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Texas teen's racing horse shot to death

"She wasn't just a horse, she was part of the family," said an emotional Haylee Field.
Haylee Field, 13, and Six, the horse that was found dead on her family's property Saturday. (Photo: KENS5)

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KENS5) — A family in Pleasanton is grieving tonight after the killing of what they say was a beloved family member, and they need your help to find out who did it, according to KENS5.

"She wasn't just a horse she was part of the family," said an emotional 13-year-old Haylee Field while talking about the horse who she had grown up with for the past nine years. Haylee told us, "She was the same age as me; she was 13. She took care of me if I fell off. She would stand there and wait for me. We go to barrel races and we ride out in the field."

That's what she and her horse, Six, did for years - until Saturday morning. Haylee added, "We saw something laying out in the trees, and we thought it was a cow because we've had a lot of cows die. We drove over there and saw that it was a horse, and as we got closer we realized that it was Six."

Kelly Field, Haylee's stepmother, told us, "We are thinking that they just drove up, and she was standing there and either spotlighting and saw eyes and shot her; or it was broad daylight, and they saw her and shot her. We really don't have all of those answers yet."

A purple cross now hangs in the trees just where Six, and the body of Haylee's horse she had before Six, are buried - just feet from where Six died. Her mother said, "This was the first one she really felt a connection with after she lost that one; so for her to lose this one, it is just heartbreaking."

Haylee's mother just wants answers and for the person who did this to come forward. She added, "We are a Christian family, and we believe in forgiveness which will happen at some point. An apology goes a long way towards that."

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Atascosa Sheriff's Office at 830-769-3434.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and grand jury indictment of the shooter. The number is 830-769-2255.

A friend of the family has also started a GoFundMe so Haylee can get a new racing horse. To contribute and read more about the story, click here.

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