On the evening of Saturday, October 24, 2026, the familiar roar of the crowd at Fox Hollow Rodeo near Waynesville, Ohio, turned into silence after a single, devastating sequence inside the bullpen. Thirty-five-year-old Jason Blake Saylor, known to everyone in the local circuit simply as Blake, had just come off a bull when the animal either kicked or stepped on him, delivering a traumatic chest injury that proved fatal despite the protective vest he was wearing. Clearcreek Township police and EMS units were dispatched to the stables at 1909 E. State Route 73 around 7:40 to 7:42 p.m. following reports of an injured rider.
Medics worked on him at the scene before transporting him to Atrium Medical Center in Middletown, where he was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ between roughly 8:35 and 8:40 p.m. Authorities are treating the dєatᩚh as accidental and have publicly asked anyone who captured video or witnessed the incident in the bullpen to contact Warren County dispatch at 513-695-2525 or Detective Sgt. Kevin Barton at 937-748-1267 during business hours. Fox Hollow Rodeo, which hosts Saturday night events starting at 6 p.m. throughout the year and draws both amateur and semi-pro riders, released a statement the next day calling Saylor “one of our bull riders and brothers in Christ” and saying there were no words for the sadness felt by the entire community.
The venue sits roughly forty miles northeast of Cincinnati in Clearcreek Township, Warren County, and the sudden loss has rippled through a тιԍнт-knit group of compeтιтors who regularly share the same chutes and risks. Initial reports differ slightly on the precise mechanism—some describe the bull throwing him and then stomping, others say he was kicked or stepped on after the ride ended—but every account agrees the chest trauma occurred while he was already wearing standard protective gear. Police continue to investigate and have not released further official findings as of late October 2026. The incident underscores how quickly conditions can change even after the eight-second whistle, when riders and bulls remain in close proximity inside the pen.
Local emergency responders arrived quickly, yet the severity of the blunt force injury left little chance of survival once he reached the hospital. Fellow compeтιтors and spectators who were present that night have been urged to come forward with any recordings, as cell-phone footage could help clarify the exact sequence. The rodeo’s Facebook post also asked the public to respect the privacy of Saylor’s family and loved ones while promising updates on the page in the days ahead. For those who regularly attend Fox Hollow’s weekly series, the Saturday night rhythm of lights, dirt, and bucking stock will now carry the weight of a loss that arrived without warning.
