George Gaston, who trained horses, instructed riders, managed major stables and was a friend to all, died in his sleep Sunday night. He was 72.
“Everybody loved George,” said Jimmy Herring, who knew him since they were youngsters riding together.
“He always had a smile on his face,” remembered Ashley Holsinger of Memory’s Hill Stables in Waynesboro, Va., where George worked.
George Gaston with a student at Memory’s Hill.
Jimmy called George “a Southern gentleman.”
As Ashley noted, “He had a way of picking people up; He was the barn greeter; he made you feel so welcome. Everything was genuine; you never felt like you were inconsequential.”
After showing on the A circuit, George, a native of Augusta, Ga., managed a barn in St. Louis for August A. Busch Jr.
He helped train top hunter rider Charlie Weaver, then went on to Ingleside Stables, where Caroline Clark made her mark at the biggest shows with such memorable horses as Gozzi, Rain Forest and Halikalani.
George worked with Billl Russell at Pine Top in Georgia, and did a stint with eventing Olympic gold medalist Tad Coffin. During his career, he went to the Pan American Games, the World Cup and the indoor circuit..
“He was one of the best horsemen I know,” said another lifelong friend, Elizabeth Boykin Vagnoni.
“He lived and breathed horses. He wanted to understand them and care for them. He wanted to do it for their comfort and safety,” she said, noting he shared that knowledge when he taught and “loved conveying horsemanship to kids.”
In recent years, George delighted his friends and made new connections with his Monday Mystery Rider postings on Facebook, in which people had to guess the identity of a horse and rider in a photo from the past.
George was multi-faceted, as Jimmy put it. In addition to his horse-related work, he was involved with a horse sports production company and the advertising business in New York, going on to sell equestrian gear as well as putting in a stint as a personal chef and wrote a cookbook.
At Memory’s Hill, George instructed clients who didn’t go to the big shows, overseeing their education in horsemanship as well as riding, teaching them to groom the horses and clean tack, “making them feel special and part of the program,” said Ashley.
“He was like everybody’s uncle.”
He was always quick to help. Memory Hill had a devastating barn fire in February 2025. A giant pine tree that stood beside the barn was half-burned. Long after things were cleaned up, it was a reminder of the tragedy, Ashley said.
She asked George if he could find someone to cut it down and take it away. The tree was gone the next day.
George is survived by his sister, Betty Gaston Snellings and her husband, William; his niece, Lilibet Snellings Kyte and his nephew, Will Snellings.
A celebration of his life will be held at Memory’s Hill when the weather is cooler. Those interested in being notified of the date and time should email Ashley at ashley@memoryshillstables.com. Information about where donations may be made in his memory will be announced at a later date.