“I have times when I’m down or depressed because of the situation, but I probably keep them to myself a bit,” he said. “Listen, I could’ve had a brain injury, so I’m grateful for that. But I still believe that I can walk again. I have to believe that.”

He added: “They say a body can heal a millimeter a day. I just have to have patience.”

There is hope.

In February, Babington felt a twinge in his right thigh and was thrilled because he had felt similar twinges in his hands before he could move them. He now feels twinges in both legs, and has felt a burning sensation in his left foot.

“Five years ago, if you didn’t regain function within the first six months, you were going to be stuck with what you’re stuck with, but fortunately that’s no longer the case,” said Chet Moritz, a University of Washington neuroscientist who studies how to improve the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries. “Those who can afford to privately pay continue to get better.”

As Babington waits to see how much his body can bounce back, he does what he can to stay connected to the world he once dominated. Some in his sport make sure he remains included.

Juan Pablo Gnecco, a Grand Prix rider, asked Babington to help evaluate more than 100 horses for an auction in February, where 17 horses, including one whose proceeds would go to Babington’s foundation, were offered for sale. Babington watched video of the horses jumping and sent Gnecco a half-page write-up on each one. “Really like this horse,” he said about one chestnut 5-year-old. “Technique changes a little from jump to jump, but I don’t mind because it’s an effort to be careful.”

When Gnecco received the pages, he choked up. Each evaluation was written in neat penmanship. Gwyneth had submitted them. Day after day, for hours upon hours, she had transcribed her father’s words onto paper because he could not.