Centauride
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A determined young woman is taking a cross-country odyssey with her best four-legged friend to raise awareness of domestic violence.
Meredith Cherry and her horse, Apollo, passed through Lake County over the past few days on one of the legs in the “Centauride,” which is named for the female half-human, half-horse creatures of Greek mythology.
Saturday was day 14 of the trip. Cherry called it “Absolutely the prettiest ride yet” on her Facebook page.
Cherry and Apollo set off on their journey from Penn Valley on Jan. 1. They will travel 14,000 miles through 48 states, and may take as long as four years to complete the ride, which has Maine as its final destination.
In Cherry's words, the Centauride is an “epic” effort that has a heroic purpose: to raise awareness of domestic violence, of which Cherry herself is a survivor.
“I'm hoping to mostly open the dialogue about domestic violence,” which Cherry called “a silent but very prevalent issue.”
Along the way she plans to visit state capitals, domestic violence and women's shelters, schools and community centers to bring attention to domestic violence and to share with victims the resources available to them.
Cherry said it's estimated that one in three women will experience a violent relationship in their lifetimes. “And yet you never really hear about it until you're in it yourself or you have someone very close to you who's in it.”
People who are in abusive relationships often are very isolated, and the silence about domestic violence makes it just that much harder to break the cycle, Cherry said.
Four years ago Cherry, now 33, broke the cycle for herself. “When I left my abusive marriage, I was trying to figure out what was important to me and I started my life over.”
The idea for the Centauride came out of a synthesis of the things that mattered the most to Cherry – horses, travel and advocating on domestic violence issues.
Cherry is a city girl who moved to the country. She writes about gardening, food, nature and travel, and has authored two travel guides about California missions.
She has been riding horses for 20 years, worked as a wrangler in the Colorado Rockies and did a horse trek in India. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in equine science from Colorado State University.
But after getting married she went 10 years without having any horses in her life. “I definitely missed them and needed to get that aspect back to my life,” she said.
So when she began planning for her ride three years ago, she began looking for just the right horse – one that would be big enough to carry her and 50 pounds of gear, is intelligent, friendly, very people-oriented and confident.
And that's where Apollo entered the scene three years ago. Cherry said he checked all the boxes, especially when it comes to being clever. “Sometimes he's too smart.”
Plus, it was love at first sight, and it's easy to see why.
Apollo is an 8-year-old Peruvian Paso-mustang cross gelding named for the Greek sun god.
He fits his name. Just shy of 16 hands, the tall palomino is athletic, steady and friendly – he came right up and gave a kiss to this reporter.
He's an easy keeper, and doesn't need a lot of extra feed to keep on weight despite the long days on the road. Cherry said he is very healthy, with good feet and sound legs.
For the last three years Cherry has been working on the logistics of the journey and training Apollo for the ride. At 8 years old, he's the ideal age for starting a ride of this length, Cherry said.
Setting off on New Year's Day from Penn Valley, Cherry and Apollo began working their way across Northern California.
Cherry said they've been averaging around 15 miles a day. They're always moving at a walking pace of about 3 miles per hour, and Cherry is either riding or walking along with him.
Including riding and breaks for Cherry to eat and Apollo to graze, they're on the road for about six hours per day, Cherry said.
She said they're both getting stronger every day and used to the physical effort the trip requires.
Apollo is adjusting to the busyness they're encountering along the way. He had been boarded on a quiet road, but now he's finding himself traveling out along highways for short stretches, Cherry said.
“We try to take more side roads and back roads and country lanes,” as well as bike trails, according to Cherry.
The recent storms caused her to lose two days on the road, she said. “This storm washed out some of the roads I was going to take.”
That caused her to need to hitchhike with her horse and get trailer rides for a couple of the washed out sections, which ended up getting her back on target as far as where she expected to be at this point in the ride.
However, Cherry added that she's not on a real schedule, and it's not a race, so losing time wasn't a big deal.
Passing through Lake County, she and Apollo came through Lower Lake on Friday and up through Kelseyville on Saturday, traveling along vineyards, passing the old Kelseyville Creek School and up through Highland Springs.
Apollo has had two water crossings so far, both in Lake County, which Cherry said on her Facebook page is “quite an accomplishment for a horse that hates puddles.”
On her ride, Cherry is an official flag carrier for the Long Riders' Guild thanks to being the first woman in the group to do a 48-state ride.
The group has assisted her with figuring out her route and the trip's logistics. One of the guild's members also has mentored her.
Cherry's mentor is a part of her support team, which includes about half a dozen individuals who get daily GPS updates letting them know where Cherry and Apollo are at and that they've arrived at their destination for the day. Team members also can offer phone support in case Cherry requires assistance or has an emergency.
Cherry is supporting her ride through a small savings, fundraising and donations. She said people will sometimes stop her along the road to give her cash for her trip, “which is amazing.”
She has a Go Fund Me page to help support the trip. The page has a $20,000 goal, and as of Saturday night had raised $770.
She said people have been “wonderfully supportive,” and she's been amazed at how nice and helpful people are.
Cherry said people stop her to ask about her journey, adding, “Kids want to pet Apollo, of course, which is cute.”
While she has brought along her own food, she's hardly had to break any out because, as she noted, “Everyone wants to feed me.”
One of her ongoing needs is finding a place to stay the night for her and Apollo.
She stayed at the Gaddy Shack Ranch in Kelseyville on Friday night before setting off through Highland Springs and up the Toll Road on the way to Hopland, where she stayed Saturday night.
People have helped her network along the way to find places to stay, and she asked for continued assistance in locating overnight stops where she and Apollo can rest.
From Hopland her route goes to Ukiah then out to Mendocino, and then north along the coast up into Oregon.
Her tentative route – which can change due to weather, road conditions and other issues – can be seen at her Web site at http://www.centauride.org/p/centauride-route-schedule.html .
She said she also will be posting regular updates on her progress at her Facebook page.
When she gets to Maine sometime within the next several years, she plans to hire a trailer to bring Apollo home.
She hopes that her effort will encourage people to be more open about domestic violence in an effort to end it.
Cherry said she's grateful for the opportunity to make the journey, and wants to help others who are suffering as she did.
She said she's “just trying to put myself out there and say, see, here I am, there's other people like me.”
Follow the Centauride on Facebook and Twitter (@meri_cherry), and spread the word using the hashtag #centauride. Emails can be sent to Cherry at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or to Apollo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . More information about Cherry and Apollo also can be found at her Web site, www.centauride.org .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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