A family and community in Montana are mourning the loss of horsewoman Meghan Rita Rouns, 27, who was reported missing on October 4 when she didn’t return from a trail ride. She was last seen at 2 pm that day, but posted to Snapchat around 4 pm.
Searchers discovered Rouns horse, as well as and her phone and tracker in a saddle bag, the next day near the Missouri River. The local sheriff’s office decided to focus their search efforts on the body of water. Five days after she was last seen, search and rescue divers pulled Rouns from the Missouri River about 100 feet from shore in 11 feet of water at approximately 3:40 pm, according to a Facebook post from the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
The young rider’s cause of death is still to be determined, and her remains were taken to a state crime lab, the department wrote in its release.
Foul play was ruled out in Rouns disappearance, with gusty winds or something spooking her horse being the likely cause of how she ended up in the water. According to other reports, the young rider could not swim.
Meghan was married, a lifelong experienced horsewoman, an animal lover and a licensed vet tech – a memorial fund has been set up in Meghan’s name and all donations will be donated to charities important to her. See her obituary here.
While not all accidents are preventable, such a sad story serves to remind all of us, no matter how experienced we are, that there is safety in numbers. If possible, always trail ride with a buddy.