PAINFUL LOSS 18-year-old rodeo roper Ace Patton Ashford dies in freak accident with horse,

just weeks before he was supposed to reach a lifelong goal.

A YOUNG rodeo roper died this week after being dragged across an open field by his horse.

Unexpectedly, 18-year-old Ace Patton Ashford died on August 12 while helping a sick cow.

The terrible event took place around 8 a.m. in the area of Chilton, Texas, which is about 20 miles south of Waco.

According to NBC affiliate KPLCTV, bad things happened when Ashford and the calf scared a nearby horse.

The Lott Volunteer Fire Department said, “The man’s leg got caught, and the horse dragged him quite a distance in an open field.”

When Ashford was found, he had injuries to his head but his heart was beating and he was breathing.

He was then taken to the hospital by helicopter, but he died there from his injuries.

They said Ashford was in “bad shape” when they found him.

In Texas, Ashford was a skilled roper who was almost done with a lifelong goal this summer.

The 18-year-old was only a few weeks away from starting college when the terrible thing happened.

He graduated from Rosebud-Lott High School not long ago and was going to Hill College in the fall.

In his obituary, it was written that he loved rodeo and Western life.

“Ace would dedicate innumerable hours to roping in order to reach his full potential,” it said.

“Ace loved spending his time in the great outdoors hunting, rodeoing, or just hanging out with his buddies,” said the obituary.

Everyone Ace knew loved him and thought the world of him.

“Ace never met a stranger, and he had an old soul.”

The obituary site was full of touching tributes to the 18-year-old.

“Ace was an amazing young man!” “The sun shone brighter around him because he was so kind and happy,” someone wrote.

“Ace was a great person who was also polite and ready for the future,” said someone else.

DRAGON LIFE

According to Sports Illustrated, Ashford was born into a family that loved animals because both of his parents were rodeo competitors.

He had competed with his older brother Ross, who also made it to the National Finals Qualifier.

Ashford’s girlfriend Sydney Boatright also wrote a short Facebook post about him.

Under a picture of them, she wrote, “I love you forever, Ace Patton.”