Eighty riders from across the state of Washington took part in the first ever area Jerri Lin Canter Against Canter event on June 12 in Zillah.
The event, which is similar to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life fundraising project involved riders on horseback making a trail trip through local vineyards.
The Yakima Valley Old People’s Riding Club sponsored the Canter. Linda Spurlock of Zillah, who is a member of the local riding club helped organize this year’s inaugural event.
“We had so many of our members who have been affected by cancer this past year,” Spurlock said. “Our club has really been hit between the eyes with cancer.”
Last fall, Spurlock and Lisa Parker, the club’s founding president, were on a trip to Montana when they began putting the project together.
According to Spurlock, they had originally planned to have a relay team at a Relay for Life event this spring, but discovered a horse club in Massachusetts had organized a horse trail ride.
“Because we are a horse club, it was something we could do on horseback,” she said.
Spurlock contacted the Massachusetts club who she said was very supportive and offered advice and encouragement.
Jerri Lyn Canter for Cancer was named after Jeri Lyn Nielsen FitzGerald, who was an “Ice Bound” author and ER physician who made worldwide news when she was stationed in the South Pole, was diagnosed and treated herself for breast cancer.  Although she successfully treated her initial breast cancer, the cancer later returned to her brain and she died in 2009.
To honor her memory, her fellow “horse friends” created the cancer ride in her honor.
The Zillah club decided to send its fundraising dollars to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Each rider paid $40 to ride. Spurlock said her goal was to have 50 riders and raise $2,000.
She received several donations and sponsorships from area businesses to help defray her expenses, which she kept close to her initial $2,000 budget.
“We encouraged our riders to bring in pledges if they could to help add to the total,” Spurlock said.
One rider brought in $430, with several collecting $300 pledges.
Riders in the Canter included Randall, Orcas Island, Wenatchee, Chelan, Poulsbo, and Seattle along with local riders from the Yakima Valley. There was a large group of backcountry horsemen members who came from Winthrop and camped overnight on Spurlock’s property adjacent to her Severino Vineyards on Roza Drive.
“It was very exciting,” Spurlock said about the actual event, which included more than horseback riders. “We had carriage drivers, a stage coach, and two mini pull carts.”
The Canter raised $6,000 for cancer research.
“At the end of the day, I was just blown away,” she said about the grassroots event’s first year. “We already have people ready to come back for next year. We have so much positive feedback.”
Spurlock noted several of the riders commented on how beautiful the vineyards for the event. The event was staged at the Severino vineyards on Roza Drive. Riders took a trail through five vineyards – Severino, Two Mountain, Hyatt, Wine Glass Cellars and Bonaire – making a big loop back to Severino.
“We have a beautiful setting here, and we don’t realize how gorgeous it is,” she said.
Although the club is billed as an “old people’s riding group,” Spurlock said a majority of their riders are in their mid 50s. The Cantor riders ranged from age 20 to age 70.
“It was a lovely group of riders,” she said. “They were all very respectful of the vineyards and property. At the end of the day, I rode through and couldn’t find any trash or problems. It was all clean.”
Originally from Walla Walla, Spurlock and her husband moved to the area 28 years ago. They created their vineyards in 2006.