Hampton Classic Helps Foundation Of Equestrian Paralyzed At Event

BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY — The equestrian community continues to circle around its own, giving back to a man who was paralyzed in the Hampton Classic Horse Show in 2019.

According to The Chronicle of the Horse, Kevin Babington was injured during the Bridgehampton event on Aug. 30, during "a serious fall while competing grand prix horse Shorapur." He was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital and then transferred to the New York University Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, according to the Irish Examiner; he later underwent spine stabilization surgery, the post said.

Shorapur was uninjured, the post stated.

This year, the 46th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show will continue its support of the Kevin Babington Foundation, when it returns to the East End from August 28 to September 4.

Babington’s spinal cord injury left him paralyzed from the chest down at the time. Since then, the Kevin Babington Foundation has provided financial and educational resources to several riders in the show jumping community who have sustained spinal injuries, in addition to Babington, an Irish Olympic veteran and the 2014 Hampton Classic Grand Prix champion, Hampton Classic representatives said.

Since his accident, Babington has made "significant progress" affording him significantly more capacity and allowing him to remain active as a trainer and coach, Hampton Classic representatives said..

“Kevin’s work ethic is amazing,” said Jeff Papows, President of the Kevin Babington Foundation. “His recovery is real and an ongoing work in process.”

The Hampton Classic will continue its support of the Foundation this year, with some efforts initiated last year and the addition of a new program — The Classic will donate 100 percent of the profits from a specially designed Hampton Classic/Kevin Babington hat, which will be available in the show’s onsite shop.

The Classic’s souvenir shop will also accept donations to the Foundation. An option to donate to the Kevin Babington Foundation will be included for exhibitors upon checkout in the horse show office, organizers said.

And, that's not all: The biggest fundraiser will be on the Classic’s final day during the Classic’s featured event, the $410,000 Hampton Classic CSI5* Grand Prix, to be held on Sunday, September 4. The Koenigsberg family has pledged to make a $5,000 donation to the Foundation for every clear round jumped in the first round of the Grand Prix with a guaranteed minimum donation of $25,000, the Hampton Classic said.

“We greatly appreciate Jessica and Bill Koenigsberg and their family for their generous support of the Kevin Babington Foundation,” said Shanette Barth Cohen, the Classic’s executive director. “The Foundation does so much to help riders who sustain catastrophic spinal injuries, and we are honored to provide opportunities for our community to give back to their fellow equestrians.”

“We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Hampton Classic and the Koenigsberg family for their incredible support,” said Papows. “We have such an amazing community where equestrians come together to help one another, and we quite literally couldn’t do any of this without those contributions.”

Babington also expressed his gratitude.

“I am deeply touched by all the Hampton Classic is doing to support the Foundation,” Babington said. “I especially want to thank Shanette and the Koenigsberg family for the great promotion with a donation being made for each clear round. I guess I better talk to (course designer) Alan Wade about going a little easy on them!”

The Classic also gives back in other ways locally on the East End, donating more than $2 million to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and giving back through the Long Island Horse Show Series for Riders with Disabilities, the Sag Harbor Food Pantry, the Bridgehampton Union Free School District, and more than a dozen dog, cat, and horse rescue organizations that participate in the Classic’s annual Animal Adoption Day, sponsored by Gotham Enterprizes. In addition, the Hampton Classic provides in-kind support to more than a hundred nonprofit benefit events each year.