Georgie Campbell was one of the riders to watch, especially with her achievements of being the first to take a Cooley horse to 5* level. 

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Sadly in May 2024 at Bicton, Georgie had a rotational fall, which caused a catastrophic head injury that proved to be fatal. Leaving behind her husband and sister who joined forces and founded the Georgie Campbell Foundation which aims to support all those who take part professionally in a sport that Georgie loved. 

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One of the main aims of the foundation is to support and educate all within the industry on the importance of frangible pins. Frangible pins were designed to allow the fence to lower upon impact and lessen the catapulting force. 

A rotational fall is when the front of the horse impacts with a solid fence which at such impact causes a rotational motion of both horse and rider. The horse and rider essentially then flipping 180' degrees before the pair hit the deck. 9/10 the horse will unfortunately land on the rider, and at 450kg plus, won't be pleasant. 

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The foundation set up in Georgie's memory is a pioneering movement to help bring the well loved sport forward, while ensuring safety is maintained for both horse and rider. 

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Riders competing in cross-country competitions can accidently trigger a frangible pin without either horse or rider fall, but they are penalised with 11 penalty points, a small price to pay for being able to get home safe at the end of the day... 

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Rotational falls and other eventing accidents do have quite an impact on riders, horse and all those within the support networks. A lot of the people you see officiating at equestrian events are volunteers, especially those who Fence Judge and will be by the rider's side within seconds of an accident. The mental load that is put on these volunteers, event organisers and spectators is huge. It also hinders owners wanting to support the sport of eventing and are seen to be switching to show jumping similarly to Grooms. 

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In addition to pushing for more frangible pins to be used across the xc course, the foundation is also now open for entrants to apply for additional support with regards to setting up their own eventing business. This is a brilliant and innovative creation by the GCF. The lucky applicant will have until the 30th September 2025 to be in for a chance to receive mentoring, vocational coaching, and further bespoke support as per the rider's needs. 

 

Other top riders have spoken out at the foundation's aims and have praised the initiative. It is tremendous that something such at the GCF has been setup, especially for those within eventing. it doesn't matter what industry that you are in, everyone should be able to have someone to ask questions and seek for help. ​It definitely paves a way for the next generation. 

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If you are competing at 3* or above and are registered with British Eventing, apply here.

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You can read more about the foundation and Georgie's career on the Horse and Hound website.