The 2025 season

Can you believe it’s the last week of programming for the 2025 season? Coming out of our Halloween-themed Horse Show Week full of fun costumes with an impressive display of riding from all of our clients and ending on heartfelt graduations for some long time riders, it’s been another great year of horses, hope, and healing. Rest assured there’s still a bit more in store this year for Xenophon. Read on to see what’s coming up to round out 2025!

Dine for a Cause

Our last event of the year is coming up on December 10! Join us for dinner at Virtue + Vice in Danville where a group of Xenophon team members will be your servers for the night. 100% of tips and 10% of sales will be donated to support our equine-assisted therapy programs.

Book your table for December 10;

dinner served 5 - 8:30pm

We hope to see you there and serve you dinner to make a difference!

Earlier this month, a group of 13 Xenophon staff members and volunteers traveled to Denver to represent our center at the 2025 Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International Conference. They spent several days learning from leaders across the industry, gathering new ideas to further enhance the quality of Xenophon’s programs.

We were proud to have our own instructor, Jen Wineman, present a session to help fellow instructors better understand how puberty can affect a rider’s ability to learn and process information during lessons. We also celebrated two outstanding members of our community: Instructor Haley Mathews, honored as the Region 11 Credentialed Professional of the Year, and Theresa Vitt, recognized as the Region 11 Volunteer of the Year!

A heartfelt thank you to the Richard Reed Foundation for their generous grant, which made it possible for the Xenophon team to attend this educational event.

Katie Helber

Volunteer - Groom

Katie volunteers as a groom to get the horses ready for training in the mornings and for client lessons in the afternoon. She has been with Xenophon for a year and half and has developed a special bond with our horse Fosters. Seeing riding lessons come together and how the horses are a source of positive support for our clients makes her excited to come to her volunteer shifts. The advice she would give to anyone thinking about volunteering at Xenophon: come join us! It feels so good to contribute to this for our clients. And you’re going to want comfy barn shoes and a hat!

“We all do a part to make this magic happen for our clients. I also love the people I get to work with –– it’s an amazing community of people who deeply care.”

Haley Mathews

Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor

Haley teaches therapeutic riding lessons and leads our horsemanship program for veterans, Operation Hooves on the Ground. When working with the veterans, she finds the most rewarding moments in watching how they connect with the horses and how the horses, in turn, respond to them. With her young riders, the rewarding moments are the smiles and pride that come from completing a new skill. Haley also likes incorporating nature education into her lessons. As she guides riders along the trail she points out animals and plants, helping her students see the world in a new way.

“There is much more to therapeutic riding than just riding the horse. Speech, balance, fine motor skills, confidence, hand eye coordination, connection with the horse…[horses] teach all these things without the child ever knowing they are in ‘therapy’.”

Welcome, Emmy!

Ematina or Emmy (as we now lovingly call her) has officially joined the Xenophon herd! She’s an Arabian mare, generously donated by Sherman Ranch, and has quickly become a dependable partner for our clients.

In other herd news: after supporting so many clients at Xenophon for many years, Kiwi and Ruthven will soon be retiring. We’ll let you know when we’ll be having retirement celebrations for each of them!

Emmy is available for sponsorship

Upcoming important dates

December 10

Dine for a Cause 🍽️

February 23

Start of 2026 programming 🌱

May 16

2026 Gala 🥂

It’s time to YUM-raise!

With Halloween in a month we’re hosting a See’s Candies “Yum-raiser” so you can stock up on delicious chocolates for the season –– all while supporting our center!

Starting October 6, place your sweet treat order through our online storefront to be shipped directly to you! Proceeds will go toward helping us continue to provide equine-assisted therapies to children with diabilities and to veterans.

Xenophon Halloween Yum-raiser 🎃

October 6 - October 31

ORDER ONLINE for direct shipping

We’ll be at Trunk or Treat in Walnut Creek

If you’re one for festive fall fun, we’ll be a park vendor at this year’s Walnut Creek Trunk or Treat on Friday, October 24 with craft supplies for guests to make their very own Xenophon-themed button pins. We’re excited to meet some new faces in the community and spread the word about our center and programs!

Xenophon 2026 - The Calendar is Here

That’s right! A generous supporter of the organization, Meegan Robinette of Mackey Equine Accessories, has worked to create a 2026 calendar with the theme “The Healing Herd: Men Who Support the Ride and the Horses Who Love Them” to help us fundraise. 100% of donations will directly support our center.

To get your copy of the calendar:

• Order on our website for direct shipping or for pickup at our center in Orinda

• Purchase in store at Concord Feed in Pleasant Hill

Paul Bromley

Volunteer - Sidewalker, groom, horse handler

Paul has been volunteering with us for just over a year as a sidewalker and has recently completed groom and horse handler training. Volunteering at Xenophon has taught him that a person's true abilities aren't always visible at first glance and has strengthened his confidence. His “this is why I’m here” moment happened when a non-verbal client selected a sticker of a handlebar mustache as a prize during a riding lesson, held it up to his lips, and then pointed at Paul’s mustache, providing smiles all around!

“I believe Xenophon has been the single greatest thing for me, my character, and my level of experience…I can’t begin to express my gratitude to everyone who's played a part in my experience with Xenophon.”

Mari Parino

Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor

Mari has a long history with Xenophon, beginning teaching with us in 2000 and going on to serve as Head Instructor, Program Director, then Executive Director. She’s now President of our board.

Her life-long background as an equestrienne and her experience teaching children in middle school science came together when she began instructing for Riding for the Disabled while living in Singapore. And she’s been hooked on therapeutic riding instruction ever since! Mari strives to continually improve her teaching style by finding creative ways to present concepts in order to meet the needs and learning abilities of her riders.

“My riders have taught me what perseverance, spirit, and grace look like…qualities which I have tried to model after them.”

Happy birthday, Fosters!

Fosters celebrated his 24th birthday on September 25. He is quite the gem in our programs with a gentle temperament and smooth gaits. Before he came to us to be a therapy horse, he was a tie back horse in roping competitions. This good boy got some extra treats for his special day (and for wearing the hat)!

Fosters is available for sponsorship

Upcoming important dates

October 6 - November 22

Session 5 🍂

October 27 - November 1

Horse Show Week 🏆

November 24 - February 16

Closed for winter break 🌲

December 10

Dine for a Cause 🥂