Rodeo queen's horse shot on first day of hunting season

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is seeking any information related to a tragic domestic animal shooting that occurred west of Marion off U.S. 2, in which a woman’s horse was shot through its shoulder and later had to be euthanized.

It was around 3:30 in the afternoon on Saturday, Oct. 26, when Kristina Gregersen, owner of the horse and a former Northwest Montana Pro Rodeo Queen, pulled into her residence. Shortly after her return, Gregersen said she was walking toward her pasture to prepare her horses for Saturday night’s winter storm when she realized something was gravely wrong.

“I began counting, one, two, three, four, [but] there are five horses,” Gregersen recalled.

She located her fifth horse, a 19-year-old buckskin American Quarter Horse nicknamed “Diva,” lying on the ground near the meadow’s small, solitary tree.

As Gregersen approached, she said she could smell blood and upon further inspection realized Diva, her prized competition horse and “best friend,” had suffered a major gunshot wound.

Gregersen, still tearful as she recounted the ordeal on Tuesday, described the scene as a “gruesome, horrific mess.”

“She seemed to look up at me as if to say ‘oh good, you’re here now, you can fix this,’ but I knew I wasn’t calling anyone to fix her. I was calling for someone to keep her from hurting anymore,” Gregersen said.

She said the bullet had entered Diva’s left shoulder and exited the right, causing internal bleeding and severe and irreparable damage to the animal’s right leg, which Gregersen described as being “torn off.” It was evident Diva was suffering, so Gregersen proceeded to call her neighbor to the property where he assisted in euthanizing Diva.

“Horses are not like dogs,” Gregersen explained. “If a dog loses a leg, it can learn to adapt and survive. Horses aren’t built like that, they are too heavy.”

An officer with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control unit was sent to inspect the property and horse. The officer determined Diva was shot from U.S. 2, but has yet to determine what kind of gun was used or whether the shooting was accident or intentional.

Even though the shooting occurred on the first day of hunting season, Gregersen and her husband Bryan said they do not believe the event was an accident.

Kristina recalls a truck carrying at least two younger-looking men watched her approach Diva from their parked location on U.S. 2. She said she remembers the vehicle — believed to be a gray Toyota Tundra extended-cab pickup — raced away moments after she reached the horse.

Gregersen also said her neighbors captured footage of what they believe to be the same pickup truck on their security cameras. The neighbors noticed the vehicle driving back and forth near the property, “acting strangely,” she added.

Based on security camera footage, the Gregersens believe Diva was shot between 1:30 and 2 p.m. on Saturday, more than an hour and a half before Kristina arrived home.

She noted that with the speed at which people travel on the highway, a person most likely would had to have known about the pasture’s location prior to slowing down or stopping on the side of U.S. 2, an assertion that raises suspicion regarding the truck’s activities.

Local authorities say information regarding the event is still developing.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting or vehicle described, a gray extended-cab pickup truck, most likely a Toyota Tundra or similar make and model, has been asked to contact the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office at 406-758-5585.

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com