Horse, rider die in Southwest Ranches

Witnesses say they saw teen riding horse at full speed

SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. – A horse and a teenager were found dead on a riding path Thursday in Southwest Ranches, Davie police said.

The discovery was made by a canal off Griffin Road and Southwest 188th Avenue after 4 p.m. Thursday.

Witnesses said they had seen the teen, who appeared to be a very experienced rider, riding her horse at full speed along the canal.

Vicki Geddis told Local 10 News she saw the horse and rider "sprinting past" her.

"And I thought, 'That's really odd,'" she said.

A family friend told Local 10 the victim is a high school student from Cypress Bay High School in Weston.

"As you can imagine, the parents are heartbroken," Southwest Ranches Mayor Jeff Nelson told Local 10.

The horse -- an 18-year-old male -- may have had a heart attack, according to the family friend. The horse was taken to Gainesville to undergo a necropsy.

A medical examiner will determine the teen's cause of death.

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About the Author:

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.