REGION
Thursday, June 8, 2017
East Oregonian
Hoofin’ it across the High Desert
Ride to raise awareness
of domestic violence
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
If you see a woman on a horse
coming up the road, stop and ask
her what they’re doing: there’s a
good chance they’ll want to talk
to you, too.
Meredith Cherry and Apollo,
a Peruvian Paso-Mustang, are in
the early stages of a trip through
all 48 contiguous U.S. states,
and are stopping whenever they
can to raise awareness about
domestic violence.
“I am a survivor of an abusive
marriage,” said Cherry. “When I
left, I was thinking about what I
wanted to do with my new life.
I decided I wanted to travel by
horse. I appreciated that I had the
opportunity to do it, and wanted
to do something good with it.”
Cherry, 34, and Apollo, 9,
started in Grass Valley, Cali-
fornia, and made their way west.
She traveled up the coastline,
turning eastward again a little
north of Bandon. Once she
reached Eugene, she traveled
north on roads paralleling Inter-
state 5 all the way to Seattle.
Bound eastward, she crossed
Snoqualmie Pass and wound her
way through central Washington,
ending up in the Tri-Cities before
crossing back into Oregon. On
Tuesday night, she stayed at the
Pendleton Round-Up Grounds,
and Wednesday night she will
stay with a family near Wildhorse
Resort & Casino.
Now, she is headed for Idaho,
in her quest to ride through a part
of every U.S. state.
“My end destination will be
Maine — in three to four years,”
Cherry said. So far, Cherry and
Apollo have covered nearly
1,700 miles. By the end of the
trip, if all goes as planned, they
will complete 10,000 miles.
The pair also tries to avoid the
main roads.
“The biggest danger on this
trip is cars,” Cherry said. “If a
big truck comes down the road or
even a car, and they’re not paying
attention or (Apollo) suddenly
shies at something and steps into
the road, our trip is over. So I
stay on as many low-traffic roads
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Meredith Cherry and her horse, Apollo, are traveling across the county in support of domestic
violence awareness.
as possible without adding too
much mileage.”
As she rides, Cherry tries to
stop where she can and talk to
people about domestic violence.
“My message is to break the
silence,” she said. “Domestic
violence is often not talked about.
There’s a lot of victim-blaming,
even from people who know
better. There’s the impression that
it’s the victim’s fault for getting
or staying in a relationship.”
Cherry said she tries to
stop and speak with people at
shelters, but she doesn’t always
know where she’ll be in advance
making it difficult to plan to be
at those places. Instead, she tries
to share her message with anyone
who stops to ask what she’s
doing.
“It may not be that unusual in
Pendleton to see a person riding
a horse down the street,” she said
with a laugh, “but in many parts
of the country, it’s very strange,
so people will stop and ask me
what I’m doing. There’s lots of
opportunities to talk.”
Overall, Cherry said, she’s
received a warm reception.
“There are so many people
who have gone through abusive
relationships,” she said. “Even
people who have never experi-
enced it know someone who has.
I get a lot of encouragement from
people.”
She said there have only been
a few people who have been
completely unaware of domestic
violence, or to whom she’s had to
explain it.
“I spent some time talking
about it, how it works, and how
it’s not the fault of the person
stuck in the situation,” she said.
Cherry and Apollo usually
ride five days a week, and stop
for the weekend. Typically, they
find someone who will accom-
modate them, whether a family
or a stable. Cherry carries a tent
with her so she can sleep outside,
but many times, she’s found that
people will let her use a guest
room, and put Apollo in the yard.
“Some of my equipment is
sponsored, but my ride expenses
so far have been covered by the
kindness of strangers,” she said.
She also has a GoFundMe page,
and a blog where she documents
her adventures.
“I need a place to stay every 10
to 15 miles,” she said. “And it’s
pretty much all been strangers. I
try to plan a week in advance.”
Sometimes, people she stays
with in one city will know
someone in a future destination
that Cherry can stay with, but
often she’ll just search for a place
that accommodates horses. So
far, though, Cherry said she has
found someone who will let her
and Apollo stay every night.
“I think it’s easier with a
horse,” she said. “People are
always happy to see a horse.
They’re not always happy to see
a backpacker.”
Apollo has adjusted to the
journey well, Cherry said. She
trained him for two years prior to
the trip. The horse is comfortable
around people, too.
“He thinks everyone exists to
pet him,” she said. “And he’s not
fazed by anything anymore.”
Cherry said her decision to
make the trip on horseback,
rather than via bike or on foot,
came from a longtime love of
horses.
“I’ve been riding horses since
I was 16,” she said. “And there’s
just something about a horse.
It’s nicer traveling with a horse
companion than by myself.”
Cherry maintains a Facebook
page about her trip, as well as a
blog, www.centauride.org.
–——
Contact Jayati Ramakrishnan
at jramakrishnan@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4534.
Page 3A
BRIEFLY
Hermiston officers on the
lookout for good deeds
HERMISTON — The Hermiston Police
Department wants you to chill.
At least, that’s what they’re hoping will
happen with their annual partnership with
7-Eleven for “Operation Chill,” a program
to reduce crime in the community and
strengthen the relationship between the
police and local youth.
During the summer, officers will be
keeping an eye out for kids exhibiting
positive behavior, such as wearing seat
belts or bike helmets, using crosswalks, and
performing various good deeds. These, and
many other actions, can help youth earn a
ticket for a free Slurpee from an officer.
“Much of this profession is negative in
nature, in the sense we normally do not get
calls from citizens when something good
has happened,” said Hermiston Police
Chief Jason Edmiston. “This program with
7-Eleven gives our officers the ability to
interact with our youth in a positive way.”
In addition to routine patrols by
Hermiston officers to “catch” kids doing
good things, the department’s school
resource officers will rotate back to patrol
duty for the summer.
ODOT repaving section of
Tollgate Hwy near Weston
WESTON — Drivers can expect delays
up to 20 minutes as the Oregon Department
of Transportation repaves a section of
Highway 204 between the Weston junction
and milepost 3.5.
The work is expected to be finished
within the next two weeks. Crews,
equipment and possible pilot cars will be
on the roadway between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
on weekdays.
Travelers should slow down and watch
for workers through the area. Traffic fines
are double in all work zones.
Drone expert to speak
at NARFE meeting
PENDLETON — Guest speaker at
the monthly meeting of the National
Association of Retired Federal Employees
Chapter 2115 is drone expert Dwight
Johnson.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday
at 11:30 a.m. at Shari’s Restaurant, 319
S.E. Nye Ave. Johnson will talk about
drones and their uses after a no-host
lunch. This is the last regular meeting until
October.
For more information, call Janet
Lambert at 541-980-3268.
———
Briefs are compiled from staff and wire
reports, and press releases. Email press
releases to news@eastoregonian.com
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