Saturday was an amazing day. Sunshine and happiness prevailed. Our students rode with enthusiasm and style. We had many many guests to enjoy the show and find out just what riding can do for our students. Enjoy the beautiful pictures, compliments of Jim Pire, our resident photographer.
View the rest of the photos from the day’s event here.
The reviews are in! Xenophon’s “A Night On Broadway” was a huge success! The evening began with cocktails and a wonderful silent auction. Paintings by David Sellers, incredible wines, and tours of San Francisco kept guests in friendly bidding wars right up to the last minute. A special surprise was a “flash mob” by the adorable and talented members of the Music Box Theater Company. Guests sat down to a wonderful dinner by the Round Hill Country Club culinary kitchen and were entertained again by the musical talents of children from MBTC. A Xenophon parent, Dana Hansen, moved us to tears and to lift our paddles in the live auction with the beautiful story of her daughter, Caroline. The evening ended with dancing to the music of The Shills. It was a beautiful and successful evening. A huge thank you goes to our sponsors, all who attended and purchased at the auctions, our board members, and our hard-working gala committee.
View many more pictures here.
If the link above is not working for you, or if you just prefer the older Flash photo albums over Google+, click here.
Our center workday on February 2nd proved yet again that many hands make for light work. With staff having set out an ambitious 2-page list of chores to be done, it was looking as if a 2nd work day would need to be scheduled. True to form, many of our wonderful volunteers turned out and set themselves right to work. Not only was a second work day not needed, but the afternoon was not needed! By 10:30 in the morning nearly the entire 2 pages of chores were checked off. Thanks to Justin Neville and his handy chain saw, trees were trimmed, power lines cleared, and drainage slots made. Sam Parino and Bruce Presser, with help from Ellen Marienthal and Annette Barter, emptied an entire compost bin. Then, there was the transformation of our mounting ramps thanks to sanders Nigel Hearne and Mark Caron, along with the help of numerous painters. Fence railings were painted, our mailbox was reset in concrete and moved to a better location. The list of accomplishments goes on and on as does the list of helpers. Thank you to everyone who came and participated and put our center in tip top shape for the start of the 2013 season.
We made it! After a wet spring, with many delays and a summer full of construction, we are officially open and running lessons in our brand new facility. Our covered arena is beautiful and is it is at least 10 degrees cooler due to the shade and a light breeze that blows through the structure. The horses seem happy in their new surroundings and they surely must appreciate the shade as well. Our new office and sitting area is homey and welcoming and the new deck has provided a lovely place for parents to sit and watch their child ride. We are still finishing up some important pieces. The electrical is still being installed and should be finished the end of this week, and the plumbing is going in, but all in all we couldn’t have asked for a better result. A big thank you goes to Neil Howry, Chuck Harris, Clark Construction, McGuire and Hester, Contra Costa Electrical, The Lescure Company, ISEC company who built our deck, Garden Lights, and of course, PG&E who allowed all this to happen.
Our latest newsletter is ready for download here.
“The Great Gatsby” and the roaring 20′s were back!
Guests donned festive finery and joined us for a lively evening.
All proceeds went to benefit our wonderful riding center.
Thank you to Clark Construction: Our Corporate Sponsor
Your photographer had a great time at the gala. Congratulations to all who attended and contributed, and especially to Mari, for filling the very large shoes left behind by the amazing Judy Lazarus.
View the rest of the evening’s photos here. Thank you, Jim Pire
We finish our year with a horse show for all our children. It is a happy and joyful day for all. Our students show their families and friends what they have accomplished.
I finally finished the horse show pictures. Click here to view the album. Enjoy!
Thank you Jim Pire.
Each student’s lesson is customized to meet his or her individual needs. Instructors work with the parents, teachers, and therapists to achieve each individual’s goals. Our instructors work one-on-one with each student teaching them riding skills and sportsmanship through different activities and games. The interaction with the instructor and volunteers, during the lesson, help the student learn important lessons about socialization.
Our students often form bonds with their horses. This bond helps our students learn responsibility and to rise above their disabilities with a new found freedom of movement and skill.
Individuals with the following disabilities commonly participate and benefit from equine facilitated therapy and activities:
Our program accepts students between the ages of 5 and 17. At the moment, there is a 2-3 year wait to become a permanent student. However, this doesn’t mean that your child will not be able to ride during that time. Once your child is on our wait list, he or she will become a substitute rider. When one of our regular students is unable to come to his or her lesson, we call our sub-riders to fill the spot.
First step is to contact us to determine the eligibility of your child. Please email info@xenophontrc.org. You will then need to complete and return the attached forms. They must be filled out completely. The Student Medical History and Physician’s Statement must be filled out and signed by the student’s medical doctor. This form must be updated annually.
Please send the forms to Xenophon Program Director, P.O. Box 16, Orinda, CA 94563.
Once Xenophon receives the completed application packet, the student’s name will be entered onto our wait list. You will be called when there is an opening.
When your child comes for lessons, he/she will be provided with a helmet. We ask that students wear closed-toed shoes; tennis shoes are okay. The student may wear either shorts or long pants, whichever is most comfortable.
All lessons are weekly, for a duration of 30 minutes. Our program operates from mid-February through mid-November. Our program schedule is posted under the calendar tab on our home page.
Lesson times are as follows:
Lessons are $315 per session. We require twenty-four hours notice if you will not be present at your lesson. Scholarships are available if needed; for more information please contact the Program Director.
What a great evening! Festive, fun, frivolous and sometimes foolish but always fashionable – Xenophon’s Gala Masquerade Ball was exactly that. We’d like to offer a heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended and made this year’s gala such a success! View the rest of the pictures!
