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.