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In memory of George Crawford: hundreds gather to pay tribute to young rider


  • More than a thousand people travelled to Scotland to pay tribute to talented young rider George Crawford.

    George, 20, died on 7 October after he was hit by a car while walking back to his university halls.

    A service of thanksgiving was held at Melrose Parish Church on 30 October, attended by close to 1,200 friends and family.

    Leading figures in the eventing and equestrian world, including Caroline Powell, Paul Hodgson and Nicola Wilson, were among those to pay their respects.

    A bus of 46 students from Harper Adams, where George had just started, made the six-hour journey to honour their friend.

    Among the tributes was a letter from friends in Australia, where George spent the summer on a cattle station as a teenager. They remembered how George had galloped home to get help after one of the horses was bitten by a snake while mustering cattle.

    The collection raised £5,600, which will be split between the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA)  and the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF).

    “We are planning a fundraiser next year and will be setting up a charity in George’s memory,” George’s father, Cameron Crawford, told H&H.

    Sadly the family’s dog, Alfie, who had been unwell since George’s accident, was diagnosed with cancer and died on Thursday.

    “They were inseparable when George was at home and had many adventures together,” said Mr Crawford.

    The family took Alfie to visit George’s grave before he “whistled him up to the sky”.

    Hundreds of tributes poured in following the tragic news of George’s death.

    The talented rider had success on the pony racing and eventing circuits and was also a skilled sportsman.

    Continues below…



    Mr Crawford remembered his son as a “multi-talented, cracking young man with a twinkle in his eye” and a magnetic personality that would “draw the best out of people”.

    Donations in his memory can be made to the IJF and RDA.

    For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

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