British horse rider Georgie Campbell dies after freak accident during equestrian event

A British horse rider has died after falling from her horse during an event at the weekend.

British event rider Georgie Campbell, 37, died after falling from her horse at the Bicton International Horse Trials in Devon on Sunday, May 26.

"Medical professionals attended immediately following her fall at fence 5b however, unfortunately, she could not be saved," international horse trials governing body British Eventing said in a statement.

"The horse, Global Quest, was assessed by the on-site vets and walked back to the stable and is uninjured.

"To respect the family’s privacy at this extremely difficult and sad time, no further details will be shared."

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust sent an air ambulance, double-crewed land ambulance, operations officer and hazardous area response team to the incident.

The event, which was due to end on Sunday with a cross-country phase, was abandoned.

Devon and Cornwall Police told LADbible in a statement: "Police were called to reports about the death of a horse rider at Bicton Arena, East Budeigh, at around 3.50pm on Sunday 26 May.

"The woman was in her 30s and from Kent. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner."

Campbell was a top-level showing rider before she turned to eventing. She represented Great Britain several times on Nations Cup teams and appeared a many five-star events, the highest level of eventing.

She competed in over 200 evenths throughout her career, claiming six victories including the 4 star Long at Lignieres with Global Quest in 2022.

Georgie fellow equestrian Jesse Campbell - a member of the New Zealand team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - in December 2020, and together they created Team Campbell Eventing.

Fans left messages of condolence on Georgie's Instagram profile.

One fan commented: "RIP Georgie, a remarkable rider with so much passion for the sport. She will be missed."

Another wrote: "Rest easy Georgie - greatly missed by a massive community."