Ace Patton Ashford, 18, tragically killed in horse-dragging accident at rodeo
The rodeo world is mourning one of their own.
Roper Ace Patton Ashford of Lott, Texas, died on Aug. 12 from injuries sustained after getting dragged by a horse, according to local firefighters. He was 18.
First responders were called to the scene around 8 a.m., where Ashford had been attending to a sick calf, according to local outlet KWTX. He had been working with the animal when the horse got spooked.
“Somehow, the man’s leg got tangled,” the Lott Volunteer Fire Department told KWTX, “and the horse [dragged] him quite a distance in an open field.”
The recent high school graduate was then airlifted to a nearby hospital and while he was breathing at the time, the fire department said he was in “bad shape.”
Ashford’s death was also confirmed by his family, who shared in their obituary that he “went to be with his Lord and savior during the morning hours of Monday, August 12, 2024.”