A 7-month-old Minnesota girl has died after a frightening accident involving a pony that authorities say became startled during a wagon ride and kicked the infant in the head.
The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office identified the child as Ruth Stutzman, who was born March 1, 2026.
The tragedy unfolded Tuesday afternoon, October 6, at a home north of Harmony, a small community in southeastern Minnesota.
According to the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers received a 911 call at approximately 1:56 p.m.
Investigators said Ruth and an adult family member were riding in a wagon being pulled by a pony when the animal apparently became spooked.
The pony kicked backward, striking the baby in the head, according to the sheriff’s office.
Emergency crews rushed to the property, including Fillmore County deputies, Harmony Ambulance, the Harmony Fire Department and officers from the Preston Police Department.
Ruth was transported by Mayo One medical helicopter to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys in Rochester.
Despite efforts to save her, authorities said the little girl later died from her injuries.
Officials have described the circumstances as part of a preliminary investigation, and authorities have not announced any indication that the incident was intentional.
The Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office and the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office are continuing to investigate the child’s death.
The heartbreaking accident occurred only days after another serious incident involving a horse-drawn buggy elsewhere in Minnesota.
On October 1, authorities in Becker County responded to a collision involving a pickup truck and a horse-drawn buggy on County Road 122 in Evergreen Township.
Investigators said the truck and buggy were both traveling west when the pickup collided with the buggy.
Four people riding in the buggy — two 23-year-old adults from Frazee, a toddler and an infant — were injured and taken for medical care.
The pickup driver was not injured.
Authorities said drugs and alcohol were not suspected in that crash, which also remains under investigation.
While the two incidents were unrelated, they occurred less than a week apart and both involved very young children riding in horse-drawn vehicles in rural Minnesota.
No additional information about the circumstances surrounding Ruth’s death had been released as of Thursday.
