QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — A Valley man is in critical condition after an accident during a horse event on Monday. Now, the Arizona riding community is rallying around him in support.
“It’s a cowboy world. We all take care of each other, you know?” said Jade Keller, President of the Arizona Cutting Horse Association.
Braden Johns was in Fort Worth when he was seriously hurt on Monday after his horse fell and rolled with him in the saddle.
“He was going down the fence with the cow, where it's one cow in the pen and they circle it, and the cow just came in front of his horse and took a misstep and the horse collided and they rolled together," Keller explained. "He just, unfortunately, took a pretty bad, bad fall.”
Johns is now unconscious in the hospital in critical condition and his tight-knit community is working to support him.
“We all compete against each other all day long and we all want to win, but we're all there to support our friends in life," Keller said.
“He has an extremely good work ethic. He wants to do well. He's always out there looking to help and going to people and he's always been super friendly and just a great all-around guy. And he loves this event," Keller said.
A GoFundMe page set up to help with extensive medical bills has already raised more than $40,000. You can find the link to donate here.
“It happened in Texas and we knew in Arizona within minutes," Keller said. "The word gets around that fast. 'Hey, there's one of our one of our own that's in need.'”
As Johns continues to fight, Keller asks for prayers.
“We're all one big family," Keller said. "We always try to support another cowboy, another friend, always have our hand out there to help whoever's in need.”
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