Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center

I know how much you love me, as much as I love you.
And each time you think of me, I know you’ll miss me too.
But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name, and took me by the hand.
So when tomorrow starts without me, don’t think we’re far apart.
For every time you think of me, I’m right here in your heart.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a beautiful little girl.

Shelby Tudhope passed away in a tragic accident on August 15, 2009. Shelby was a student with us for five years and rode several of our horses, but her favorite was Pooh. We will always remember her smile when she trotted and took trail rides.

God bless you Shelby.

Jean and Andy Tudhope asked that donations be made to Xenophon in lieu of flowers. Funds donated in Shelby’s name will be put into a scholarship fund to help needy families with tuition for lessons.

You may also leave a comment if you wish and it will be forwarded to Shelby’s parents.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation on your credit card via PayPal – please click on the Donate button below!

If you’d like to mail us a check, please make the check payable to Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center and mail it to:

Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center
P.O. Box 16
Orinda, CA 94563

This year’s NARHA conference was held in Hartford, CT and was attended by seven of our staff. The sessions were all very informative but the highlight of the conference was the awards dinner.
Anthony Fusaro was awarded the NARHA Youth Equestrian of the Year Award. Sadly, Anthony passed away earlier this year. His father was there to accept the award and gave a beautiful speech in his memory. Anthony’s spirit will always be remembered by those that heard the speech that night and all those that he touched at Xenophon.
Ken Bergstresser was there to receive his award as Region 11 Volunteer of the Year. Ken was awarded a beautiful belt buckle. He has been a Saturday volunteer since the very beginning of Xenophon & we are grateful for his continued service to us.
And, finally it was announced that our beloved Cocoa had won the 2008 Horse of the Year award! Jan Bindas accepted Cocoa’s award for her as she could not be there! We received a beautiful painting of Cocoa and she received some extra carrots!
Congratulations to all our award winners!

On Monday evening, Dec. 8th 2008, Christine Perry, owner of Iron Horse Equestrian, hosted a fun evening benefiting Xenophon at her store. Christine, an avid equestrian, invited the equestrian community to “shop for a cause” that evening and donated 20% of the evenings proceeds to benefit Xenophon. Downtown Danville looked very festive with all the Christmas decorations and it was a fun group that gathered for browsing, shopping and socializing. They enjoyed wine and cheese and holiday cheer. A video and poster board about Xenophon provided information about our center to the shoppers and inspired them to buy and at the same time support our cause.

Many familiar faces from Xenophon and local equestrian clubs can be seen in the photo album.
For more info regarding the store go to www.Ironhorseequestrian.com. Big thank you to Christine for hosting the event and to Mary Wunderlich for her help in putting it all together.

On Thursday, June 19th our beloved horse Cocoa was taken to the UC Davis Veterinary hospital. She became critically ill with a mysterious, life threatening intestinal problem which required emergency colic surgery.
Cocoa returned home on June 30th. She has recovered remarkably well. She is now being ridden briefly every day and will resume her job as a premiere therapy horse next season. Thank you to everyone who provided good thoughts and prayers & to those who provided financial support. We are so grateful!

Download our Spring 2008 newsletter Download file