Before the horse was introduced to the North America, the Cherokee had many other ways that they made transportation easier. The Cherokee had 3 ways of travel, by foot, by boat, and by dogs.
The Cherokee used boats when it came to long hunting trips that would take too long on foot. They would find a birch tree, and then hollow it out so that people could sit in it. The Cherokee used birch since it was light, and so if they needed to carry the canoe once the river ended, they could easily pick it up.
When the Cherokee traveled on foot, they were usually helped by dogs in which they domesticated. They attached a type of sled to the back of the dog called a travois which would allow the dogs to pull all of the gear and meat that the hunters couldn’t carry themselves.