After about 15 years on the backs of bulls, a rider whose friends say his faith came first died during a ride at a weekly rodeo.
A bull threw its rider during a ride at the Fox Hollow Rodeo near Waynesville, in Clearcreek Township, Warren County, Ohio, then kicked or stepped on him, police said. The rider, Jason Blake Saylor, 35, died Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
Dispatchers sent Clearcreek Township police around 7:40 p.m. to Fox Hollow Stables at 1909 E. State Route 73 after callers reported a man stepped on by a bull. Officers said Saylor suffered a traumatic chest injury and was wearing chest protection at the time.
Medics worked on him in the arena before an ambulance took him to Atrium Medical Center, where doctors pronounced him dead around 8:35 p.m. — less than an hour after police were called.
Police Want the Cellphone Video
Clearcreek Township police are investigating the death as an accident, and the investigation remains open. Officers have asked anyone with cellphone footage, any other video of the ride, or information that might help to call dispatch at 513-695-2525.
Police also listed a second number: Detective Sgt. Kevin Barton at 937-748-1267 during business hours.
The rodeo was not a once-a-year county fair stop. Local listings show rodeo events every Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at the venue, and Saylor was hurt at a series event there.
“Brothers in Christ,” the Rodeo Wrote
The rodeo confirmed the death in a Facebook post on 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 post read.
Organizers wrote that they had no words for the sadness they were feeling and said their thoughts and prayers were with Saylor’s family, friends and everyone affected. The family should be left alone through what organizers called an incredibly difficult time, the post said, and the rodeo’s Facebook page would carry further announcements in the days ahead.
A later Fox Hollow Stables statement added two lines: “Thank you to everyone for your love, prayers, and support during this difficult time” and “Please don’t stop praying!”
Fifteen Years on Bulls
Russ Spreckelmeier, a longtime friend who was at Fox Hollow Stables when the accident happened, said Saylor rode bulls for about 15 years and that his faith mattered even more to him than rodeo did.
“Everybody’s in disbelief. We knew it was bad. We didn’t know the extent. Everybody was getting together, vigils, hugging and praying,” Spreckelmeier said.
He described a rider who put the animals ahead of himself. “Blake loved those bulls, he took care of those bulls. They came first. He wouldn’t eat until they ate, wouldn’t drink water until they ate. He was very passionate,” Spreckelmeier said.
Friends and others in the rodeo community described Saylor as a man of faith. One mourner wrote on Facebook that he was a true cowboy, brave and tough, and that he died doing what he loved. A GoFundMe has been set up to support his family.
Alanna Greathouse, whose son competes at the venue, attended for the first time to watch him ride. She credited the staff for how they responded once the night turned, and said her son had “fallen in love with Fox Hollow because of the brotherhood and love that you all show to your riders and staff.”
Ten Times Football’s Injury Rate
A 2025 Arizona report on rodeo safety laid out brutal numbers for the sport, placing bull riding’s injury rate at more than 10 times football’s. That report also cited a 20-year Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine study that found a fatality incidence rate of 4.05 per 100,000.
