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*

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cutter99 said:
That is a rear cinch, that helps to stabilizer the rear of the saddle, especially when moving quickly and turning, etc.

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.

Could that contribute to an accident? Yes.

Please note I am just providing facts, not judgment.
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I, too, was not judging Meghan and that is why I didn’t post my concern about the cinch when I saw the photo - before we knew the ending. I didn’t ever want to appear as though I was blaming her. My heart breaks for her, her family & friends and her horse(s) & pets. All will deeply miss her. Hopefully her family will continue to love her horse - like Annie Goodwin’s family, Fedarman B & Boyd Martin.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

‘Riding for Annie’: Horse and trainer look to honor late owner at Olympics

Annie Goodwin died tragically when her horse fell while training. Her trainer – and her horse – will now look to carry out her Olympic dreams.
www.nbcphiladelphia.com www.nbcphiladelphia.com
 
cutter99 said:
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.
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Thank you for the description, makes a lot of sense. The AllTrails track looks like the horse was in the water pretty far, but the map may not accurately reflect lower water levels in October or Meghan may not have intended to get out that far.
 
Just catching up, is there a link where it states Meghan didn’t know how to swim? I missed that in earlier news stories if it was said.
 
Angelcat13 said:
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.
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She could not swim, per MSM.

"Search teams located the woman’s hat, phone and horse, which looked like it had been in the Missouri River, but did not immediately find her remains. The horse did not like being in the water and Rouns could not swim."

www.the-independent.com

Body of missing woman who vanished while horse riding recovered

Officials found the woman’s horse, hat and phone after she disappeared
www.the-independent.com www.the-independent.com
 
It's possible the family would find some comfort if there is anything to learn from this accident as a cautionary tale.

There are still a few details that would shed more light on exactly what happened. Perhaps there is still evidence of these details.

Did MR have rope burns on her hands? did she have any musculoskeletal injuries to suggest she was hung up in the tack? It sort of looks like she rode in paddock boots +/- spurs.

Does the horse have spur marks or bitting injuries? These may still be evident if someone looks in the mouth. It looks like she went in a fairly powerful bit and long split reins
 
Ambiguous journalism. It's possible that you took swimming lessons and failed to learn the skill so "could not swim". Or you fell in the pool and had to be rescued etc.

On the other hand, having never tried to swim does not equate to could not swim. A young athletic person thrown into a pool might figure out pretty quick how to swim to safety. It's possible MR could have avoided drowning if not for the specific circumstances heavily influenced by her equine partner. A strong swimmer might have drown in the same scenario

In the article from the Independent it's stated that the sheriff thinks MR was blown off her horse into the water as they trotted along the bank. A paragraph later it says she had a tracker that indicates the horse was in the water. Incongruous.

Has it been explained that she had a phone and a separate tracker device in her saddlebags? That would be different than a single device ie. her phone with gps tracking app capability.
 
I carry two different devices at times, depending on where I am riding.

I always carry my iPhone, and run one of two tracking apps- either Road ID or Equilab. Road ID is more of a runner’s app, but will let my contact know if I stop moving. Equilab gives more horse related details, as well as notification if I stop moving. I will also use the phone for photos, so it serves a dual purpose.

I also carry a SPOT tracker, that is satellite capable, into more remote areas where cell service is questionable to none. It is multi purpose. I can track my ride, upload maps, push an emergency button for help, as well as send texts through satellite.

My stepson did give me Apple Air Tags to use to actually keep on the horse to track them should we become separated. They will only work if there is cell service. I have seen many people use them in the near recent past due to horses getting away after a fall or intended dismount, and never being found again. This most recently happened last year in Big South Fork Recreational Area in Tennessee.
 
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My point above is that even if she could swim, she may have been incapacitated to the point where she could not.
 
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Much of horse training is desensitization. Now that I've seen the article where it's stated that the horse didn't like the water, I believe Meghan attempted to desensitize her horse by asking it to walk into the water. Something went wrong during this training and she fell into the water, getting injured in the process.

I've evented through prelim as well as training hunter/jumpers and straight dressage horses. I have introduced dozens of horses to being ridden in the water, as water is mandatory in eventing above a certain level. Some horses absolutely hate the water and will fight not to go in. Some will leap into the water once they decide to enter. I've fallen off from a horse bombing into the water before both on a cross country course and while fox hunting. Luckily I've never been injured, and the water has always been shallow, but a head injury plus submersion could easily be deadly.
 
Kuifje said:
Would she really do that if she could not swim?

I know nothing about horses, but I do know how to swim.
If I knew lots about horses and not know how to swim, I'd be sure to steer clear of the water.
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If the edge of the lake was shallow, I think she would. Who would ever expect to fall off and be incapacitated such that they wound up in the deep water? For example I've ridden variously reluctant horses into shallow ocean water. I swim well but might be no match for the waves fully clothed, but of course I've never imagined I'd fall off into more than a couple feet of water.
 
azure said:
If the edge of the lake was shallow, I think she would. Who would ever expect to fall off and be incapacitated such that they wound up in the deep water? For example I've ridden variously reluctant horses into shallow ocean water. I swim well but might be no match for the waves fully clothed, but of course I've never imagined I'd fall off into more than a couple feet of water.
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A horseman colleague said it's possible that shortly after entering the water she came off the horse, maybe spooked or a sudden drop-off, and her foot got caught in the stirrup. That would explain the circles the horse went in until her foot became dislodged.
 
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<modsnip - posting more than 10% is a copyright violation - see link>

Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at the Cathedral of St. Helena, 530 N. Ewing Street. Burial will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Fort Harrison.

Meghan R. Rouns, age 27 of Helena

helenafuneralhome.com helenafuneralhome.com
 
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