Tragedy as Sheffield woman devoted to horses dies in riding accident - family raise money in her memory
“They managed to get her to hospital, give her a chance, and give the family hope”
The family of a Sheffield woman who spent “virtually her entire life around horses” and tragically died in a riding accident is raising money in her memory.
Sam Baxter, aged 57 and from Chapeltown, had gone for a ride on the morning of October 16, 2025 when tragedy struck.
Her husband Gary, 58, said it seemed like any other morning for someone who had spent virtually her entire life around horses.
But while Gary was out walking their dogs, he received a call from police telling him Sam had been involved in an accident.
He said no one truly knew what happened during the incident at Clumber Park, near Worksop.
A second call followed, telling him an air ambulance had taken off and Sam was being flown to Northern General Hospital.
Gary is now raising money for the air ambulance service which battled so hard to save his wife, who he loved for more than three decades
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Gary has spoken to the paramedic and doctor who attended Sam at Clumber Park.
They told him she was “as close to death as anyone can be” when they reached her.
They also explained how a woman walking her dog, Claire, heard a scream and went to investigate before finding Sam and calling 999.
Gary later managed to trace Claire and the pair have remained friends.
“She’s a fantastic lady,” he said.
“The courage that she showed that morning was so brave.”
Gary said the air ambulance crew's intervention gave Sam a chance of survival and, crucially for him and their two sons, Ryan and Callum, time to be with her.
Despite undergoing multiple operations and receiving specialist neurological care, Sam died on November 1 with her family at her side.
Gary said he will always be grateful to the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance for getting her to hospital.
“They managed to get her to hospital, give her a chance, and give the family hope,” he said.
Donate to Gary’s fundraiser here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ln-air-ambulance-for-sam-baxter-utm5c
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The crew's support did not end when Sam died.
Gary said the charity's aftercare team has continued to keep in touch with him, sometimes spending an hour on the phone simply talking.
For Gary, the fundraising is about much more than giving money to a charity - it is a way of remembering Sam.
The couple had been together for more than 30 years, having first met in the late 1980s when Sam worked in a pub.
They went on to build a life together, have two sons and share more than three decades of memories.
Sam had been passionate about horses from childhood, with Gary saying her first interaction with them came when she was around four.
She remained involved with horses throughout her life, riding and competing at weekends and travelling to different arenas for show jumping.
Gary described her as someone who was always on the go.
“She was always the first up, first out, she was very outdoorsy,” he said.
Sam's eight-year-old horse, Bart, has also remained part of the family's story.
He has since found a new home with Sam's lifelong childhood friend Deborah.
Gary said it felt like everything had fallen into place.
“It's as if the stars were aligned,” he said.
He now has Bart close by and enjoys paying him visits.
Since Sam's death, her friends in the horse riding community have rallied around Gary and the family.
Four of her closest friends – Nicola, Carolyn, Julia and Rebecca – have played a major role in organising the fundraising.
Gary said the friends had become an important source of support following Sam's death.
“They've been an absolute rock to me, they've adopted me, they look out for me,” he said.
The friends have helped promote the fundraising, sell raffle tickets, approach businesses and secure donated prizes.
A summer raffle has raised money alongside the Samantha Baxter Memorial League at Sykehouse Equestrian Centre, one of Sam's favourite places to ride.
The memorial league has been running throughout the summer, with points awarded across the competitions before the final class on Saturday, September 26.
Gary will attend the final event to present trophies and ribbons before the raffle is drawn.
More than £4,000 worth of prizes have been donated, including weekend breaks, a seaside cottage stay, shopping and restaurant vouchers, travel vouchers and a range of equestrian prizes.
The proceeds from the current fundraising will be weighted towards the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance, because of the role its crew played in getting Sam to hospital, with other donations going towards Yorkshire Ambulance Service and the Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund.
Gary is now making a final push through his GoFundMe appeal before he visits the Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance base on October 9 to hand over the money raised.
The Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance receives no direct Government funding and relies on donations to continue its lifesaving work.
Gary said: “You never know, and you might need them.”
Editor’s note: An original version of this article contained some inaccuracies. We would like to apologise for any distress caused. The article has since been updated.