Authorities on Wednesday released the identity of the woman who was hit by a pickup truck driver while walking her horse along the shoulder of a rural road near Brainerd earlier this week.

Katie M. Yaunick, 33, died Monday, as did her horse, at the scene of the crash on the road where she lived and within 300 feet of her driveway, the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office said.

Also identified as the pickup driver was Matthew Richard Dircks, 44, who lives less than 2 miles from the crash scene.

Yaunick and her horse were walking on the shoulder of westbound Thompson Road shortly before 7 p.m., when Dircks hit her as he headed east toward home, the Sheriff's Office said.

Dircks was uninjured, said the Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the crash with help from the State Patrol.

Several photos on Yaunick's Facebook page show her in various barrel-racing competitions and displaying ribbons won over the past several years.

"Katie was quiet and shy at first, but after meeting her you could see she was strong-willed, stubborn and could accomplish anything she set her mind to," read her online obituary, which noted that she was engaged to be married.

"She was the rock and hub of her family," the obituary continued. "Everyone came to her with questions or problems, and she happily solved them. Her love for her family, horses and dogs was unconditional."