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Hernando Today

Local Teen Loses Horse

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: May 20, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Remington was a young Quarter/Arabian horse that could sprint like the wind.
But it wasn't his strength, agility and speed Shelby Stocker will miss the most.
"He was a lover and a kisser," she said as she wiped a tear from her cheek.
It was one day after "Remi" suffered a compound fracture on his leg and had to be put down. The 16-year-old spoke softly. Her eyes were moist and swollen and looked as if she had been crying for most of the day.
Remi was the first horse she had ever trained by herself.
Her mother was just as torn over the loss. She also remembered Remi as a loving animal with endless energy and personality.
"If you could let him in the house, he'd sit on the couch," joked Melissa Stocker.
It was Remington's liveliness that led to his fatal accident Thursday. He was playing with the two other horses in the yard – Sweetheart and Regal – when he got his foot stuck between the door to the steel gate and a pin that sticks in the ground.
He jerked it free and the bone snapped.
Shelby's brother called to tell her the news. She and her mother raced home to find a severely wounded horse. He had to be euthanized.
Remi was two months away from competing in the National Barrel Horse Association's Youth World Championships in Jackson, Miss. Shelby Stocker was going to ride him. The slot is still open. She isn't sure whether she can find another horse in time.
"I have to decide if I want to go," she said. "It will be a while before I'm ready to have another horse on my own."
That means a friend or acquaintance must loan her a horse in time for her to practice on it and feel comfortable enough to race at full speed. A barrel race involves balance, speed and the ability of the rider to control the horse.
Melissa Stocker thinks there is still a good chance her daughter will be in that ring in July.
"I know how sensitive she is, but I know what kind of drive she has," she said. "She deserves that spot no matter if (Remi) is with us or not. She's worked too hard not to go."
The Stocker family lives on five acres of land of Jacobson Road north of Brooksville. The mother and daughter are the ones who have the most passion for the horses. The men in the family never took to it like they did.
Shelby Stocker used to ride with a few girls while she was younger. Their collective interest in horses waned, but their friend continued to train. She competed in the State Championships in 2003. She was 11 years old.
She rode Sweetheart back then, but today the horse's legs are too old to race. Regal is a pony and too small for the 5-foot-8-inch Stocker.
The national tournament draws competitors from around the world. It is an event Stocker would hate to miss, but she knows she is facing tough odds.
"I'll probably have to borrow a horse," she said. "I will have to get to know it and (develop) a bond with it before I can compete against the world with it."
Regal tilted its head back and let out a loud whine. He spent much of the afternoon Friday calling for Remi, Melissa Stocker said. The pony's high-pitched cries echoed across the five acres of land.
The animal-loving family owns several dogs, cats, chickens and ducks.
Shelby Stocker, a 10th-grader at Hernando High School, said many of her friends were trying to console her, but it was difficult. Owning a dog or cat does not compare to training a horse.
"It's not the same thing," she said. "It's a love you can't understand even if you tried."

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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