Rider Dies in Rodeo Fall
A 53-year-old Ramona woman was thrown from her horse and trampled to death in front of a stunned crowd at the Lakeside Rodeo Sunday afternoon.
Deanna May Miller, who lived in the 400 block of Steffy Road, was performing as a member of an equestrian drill team when her horse collided with another, officials said.
Miller, a registered nurse at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in La Jolla, was pronounced dead while en route to Valley Medical Center in El Cajon, hospital spokeswoman Jean Shaw said.
Miller was a member of the Rainbow Riders, a precision equestrian drill team that was performing in a parade-like procession before a sold-out Lakeside arena crowd estimated at 5,000.
After Miller was thrown from her mount, she was trampled by it and other horses and suffered massive head injuries, according to Robert Engel, a spokesman for the San Diego County medical examiner.
Officials for the Lakeside Rodeo could not be reached for comment Sunday night.
A VA hospital spokesman said Miller was “a valued member of our staff . . . and we’re quite sad about the loss, personally and professionally.”
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
