On August 30th, Irish Olympian Kevin Babington had a tragic fall while competing at the Hampton Classic horse show which resulted in a spinal cord injury. He is currently undergoing treatment at NYU and his mounting medical expenses are a major concern for his family. All of us at WEC are keeping the Babington family in our thoughts and prayers and in an effort to help defray the costs of Kevin’s medical expenses, we have established a #RideforKevin Fundraiser, active during the entirety of the five WEC Fall Horse Shows taking place Sept. 25-Oct.27.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
The #RideforKevin Fundraiser will include several ways to help raise money for this caring and compassionate horseman who needs our help now. Our popular 1.25 m Jumper class will become the $500 1.25 m Kevin Babington #RideforKevin class where all entry fees will be donated to the Babington family. In addition, we are giving riders the opportunity to donate their prize money in any class to the Babington family. If a rider chooses to do so, they will be given an armband to wear while showing to demonstrate that they are riding for Kevin. Armbands will be available in the horse show office.
All attending the shows can participate in the #RideforKevin Fundraiser by purchasing a green ribbon to be worn on the lapel of their coat. Ribbons will be $5 and available for purchase in the show office and at A Sudden Impulse with all proceeds going to the Babington family. Those that are not showing are welcome to purchase a ribbon to wear to show their support.
#RideforKevin drink specials will also be offered in the Paddock Club where 50% of all proceeds from the drinks will go to the Babington family.
Andrew Ryback Photography, the official photographer of WEC Fall Classic I and WEC Fall Classic II horse shows, is also generously participating in the WEC #RideforKevin Fundraiser:
“The team at Andrew Ryback Photography considers Kevin and family to be great friends and when we heard of his accident there was no question in our minds that we would do whatever we could to help. Kevin has always been gracious and kind to our entire team. For example, when asked a couple years ago, he never even hesitated and let us use his string of grand prix horses for a Dover Saddlery catalog shoot on multiple occasions. During WEC Fall Classic II, all proceeds from our photo sales will be donated to Kevin and his family. Additionally, our team has generously offered to forego their pay for that week to add to the total. We know that this is just a small piece of what is surely to be a costly battle, but every little bit helps and we’re happy to help!”
If you would like to become more involved in the WEC #RideforKevin Fundraiser, please contact TJ Campbell at 937-382-0985 option 1.
