An 18-year-old Texas cowboy died Monday in a freak accident with a horse.
Ace Ashford, an accomplished roper, died when a nearby horse got spooked as he was tending to a sick calf, KWTX reported, citing the Lott Volunteer Fire Department. Officials responded to a call around 8:00 a.m., Monday near Chilton, Texas, the outlet reported.
“Somehow, the man’s leg got tangled and the horse [dragged] him quite a distance in an open field,” the fire department told KWTX.
Ashford was found with a pulse and breathing with head injuries. First responders said the teen was found in “bad shape,” the outlet reported.
He was airlifted by paramedics before succumbing to his injuries, KWTX reported. (RELATED: ‘Total Mayhem’: Blood-Soaked Military Runaway Horse, Four Others, Injure Pedestrians Amid Rampage).
Teen cowboy set for college dragged to his death in freak accident with a horse https://t.co/3pXVdgmNWJ pic.twitter.com/mhldXBopdJ
— New York Post (@nypost) August 16, 2024
Ashford was set to rodeo for Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas in the upcoming fall semester, according to The Team Roping Journal. The 18-year-old was the 2024 Patriot #11.5 All Ages Champion Header and the 2023 Riata Buckle #10.5 Jr. Champion Header. He also won the World Youth Team Roping Championship in March 2024.
“He was about as pure as they get,” National Finals Rodeo (NFR) Header Cody Snow said of Ace, according to the Journal. “He was gold. He just started coming up and roping with Ross and I all the time now that he’s 18. We’ve got to be around him a lot the last year, and he’s been roping good. He’s got a lot of try, and he’s just a good dude.”
Ashford is the younger brother of Ross Ashford, an NFR heeler who sits in 15th of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) world standings, the outlet noted.