From Ireland to the United States, from the Olympics to Nations Cups, Kevin Babington is the quintessential professional. Throughout the past 30 years, the rider and trainer has methodically built a respected name for himself in his adopted homeland of Pennsylvania.

Kevin is best known for his partnership with the jumper Carling King, a horse that took him to the 2004 Athens Olympics and carried him to over 30 top ten finishes in grand prix classes around the world. He continues to compete at the top levels of the sport, winning two $50,000 Pfizer Million qualifying grand prixs over the summer with Mark Q, his own up and coming prospect.

But Kevin is much more than a competition rider; he’s a dedicated coach to his students who also never stops seeking to improve his own depth of knowledge. Between coaching, hosting clinics and staying on the show circuit, Kevin is a busy but amiable trainer, and a favorite in the horse world.

ProEquest: Tell us about the horse Mark Q; you’ve been a roll with him over the last few months. Is he your next star?
Kevin Babington: Mark Q is a 9-year-old gelding by OBS Quality out of a Thoroughbred mare that show jumped in Ireland. I think he could be my next star. He is very careful and fights for me in the ring.
 
ProEquest: How do you stay motivated as a competitor when you’re bringing along a young horse?
KB: I enjoy working with young horses and I get as great a deal of satisfaction from the home training, as I do showing. When I’ve got a quality young horse, the thought of making it up for the big sport gets me very motivated.
 
ProEquest: Can you tell us about the clinicians that you host at your farm, in particular your clinics with Albert Voorn?
KB: Each year I bring John Ledingham and Albert Voorn to my farm to do clinics because I have great respect for them both as horsemen. They both are very accomplished riders and are great with my clients. Everybody leaves their clinics with more tools and confidence.
I find John puts a great deal of emphasis on the horse and uses different exercises that make the horses think for themselves. He is very good at spotting a horse’s weakness and finding an exercise that will help without stressing them.
Albert is great at bringing out the natural ability in each rider. He works a lot on the rider’s position and in turn all the horses go in a better balance. He keeps it simple, which is very refreshing as I find most of us try to make it too complicated.
I take many of the clinics myself and I have learned a great deal from both of these great horsemen that I pass on in my clinics.
 
ProEquest: What do you enjoy most about coaching?
KB: I try to teach my students to be trainers, not just riders, and I really enjoy when I see them working through a problem without me giving them instruction. I like when I get a student to a level that we can both discuss an issue and then see the big smile when they feel the correction working on their horse.

ProEquest: Tell me a little about your family life. Does your family share your passion for horses?
KB: Fortunately my wife Dianna and my daughters Gwyneth (8) and Marielle (6) all ride and love horses. Dianna is an amateur rider and the kids each have a pony and are just learning to jump. The main thing is that they love the horses, and we just have to see where it goes from there.
 
ProEquest: How do you balance all the moving parts of your business, sales, training, clientele, your own riding, for success?
KB: When I’m not showing I try to ride my horses in the morning and teach in the afternoon. I’m on the phone whenever I have a free minute, working on sales or getting back to clients. I have a great support staff that helps keep all aspects of the business going that I can’t get to. I’m also about to launch a new business so I have been in overdrive for the last year. I love what I do and as long as I can make time for my family I’m not afraid of hard work and long hours. 

ProEquest: What are your goals for 2012?
KB: I want to keep the momentum from 2011 on Mark Q and target some bigger grands prix. Horse sales have picked up again so I want to focus on finding and selling good horses in 2012.