Lockney cowboy, reality TV contestant Jackson Taylor dies in rodeo accident

Alex Driggars, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Updated ·3 min read
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Jackson Taylor, a cowboy from Lockney who is set to make his second appearance on "Ultimate Cowboy Showdown" this fall, died in a rodeo accident Saturday.
Jackson Taylor, a cowboy from Lockney who is set to make his second appearance on "Ultimate Cowboy Showdown" this fall, died in a rodeo accident Saturday.

Jackson Taylor, a cowboy from Lockney who is set to make his second appearance in a reality cowboy competition show this fall, died Saturday after a rodeo accident. He was 33.

Taylor, a member of the Amarillo-based Working Ranch Cowboys Association, was competing in the WRCA-sanctioned Estancia Valley Ranch Rodeo in Moriarty, New Mexico when he took a fall during a bronc ride and later died, according to a report from the Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon.

Taylor posthumously received the Top Hand prize in the rodeo.

In 2021, Taylor was a contestant on season two of "Ultimate Cowboy Showdown," a Survivor-style cowboy competition show on the INSP network hosted by Trace Adkins. Taylor makes a return appearance in season four, which wrapped filming in the spring and debuts Sept. 6.

More: Lockney man among 14 competing in national show

Adkins shared his condolences in a social media post Saturday.

"Jackson Taylor was a helluva cowboy. There was no ‘back down’ in him and I’m proud to have known him. Rest in peace, hoss."

"Jackson was the quintessential cowboy," Doug Butts, executive vice president of programming at INSP, said in a news release Monday. "He was an exceptional horseman, rugged, talented, aggressive, experienced, a maverick, a tough competitor and a devoted friend. Everyone at INSP feels a profound loss and we extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and the cowboy community as you grieve his death and remember his life."

The WRCA also shared sympathies Monday.

"By every account, he was an excellent friend, top hand, and good man who loved and lived big and used his sense of humor to uplift everyone around him," a social media post from the organization reads.

According to a 2021 story in the Avalanche-Journal, Taylor worked on ranches in Texas, New Mexico and Montana from the age of 15. After graduating from Reagan County High School, Taylor earned a certification in ranch and feedlot operations from Clarendon College. He rode broncs and trained hundreds of horses in the U.S. and Australia.

"Jackson Taylor was a helluva cowboy. There was no 'back down' in him and I’m proud to have known him," Trace Adkins said in a tweet mourning the Lockney cowboy Saturday.
"Jackson Taylor was a helluva cowboy. There was no 'back down' in him and I’m proud to have known him," Trace Adkins said in a tweet mourning the Lockney cowboy Saturday.

The network said the upcoming season will air as planned, prominently featuring Taylor.

"Since season four completed filming in the spring of 2023, Jackson plays prominently throughout numerous episodes. We feel that airing the season, as planned, beginning Wednesday, Sept. 6, is the most fitting way to honor him and provide viewers and the cowboy community with a moving tribute to the man and his legacy."

A graveside service for Taylor is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, July 29 at Grey Mule Cemetery in Floyd County. A visitation will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at Moore-Rose Funeral Home in Lockney.

The family suggests memorial donations in Taylor's name to the WRCA Crisis Fund.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lockney cowboy, reality TV contestant Jackson Taylor dies in rodeo accident