Showers, Deenie McKeever, and Beatty. Photograph courtesy of OPAF.
OPAF and the First Clinics hosted the seventh annual McKeever’s First Ride equine event at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, Lawrenceville, Georgia, on April 18. Dale Beatty, an Iraq war veteran, and OPAF board member Reggie Showers, both of whom have bilateral lower-limb amputations, spoke at the event. Deenie McKeever participated in the opening ceremonies and rode in a mounted drill team performance; she founded the adaptive riding and horse companionship event in honor of her father, Dan McKeever, CP.
More than 50 participants were able to ride and rope horses, drive carriages, and participate in various activity stations, including arts and crafts, therapeutic massage, and ortho-bionomy. Ed and Elizabeth Dabney of Dabney Gentle Horsemanship provided horses for riding, ground work, and grooming activities. The event also included the TEEN McKeever’s station, where 15 volunteers learned about the needs of deployed military service members and prepared care packages.