The Babington Benefit Horse Show Sunday at Duncraven in Titusville, NJ, was a huge success, raising $20,000 for the injured grand prix show jumper. Kevin, who is paralyzed from the middle of his chest down after a 2019 fall in competition, has enormous expenses, but friends and others who know his reputation have pitched in to help.
Kevin at home in Loxahatchee, Fla., with his wife, Dianna. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Today he posted this thank you on social media:
“When I woke up this morning I had to pinch myself when I looked at the post from the Babington benefit horse show yesterday. How does one go about thanking all the special people who put this together?
New Jersey and Pennsylvania have been a huge part of my life and career, and five years on, to see the support from local barns and trainers that come and support is incredible. I was based out of Duncraven almost 25 years ago. Tim Fedor and his family offered the facility for the first few benefit shows, and now to see the Stout Family willing to continue this tradition is wonderful. What they’ve done with the facility is incredible. Congratulations to them and continued success.
This is not your typical horse show. It is run totally by volunteers with the support of many sponsors from the area. The last four years have been a big adjustment for me and my family, but when I see something like this it makes my journey so much easier. I am going to add Jenn Cassidy’s post with a list of most of the volunteers, but like Jenn said, there are too many to list so i apologize if I miss anyone.
Kevin Babington on Carling King at the 2004 Olympics. (Photo © 2004 by Nancy Jaffer)
Nancy Wallis, Julie Koveloski, and Jennifer Cassidy work on this year round and from what I saw from the show yesterday, there wasn’t a stone left unturned. It was special for me to see a bareback flat class with so many entries. Riding bareback was something I loved to do when I rode, so it’s extra special to see this being part of the benefit show. A very heartfelt thank you to everyone and I hope all the riders had a great day. Love to all from myself, Dianna, Gwyneth, and Marielle.”