A Texas Community Mourns the Death of an 18-Year-Old Junior Rodeo Champion Who Died in a Tragic Horse-Related Accident
The Texas community is mourning the loss of a Rodeo Roper who passed away in an unusual accident.
Ace Patton Ashford, from Lott, Texas, was tending to a sick calf near Chilton around 8 a.m. on Monday, August 12, when a nearby horse got spooked, a representative from the Lott Volunteer Fire Department told KWTX-TV, a CBS affiliate.
“Somehow, the man’s leg got tangled, and the horse dragged him a long distance across a field,” the Lott VFD officer told KWTX.
When first responders reached Ashford, he was still breathing and had a pulse, but he had suffered severe head injuries.
The recent high school graduate was airlifted to Baylor Scott & White Hospital, where he later passed away, according to his obituary.
Today, friends and family remember the “incredible and humble young man” who spent his entire life in the small town of Lott (population 650) but dreamed of becoming a rodeo cowboy.
Rodeo Roper Ace Patton Ashford, 18, Dies in a Tragic Horse-Related Accident Weeks Before Fulfilling His Life’s Dream | The U.S. Sun
Ashford, a graduate of Rosebud-Lott High School, had received a scholarship to Hill College in Hillsboro and was set to join its rodeo team this fall.
“Ace loved the cowboy way of life and was the true definition of a hardworking country boy,” his obituary reads. “Ace dedicated countless hours to roping to reach his full potential.”
The teenager was a successful roper who began competing on the rodeo circuit at the age of four, according to Team Roping Journal.
Last year, Ashford found great success in the arena, placing “everywhere” in Arizona during Vegas Week in December and winning the Youth World Championship Team Roping warm-ups, as well as events at The Patriot and Philipp Ranch this summer, Roping Journal reported.
He’s the kind of boy you’d want to see grow up,” roping flagger Marcus Becerra told the publication. “So this one hurts a little. Everyone knew how good he was, how kind and respectful he was. He had a gift with horses, great manners, and was truly a wonderful young man.”
Ace was the younger brother of Ross Ashford, a National Finals Rodeo Heeler. He also loved spending time with his girlfriend of three years, Sydney Boatright, according to his obituary.
A few hours after Ace’s passing, Boatright updated her Facebook profile picture to a photo of the two embracing in a field.
“I love you forever, Ace Patton,” she wrote, adding a heart emoji.
