A bull rider who had spent roughly 15 years on the backs of the animals he cared for was thrown and struck during a ride at an Ohio rodeo, and he was dead within the hour.
Jason Blake Saylor, 35, died Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, after a bull threw him mid-ride, police said. The rodeo was taking place at Fox Hollow Rodeo near Waynesville, in Clearcreek Township, Warren County, Ohio. The animal then kicked or stepped on him, according to police.
Clearcreek Township police were dispatched around 7:40 p.m. to Fox Hollow Stables at 1909 E. State Route 73, after callers reported a man had been stepped on by a bull. Officers said Saylor suffered a traumatic chest injury and was wearing chest protection at the time.
An ambulance carried him to Atrium Medical Center after medics worked on him in the arena. Doctors there pronounced him dead around 8:35 p.m. — under an hour after the call to police.
Police Want the Cellphone Footage
Clearcreek Township police are investigating the death as an accident, and the investigation remains open. Officers are seeking tips, asking anyone with cellphone footage, any other video of the ride, or information that could help to reach Detective Sgt. Kevin Barton at 937-748-1267 during business hours, in addition to the dispatch line.
Fox Hollow holds rodeo events every Saturday evening at 6 p.m., according to local listings. It is not a once-a-year county fair stop, and Saylor was hurt at a series event there.
A Broken Collarbone Months Earlier
Saylor said he suffered a broken collarbone in a bull-riding incident at another rodeo event a few months before his death, posting an image of a fractured collarbone along with photos of himself on the ground in the ring.
A 2025 Arizona report on rodeo safety put the injury rate in bull riding at more than 10 times football’s. That report cited a 20-year Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine study finding a fatality incidence rate of 4.05 per 100,000.
“Everybody’s in Disbelief”
Russ Spreckelmeier, a friend and a retired bull rider of about 40 years, was at Fox Hollow Stables when the accident happened. “Everybody’s in disbelief. We knew it was bad. We didn’t know the extent. Everybody was getting together, vigils, hugging and praying,” he said.
Spreckelmeier said Saylor had ridden bulls for about 15 years. “Blake loved those bulls, he took care of those bulls. They came first,” he said. Friends and others in the rodeo community described Saylor as a man of faith.
A GoFundMe had been set up to support Saylor’s family as of Oct. 28, Spreckelmeier said.
Organizers Ask for Privacy
The rodeo confirmed the death in a Facebook post Sunday, Oct. 25. “Our hearts are absolutely broken following the tragic loss of one of our bull riders and brothers in Christ, last night at Fox Hollow Rodeo,” the rodeo wrote.
Saylor’s family, his friends and everyone affected were in the rodeo’s thoughts and prayers, the post said, adding that it had no words for the sadness it felt. Organizers requested that the public leave the family alone through what they described as an incredibly difficult time, and promised further announcements on the rodeo’s Facebook page in the days ahead.
One mourner on Facebook called Saylor a true cowboy, brave and tough, who died doing what he loved. Alanna Greathouse has a son who competes at the venue, and she had come out for the first time to watch him ride. Her family had “fallen in love with Fox Hollow because of the brotherhood and love that you all show to your riders and staff,” she said. She also credited the staff for how they responded once the night turned.
