2026 Season Countdown

We’re about a month away from the start of 2026 programming on February 23! The horses have been exercising to be in shape for riding sessions and staff have been planning away for this year’s events, like the annual gala (more on that below).

To plan ahead, take a look at our program calendar for the year!

Thought Leadership from Our Team

We’re proud to share that Xen instructor Jen Wineman has been published! Her article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of Strides Magazine, the equine-assisted services industry publication of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.). Titled “Puberty: A Roadmap for Instructors,” the piece gives practical insight to help therapeutic riding instructors better understand their adolescent students and support their success in lessons. She presented on this topic at the 2025 PATH Intl. Conference as well!

We’re thrilled to see Jen sharing her knowledge and experience with the broader industry!

Join us for our Barn to Table event to celebrate our center and raise funds for our equine-assisted therapy programs!

Happy retirement to Kiwi & Ruthven

After a combined 26 incredible years of service, beloved herd members Kiwi and Ruthven are officially retiring! Before they head off to their well-earned new homes, we threw them a tailgate-themed celebration to honor all they’ve given to our program and clients. With festive treats for both humans and horses, it was a send-off worthy of this unicorn and golden girl. Check out the festivities below!

Upcoming important dates

Get ready for 2026 programming!

February 12

Work day 🚧

February 23 - March 28

Session block 1

We are writing to share an important leadership update with you. After thoughtful and careful consideration, Mikha Diaz has decided to step down from her role as Executive Director at Xenophon effective March 31, 2026.

Mikha has played a meaningful role in advancing the mission of Xenophon and shepherding us through some critical organizational transitions which include the departure of the prior Executive Director and the retirement of our longstanding Barn Manager. During her tenure, Mikha introduced new fundraising activities, such as the wildly successful Neighborhood Day, and made essential changes to our operational structure to enhance the effectiveness and quality of our program. Mikha also oversaw the successful renewal of our PATH Accreditation. We want to express our deep appreciation to Mikha and thank her for the positive impact she’s made on Xenophon and the legacy she leaves behind.

We want to reassure you that Xenophon remains strong and fully committed to our mission. Xenophon’s distinguished reputation and sound financial foundation are sure to attract proven talent for this critical leadership position. Mikha’s transition timeline allows us to begin the search for a new Executive Director promptly, ensuring continuity during this period. Our Board of Directors has a transition plan in place that begins with posting the Executive Director position immediately to initiate our search.

We thank you for your continued support and belief in our program. We will share additional updates as next steps become available. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or Mikha directly.

With gratitude,

Mari Parino, President

Xenophon Board of Directors

(925) 212-8788

We wish you and your family a joyous, festive, and restful holiday season. 2025 has been full of amazing events, inspiring client stories, and incredible support from our community. We appreciate you and look forward to a new season of programming in 2026!

Holiday Yum-Raiser: 9 days left to order!

Our See’s Candies Yum-Raiser is live until December 31! Order See’s Candies from our online storefront to contribute to one of our last fundraisers of the year ––help support a strong 2026 and treat yourself this holiday season!

Orders are shipped directly to you and sale proceeds go toward funding our ongoing operating costs.

Thank you to our Diners for a Cause

Our Dine for a Cause event last week was a merry way to wrap up the year with our community. At the end of the night at Virtue + Vice in Danville, over $4,700 was raised for our equine-assisted therapy programs! Thank you so much to those who dined with us and gave your support. We are so grateful and we hope you enjoyed the service provided by Xenophon staff (we had a lot of fun)!

We appreciate Virtue + Vice in Danville for hosting and allowing us to put on this fundraiser. Go check them out if you haven’t already!

Laura Presmyk

Barn Manager

Laura joined the Xenophon team as the Equine and Facilities Manager in June. She oversees all aspects of caring for our herd, like coordinating feeding and exercise routines, managing veterinary and farrier appointments, and making sure each horse is healthy, happy, and ready to be a supportive riding partner for our clients!

Laura comes from an equestrian background as a competitive eventer and former manager of a horse training program in San Diego. Her two dogs Bear and Jack are regulars around the barn and “supervise” all barn chores! When not at the barn, Laura enjoys baking and watching Formula 1.

“My favorite thing about Xenophon is getting to work with all of our fabulous volunteers!”

Bria Gutierrez

Communications & Administrative Assistant

Bria joined the Xenophon staff in May and has been the creator behind social media posts, marketing collateral, and these email newsletters! With a background in content strategy and a passion for horses, her role at Xenophon is the best of both worlds!

When she’s not at the center, Bria is most likely enjoying an iced matcha latte, baking a sweet treat, or at the hunter/jumper barn where she rides her lease pony Jack.

“My favorite project so far has been Neighborhood Day 2025. Seeing the event come to life after all the planning that went into it was incredible and rewarding. I especially had fun designing the promo materials for the event.”

Here’s to a New Year!

While we’re still on our winter break, we’re looking ahead to 2026. You can to with a Xenophon 2026 Calendar! Featuring 13 months of “The Healing Herd: Men Who Support the Ride and the Horses Who Love Them”, this calendar was generously put together by Meegan Robinette of Mackey Equine Accessories and is another way you can support us going into a new year. 100% of the sales price is a donation that directly supports our center and programs.

Order yours on our website while supplies last –– available for direct shipping or pickup at our center in Orinda.*

*Our office will be closed December 25 through January 1 and pickup will not be available during that time.

Upcoming important dates

Get ready for a new year of programming! Check out our 2026 program calendar.

February 23 - March 28

Session Block 1 🌱

May 16

Annual Gala 🥂

August 8

Neighborhood Day 🐴

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 🥂