Lee McKeever and Albany, Debbie Dolan (Sweeney)’s horse ridden to Olympic gold by Leslie Burr (Howard), were inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame during the hall’s sold-out Induction Gala in Wellington on Sunday, March 1. The Hall of Fame also presented its International Award to Irish Olympic veteran Kevin Babington.
The Induction Gala, held at the Wellington National Golf Club, also included a special tribute to Mary Mairs Chapot, a true pioneer in American show jumping. She was the first West Coast rider to win the ASPCA Maclay Championship, the first woman to earn a Pan American Games gold medal, and, in 1964, alongside Kathy Kusner, one of the first two women to represent the United States in Olympic equestrian competition.
Together with her husband, Frank Chapot, she also became part of the first married couple to compete for the U.S. during the 1968 Olympic Games. Additionally, she competed in two Pan American Games, winning double gold medals in 1963 and team silver in 1967. She was also on 22 winning Nations Cup teams and won many Grand Prix, including the first Grand Prix held in the U.S., in Cleveland, in 1965. She was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1992.
In addition to Chapot, the gala recognized 14 others in attendance who have previously been inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Olympic veterans Norman Dello Joio, Margie Engle, Leslie Howard, Laura Kraut, Anne Kursinski, Beezie Madden, Michael Matz, Melanie Smith Taylor and Katie Prudent, as well as Linda Allen, David Distler, Peter Doubleday, Steve Stephens, and former Olympic rider and current U.S. chef d’equipe Robert Ridland.
In addition to the Hall of Famers, many of the sport’s leading owners, trainers and riders attended, including Olympic veterans from six countries.
The dinner also honored top performers on the 2025 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, including Rider of the Year JJ Torano, Horse of the Year Good Mood Semilly, and Mary Rose Canterbury, winner of the series’ 1.45m Final at Washington.
Sponsors from the dinner included the Wheeler Family, who sponsored the night’s cocktails and open bar; Charlie Jacobs, who sponsored the attendance of all the Hall of Famers; Jane Clark, Gina Johnson, Beth Johnson, Robin Parsky, Michael Smith, North Run, Why Worry Group, JET Show Stables, Lutz/Manfredi, the Deslauriers Family, Marta Mattox and Schuyler Riley.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is sponsored by CMJ Sporthorse, the Hampton Classic Horse Show, the Kentucky Horse Park, Markel, Nilforushan Equisport Events, the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) and Wellington International.
Induction into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame is an honor bestowed annually upon select individuals whose accomplishments and contributions to the sport have set them apart and whose influence has had a significant impact on the sport of show jumping and the equestrian community.
For more info., visit the Show Jumping Hall of Fame web site at www.showjumpinghalloffame.net.
