Woman, horse pass through county on domestic violence awareness ride
Meredith Cherry is horse-powering 7,300 miles across the country from California.
Cherry aims to raise awareness about domestic violence by hoofing it (literally) through the entire lower 48 states in her four-year “Centauride: Riding for Domestic Violence Awareness.”
Cherry and her horse, Apollo, a half-mustang/half-Peruvian Paso palomino, traveled through Butler County and downtown Butler on Tuesday.
Renfrew resident Josie Shoemaker and her friends welcomed Cherry and Apollo in Prospect, where the two rested Tuesday night before continuing their journey Wednesday.
Shoemaker said Cherry's cause offers people hope.
“I think it's wonderful,” Shoemaker said. “I truly believe we're here on this Earth to help one another.”
Since her horse tale began Jan. 1, 2017, Cherry and Apollo have hoofed it to 28 states.
“I hear at least once a day, 'That's not something you see every day,' ” said Cherry, of California. “I hope I'm making a difference, and I know at least I've brought joy to people as I go.”
In Pennsylvania, 122 people died last year as the result of domestic violence, according to Linda Strachan, executive director of VOICe, the Victim Outreach Intervention Center of Butler County. In addition to domestic violence, the agency works with people who have been victims of sexual assault.
Strachan praised Cherry's Centauride and said it is a great cause.
“It's certainly a problem across the country,” Strachan said about domestic violence. “I applaud anyone who brings awareness to the issue.”
During Cherry's and Apollo's journey, jingling bells accompany each clip-clop, so that people and wildlife hear the two on the road. Cherry mostly sticks to secondary roads and only travels on highways if needed.
On her journey, Cherry, who has a bachelor's degree in equine science from Colorado State University, stops at domestic violence centers, women's shelters, schools and community centers to speak about her mission and the realities of domestic violence.
“Awareness is more than just talking to shelters, it's talking to basically everyone I meet about whatever aspect of domestic abuse makes sense to talk about with that person,” she said.
Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
There often is a lack of understanding about why someone would stay in a threatening situation, Cherry said.
Cherry said the reasons people stay in abusive relationships are often complex and complicated. She said those reasons are personal and could include fear of not being able to provide for their children without the help of their abusive spouse.“There could be gaslighting going on, which is basically brainwashing, (and) makes it psychologically very hard to leave,” Cherry said. “It could simply be the threat of what would happen if they left could be worse than what is already happening.”The most dangerous period for a victim is when they leave the relationship, she said.“The cycle of abuse is all about control, and once they leave and their abuser doesn't have control, then it escalates,” she said. “It's a very scary thing to leave.”If she encounters someone trying to get out of an abusive relationship, she helps them find resources.For survivors of abusive relationships, she talks to them about what they have gone through and shares stories from her own life.Cherry said she was in an abusive relationship for about 12 years.“Toward the end of the relationship, I was not allowed to make basically any choices. It was complete control over my life,” she said. “Little by little, my freedoms and decision-making power had been taken away.”When she left, Cherry decided to travel, buy a horse and help other people who might be in similar situations, she said.Cherry bought Apollo three years before saddling up for the long ride.“He is very friendly. He likes to travel, so that he can get more people to give him attention,” she said. “He has to be the center of everything.”People tend to react with unbridled excitement, Cherry said.“Horses don't get ridden on the road anymore,” she said. “It used to be the only way to go anywhere. Now, it's never the way to go anywhere.”Bad drivers are a daily difficulty, she said. Another challenge is finding somewhere safe to stop for the night.Cherry stalls for the evening with people who give her permission to stay at their home overnight. Those interested in being a host can email Cherry at msmeredithcherry@gmail.com or call or text 530-414-8001.By the time the two are finished, they will have traveled more than 10,000 miles.Cherry is on schedule to complete the journey in four years.However, if it extends beyond the timeline, she will not put the trip to pasture, but keep on trekking, she said.People can check in with Cherry and Apollo at facebook.com/MsMeredithCherry, instagram.com/thecentauride and centauride.org.In August, the two will travel to New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.“It makes their day to see a horse when they didn't expect to,” Cherry said of the people she comes across daily. “It's nice to see people smile when I go by.”Last year in Butler County, VOICe provided 1,916 shelter nights for adults and 1,455 for children, received 1,022 emergency hot line calls, coordinated 240 visits to school districts to educate students about prevention and domestic violence, conducted 19 hospital visits to support victims and provided more than 9,000 hours of counseling to adult victims, Strachan said.
VOICe, or the Victim Outreach Intervention Center, is available 24 hours a day. Call the hot line at 1-800-400-8551.
Nearly three in 10 women (or 29 percent) and one in 10 men (10 percent) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence or stalking by a partner and report a related impact on their being able to function.Nearly 15 percent of women and 4 percent of men have been injured as a result of intimate partner violence that included rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.One in four women (24.3 percent) and one in seven men (13.8 percent) ages 18 and older in the United States have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.Nearly half of all women and men in the United States have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.SOURCE: The National Domestic Violence Hotline
