly rode English - Hunter-Jumpers. I rode VERY little Western when I was a kid living out West, but not enough to remember specifics about the tack. My daughter used to do Hunter-Jumpers but switched to eventing a frw years ago. We sometimes forget just how dangerous this can be (my mom is amazed that the cross-country riders have to wear an armband with their medical info & emergency contact info) but I truly believe the true love of horses is somehow in your DNA.

 

[Linear13]

I would say that her ability or inability to swim may be a moot point in that I believe, MOO, that she most likely was thrown while the horse was in the water for whatever reason and hit her head or was knocked unconscious. The horse may have spooked and ran into the water or she may have been crossing a shallow place in the water and it spooked. I don’t think there is any scenario where she voluntarily got off the horse to get into the water to swim. If thrown into the water the human body is coming off that horse at a pretty good uncontrolled velocity and hitting the water is akin to hitting a concrete slab. As any of the people who have survived jumping or falling from bridges (or other high places into water) can tell you. It’s not like falling off a diving board into a swimming pool. The water is murky and full of rock and debris. If she wasn’t knocked unconscious she may have not been able to tell which way was up. Her leg may have been caught in the strap and she couldn’t reach up to get it undone while the horse drug her through the water. I doubt that I could free my leg if caught in a stirrup. I have watched rodeos where it happens when the horse is bucking and wild..it takes several strong guys to get the rider free. So if the horse spooked and was wild and bucking or running and dragging her I doubt she could free herself.

Terrible tragedy and I wish her family well and hope for peace and closure. Rest in peace.

As an addendum…I live in the western part of NC and we have many lakes and large creeks. No school (k-12) that I know of has a pool. There is a small college that has a pool in a neighboring town across the GA line. My town even had people who fought against building a town pool that you pay to swim at. I just googled ‘western nc schools with swimming pools’ and it looks like no school west of buncomb county NC has a swimming pool. I know for a fact that there are none in the three counties surrounding me. I have never even seen lessons offered in the newspapers. Not to say there aren’t at the pool that finally got built (that went under and was bought by a private citizen and reopened so technically still no ‘public’ pool). Anyway just thinking out loud because some of you guys must have had schools much bigger or with better funding than we have here in western NC. Some of our schools do have high school swim teams but they practice at the town pool mentioned above.

ETA - the Cherokee Reservation high school has a pool. It is probably the only one west of Asheville that does.

 

[cutter99]

Someone earlier in this thread commented that she may have willingly waded into the water and then the horse may have spooked and she came off but got hung up on something and the seemingly frantic movements caught on the AllTrails app may have been the horse panicking further as he tried to dislodge her - not intentionally, but just being terrified of what he didn’t understand was hanging on. When I first saw this picture I immediately was concerned that she may have gotten caught in the strap that is hanging loosely behind her leg. I’m not very familiar with Western tack but my daughter explained the purpose of the strap but I forget what she said it was called. So it sounds like there’s a purpose to it, but it also looked like a potential safety hazard.

That is a rear cinch, that helps to stabilizer the rear of the saddle, especially when moving quickly and turning, etc. There is also a connector strap that runs between both the front and rear cinches, and if it is not used it can cause a very bad reaction from the horse should the rear cinch slip back.

In that picture, the rear cinch is not properly adjusted. It should not be tight like the front cinch, but should be snug so the horse cannot get a foot caught in it. It also needs to be snug, or it defeats the purpose of it being used. There is a connector strap being used properly to keep the rear cinch from slipping back.

Could that contribute to an accident? Yes.

Please note I am just providing facts, not judgment.

 

[georgiajean]

That is a rear cinch, that helps to stabilizer the rear of the saddle, especially when moving quickly and turning, etc. There is also a connector strap that runs between both the front and rear cinches, and if it is not used it can cause a very bad reaction from the horse should the rear cinch slip back.

In that picture, the rear cinch is not properly adjusted. It should not be tight like the front cinch, but should be snug so the horse cannot get a foot caught in it. It also needs to be snug, or it defeats the purpose of it being used. There is a connector strap being used properly to keep the rear cinch from slipping back.

Could that contribute to an accident? Yes.

Please note I am just providing facts, not judgment.

I looked back through MR's FB and noted that in most of the pictures riding horses in saddles, she is in smaller saddles that do not have rear cinches. And in a couple that have reach cinches, they are adjusted properly. So who knows why it was so loose in the one photo.

 

[cutter99]

I don’t believe we’ll ever know if wind played a role. We would need a witness to be sure. The gusts were particularly strong that day, so LE speculated wind played a part and it seems to be a good theory.

But I agree that I don’t think she chose to go into the water. Her family would know if it was normal for her to ride into the water, maybe she was very confident that her horse was sure-footed and had no worries. But knowing she was unable to swim would make me guess it wasn’t her choice. Just speculation, moo

There are many times riders will take horses into the water for many different reasons, most common being to let the horse drink. If you are out for a few hours, you are most likely going to for the sake of the horse, as water and dehydration can play a vital role in horse health.

If it were a particularly hot or humid day, horses can lose a lot of hydration during a ride due to sweating. There are some days my guys sweat just riding on the trailer to get to where we are going. A good horseman will take every opportunity to water their horse.

Based on the pictures of Meghan with her horses, I would think she would have been that type of horseman.

I don’t think she would have taken the horse in far, like in an attempt to swim, but a wreck could still happen very easily in shallow water.