Lee McKeever, McLain Ward’s sport horse manager for 38 years, will be inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame March 1, along with Debbie Dolan’s Albany, ridden by Leslie Burr Howard on the 1984 Olympic show jumping gold medal team. The International Award at the Wellington, Fla., ceremony will go to Irish show jumper Kevin Babington.
Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Lee McKeever became involved with horses when he was 12. After leaving school, Lee found a job as a groom. He came to the U.S. in 1988 and began working for McLain’s father, Barney Ward, at Castle Hill Farm in Brewster, N.Y.
Lee oversees every aspect of caring for more than 30 horse and has played a key role in the success of such superstars as Sapphire, Rothchild, Antares F, HH Azur, Contagious, HH Carlos Z, Clinta, High Star Hero, First Lady, and many more. With Lee at his side, McLain has won 13 medals at the Olympics, Pan American Games and World Equestrian Games, as well as topping the FEI World Cup Finals in 2017, in addition to many major Grands Prix in the U.S. and around the world.
Lee is always happy to share his knowledge and expertise. His success and importance in the industry is recognized around the world and was formally acknowledged in 2018, when he was honored by the FEI with its Best Groom award.
McLain says of Lee, “He knows the horses better than anybody. He knows just how to have their conditioning and their health, and how to prevent and deal with injuries. There’s never been a moment when I doubted that my horses were in anything but the best of care and that they had the best preparation to be ready to compete.”
“This has never been a job for me,” said Lee. “It’s a way of life.”
Albany had a personality as lovely as his jumping style. He was a classic Thoroughbred who began his career on the racetrack. Foaled in 1975, the gelding proved more talented over fences than he was on the track. After starting his career with Joanne Kovacs and Jimmy Kohn, Albany was purchased for the 1983 season by Debbie Dolan (Sweeney). He was shown in grands prix by Debbie’s trainer, Leslie Burr Howard, while Debbie was still showing in the amateur-owner division.
Albany was named the American Grandprix Association (AGA) Horse of the Year in both 1983 and 1984, and he carried Leslie to the AGA Rider of the Year title in 1983.
In 1984, the pair won the $100,000 American Invitational in Tampa Stadium, and topped the U.S. Olympic trials to secure a spot on the Olympic team alongside Joe Fargis and Touch of Class, Conrad Homfeld (Abdullah) and Melanie Smith Taylor (Calypso). At the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, Albany teamed with the others to make history as the first U.S. team ever to win Olympic show jumping gold.
When Debbie took over the reins from Leslie, Albany continued his success. The new combination won the Cleveland Grand Prix in 1986 and the Winter Equestrian Festival Challenge Series in 1988. They also had top-five Grand Prix finishes at the National Horse Show and Valley Forge in 1986; at Old Salem, Cleveland and the American Invitational in 1988; and at Palm Beach and Baltimore in 1989. Internationally, the pair rode on winning Nations Cup teams at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto in 1987 and at Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1988, while winning the Ladies Show Jumping Championship at Windsor, England, in 1989. When Albany’s Grand Prix career came to a close at the end of the decade, his earnings ranked third in AGA history.
Kevin Babington was part of Ireland’s gold medal team at the 2001 European Championships, placed eighth individually in the 2002 World Championships and fourth individually in the 2004 Olympic Games, while going on to win many grands prix after that. A 2019 fall ended his riding career but he continues to teach from his wheelchair. .