REGION
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
East Oregonian
M-F therapeutic horse riding outfit
overcomes obstacles for those in need
By KARLENE PONTI
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
MILTON-FREEWATER
— Blue Mountain Thera-
peutic Riding has had to hit
the trail with its horses a few
times since it started in the
Walla Walla Valley in 2013.
But despite challenges
from floods and now a pan-
demic, the help it gets from
locals and volunteers has
kept it on its feet.
The nonprofit organiza-
tion, which offers adaptive
horse riding for children and
adults with physical, mental
and emotional disabilities,
started in Lowden, Wash-
ington. It then relocated in
2018 to the Mojonnier area
southwest of College Place,
Washington.
Then, said co-founder
and Executive Director
Mary Murphy, came the late
winter flood earlier this year.
“In February, our cen-
ter was flooded so we had
to move,” she said. So staff
saddled up for 10 acres it
leased near Milton-Freewa-
ter and immediately set up
for riding classes, with a lot
of help from neighbors and
others.
“In the flood we lost
about 10 tons of hay and our
helmets,” Murphy said, but
people in the Walla Walla
Valley stepped up and all
the hay and helmets were
replaced.
That might be the end of
major challenges it might
have faced in a normal year.
But 2020 has been anything
but normal.
When the pandemic gal-
loped in, Blue Mountain
Therapeutic Riding had to
set up more safety and san-
itation protocols in order to
keep operating.
“COVID slowed every-
thing initially.” Murphy
said. “We closed down in
October before recent Ore-
gon restrictions and we have
new COVID procedures.
Greg Lehman/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Karla Broughton, left, Barbara Justice and Mary Murphy gather around Caesar, one of six
horses at Blue Mountain Therapeutic Riding in Milton-Freewater.
You must wear a mask. If
you’re sick, cancel. If you’re
exposed, cancel. We have
hand sanitizer and we had a
handwashing station.”
Riders have their own
helmets with their names
on it to use throughout the
length of the class. The
organization also has proto-
cols for sterilization of sad-
dles and tack.
The operation has six
horses, two are fairly new
and the others have been
used for several years.
To Murphy and her cav-
alry of caring volunteers, it’s
all a labor of love.
“We are a member center
of the Professional Associ-
ation of Therapeutic Horse-
manship with certified
therapeutic
instructors,”
Murphy said. “We have a
full group of volunteers who
come and help to support
our riders.”
The volunteers care for
horses and the property.
Helpers also walk beside
each rider to offer security
and support.
There’s usually three rid-
ers in the class, so there’s a
maximum of nine volun-
teers needed. The most a
rider needs is three.
“Without our volunteers
we couldn’t do anything,”
Murphy said. “We love
them.”
Clients come to the
classes often from referrals
from medical providers and
the Walla Walla Valley Dis-
ability Network. They also
get suggestions from other
parents.
“Our goal for every rider
is independence,” Murphy
said.
She’s hoping sometime
next year an indoor riding
arena will be available. That
will help lengthen the rid-
ing season to include winter
sessions.
“We just didn’t know how
much we’d love it,” Murphy
said of Blue Mountain Ther-
apeutic Riding. “We did the
research and we fell in love
with ... the families and the
horses that help us. We have
no paid staff right now. We
hope that doesn’t last for-
ever, but for now it’s all
volunteer.”
A3
LOCAL BRIEFING
Woman arrested
for computer
crime, theft
HERMISTON
—
An employee of a local
restaurant was arrested
after management dis-
covered she had allegedly
been stealing from the
eatery for several months
through altering and add-
ing money to receipts
after the bill was signed
by the purchaser, accord-
ing to a press release.
Spring Hartinger was
arrested on Saturday, Dec.
12, after Hermiston police
received a note on Dec.
8 that a local restaurant
owner, who was contacted
by a credit card company
disputing a charge at the
establishment, had found
five altered receipts and 71
more with money added
to them, the press release
said. The owner provided
the receipts to local law
enforcement.
Hartinger,
48,
is
alleged to have fraudu-
lently obtained $618.87
from the establishment.
She was arrested on 76
counts of computer crime,
five counts of forgery and
one count of aggregate
theft, the press release
said. Her bail was initially
set for $790,000.
Further investigation
showed more unspeci-
fied information from
2018 and 2019 as well, the
press release said, add-
ing the investigating offi-
cer consulted with the
Umatilla County District
Attorney’s office and that
charges were likely to be
added.
Later on Monday, Dec.
14, Hartinger’s charges
had changed on the Uma-
tilla County Sheriff’s
Office website. She is now
charged with 20 counts
of computer crime, five
counts of second-degree
forgery, and four counts
of second-degree theft,
and her bail has increased
to $820,000, according to
the website.
Christmas dinner
to continue, seeks
donations
PENDLETON — The
Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College Christmas
Eve dinner has been can-
celed due to COVID. But
the Pendleton Commu-
nity Action Coalition,
Altrusa International of
Pendleton, Inc., Umatilla
County Responds, Salva-
tion Army, and Neighbor
2 Neighbor Pendleton are
working together to pro-
vide a smaller version of
this dinner, with in-per-
son pickup or delivery for
more than 250 people on
Christmas Day for those
in need or impacted by
COVID in the Pendleton
and CTUIR communities.
The dinner will be
available for pickup or
delivery on Friday, Dec.
25, from 11:30 a.m. to
1 p.m. at the Pendleton
Salvation Army, 150 S.E.
Emigrant Ave. A tenta-
tive menu includes turkey
and ham, stuffing, mashed
potatoes and gravy, dev-
iled eggs, rolls, cranberry
sauce, pies with whipped
cream, mixed fruit and
water or juice.
Donations are being
accepted for the event
through Sunday, Dec.
20. Donations can be
made online at http://
www.n2npendleton.org/
donate.html, or a check
can be written and mailed
to Neighbor 2 Neigh-
bor Pendleton, 715 S.E.
Court Ave., Pendleton,
OR 97801. Both donations
should specify Christ-
mas Dinner in the memo
line. These methods can
also be used for personal
donations.
For more informa-
tion, see the coalition’s
Facebook page at https://
fb.me/e/K081TGTJ.
— EO Media Group
32 nd Annual ‘Light Up a
32 nd Annual ‘Light Up a Life’ Fundraiser
A drive-thru Christmas
Vange John Memorial Hospice
invites the community to
support your local hospice
through this fundraiser which
Takes place
December through
January 10, 2021
32 nd Annual ‘Light Up a Life’ Fundraiser
Your contribution to Vange John Memorial Hospice will illuminate a symbolic light and ornament in a
window display area provided by Victory Baptist Church on Main Street. You may dedicate your light
and ornament in honor of someone you admire or in memory of someone you miss.
All memorials and honoree names received during the campaign will be read January 17, 2021 at
6 PM on our local radio station, KOHU. An MP3 recording is available upon request.
A meaningful gift, your contribution will help you celebrate the life of loved ones during the holiday
season and help us meet the needs of our hospice patients and their families all year long.
T
Light Up A Life
December
through
Memorial/Honoree Reading of the Names
January 17
January 10, 2021
Join us for the
21
broadcast on KOHU 1360AM
January 17, 2021 at 6 p.m.
Community Wide Memorial Service Postponed
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - cut here - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - cut here - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
January 17
LIGHT UP A LIFE
Greg Lehman/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Carrie Brown assists Santa Claus, who paid a visit to the Milton-Freewater Elks Club, to dis-
tribute Christmas stockings and stuffed animals on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2020. One hundred
filled stockings and 80 stuffed animals, donated by PetSmart, were distributed during the
event. Vehicles have become the safe space for people to attend events during the pandem-
ic this year, and the holiday season has proven to be no exception.
21
Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution
of $ ___________
1.
From:
1.
Name _____________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________
2.
City/State/Zip ______________________________________
Telephone Number __________________________________
2.
3.
* Suggested donation for each
memorial/honoree: $15
January 17
UEC to return $5.1M to customers
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Uma-
tilla Electric Cooperative
will be returning $5.1 mil-
lion in profits to its members
in December as part of the
cooperative’s Capital Credits
program.
About 8,700 current and
former UEC customers, who
purchased electricity from
UEC in 2006 and 2007, will
receive a refund, according to
a news release by UEC.
Checks are scheduled to
be mailed in the second week
of December, and the amount
is based on the customer’s
electricity usage during those
years. Amounts under $10
- will
- - not
- - be
- - mailed
- - - - out,
- - but
- -
will be saved and added on to
future refunds until the total
reaches at least $10.
UEC is a not-for-profit
cooperative owned by all
of its members, designed to
operate at cost. When UEC
makes profits above what it
needs to continue running,
it returns money to its mem-
bers through the Capital
Credits program. According
to UEC, since it began issu-
ing refunds in 1960 the coop-
erative has returned $85 mil-
Please mail check payable to:
John Memorial Hospice
21
. Vange
.
645 W. Orchard Ave., Suite 500
Hermiston, OR 97838
(541) 667-3543
Postponed
lion to members.
Robert Echenrode, UEC
Your canceled check will be your receipt.
general manager and CEO,
- said
- - - in - a - statement
- - - - - that
- - - the - - - cut here
- - - - of
- - Good
- - - Shepherd
- - - - - - Health
- - - - Care
- - - System)
- - - - - - - - - -
(A Division
cooperative’s strong financial
Please place a light and ornament in the window display
position and ongoing efforts
to celebrate the life of:
to control costs and maxi-
mize efficiencies make such
1. ________________________________________________
distributions possible.
Send acknowledgement of this gift to: Name
“The Board is pleased to
______________________________________________
help make a positive impact
Address ____________________________________________
in the community around
City/State/Zip _______________________________________
the holidays, when it may be
2. ________________________________________________
needed the most,” he said.
Send acknowledgement of this gift to: Name
“We know this has been a dif-
______________________________________________
ficult year for many people.”
Address ____________________________________________
For questions about the
City/State/Zip _______________________________________
Capital Credits program, call
UEC at 541-567-6414.
3. ________________________________________________
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.EastOregonian.com
Send acknowledgement of this gift to: Name
______________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________
City/State/Zip _______________________________________
3.