Helena Vega-Lozano – Chair of Trustees
I work at Deloitte where I am a partner and board member of the consultancy business and lead the financial services sustainability practice. I live with my family in Gloucestershire with our two horses and rescue dog. In my spare time I love being in nature either in my wildlife garden or out riding with my daughter in the local woods and parkland.
As a trustee, it’s great to be able to blend my business experience with my passion for equines. I am looking forward to helping shape the vision and direction of the charity over the next few years. I am also keen to continue to grow the reach of the Mare and Foal Sanctuary’s Equine Assisted Services including the mental health and equine education programmes.
The horse who will always have a special place in my heart was called Pedlar, a thoroughbred-cob cross. He was bought for my husband initially, but we ended up swapping horses as I fell in love with Pedlar. People often used to comment on the connection we had and how I became a better rider when I was with him. Pedlar and I went eventing and did lots of fun rides, but sometimes I think the best times were when we were enjoying each other’s company in the stable or field and just being companions. He died of old age a few years ago which was very sad, but I still have lots of pictures at home and many happy memories!
Emma Dunford – Vice Chair of Trustees
I am a risk management professional and provide strategic leadership, direction, management and oversight for all aspects of risk, assurance and insurance. I am currently working in the social housing sector and have previously worked in both financial services and aviation.
As a child, come rain or shine, I spent all my weekends and school holidays working at my local riding school. I loved nothing more than spending time outdoors caring for horses and ponies.
I was looking for an opportunity to contribute to an organisation that has kindness and compassion at its heart. The Mare and Foal Sanctuary was a natural fit for me. As a trustee I am looking forward to seeing the development of the Equine Assisted Services the Mare and Foal Sanctuary offers and hearing about the experiences of those who take part.
For me, making sure that horses and ponies have a safe and secure home for life and ensuring that they will always be cared for and never have to be scared or frightened again is so important. I used to ride and spend time with a black cob named Bess. If she spotted me across the field, she would come straight over for a cuddle. I still remember how special that felt all these years later.
Donna Hallett – Trustee
My career was largely in retail and operations management before I moved into my current role in auditing and compliance. I also help run my husband’s woodcraft business. I love working with people and have a passion for learning, development and engagement.
I have owned and ridden horses since a young age and have enjoyed competitive and recreational equine activities over the years including showing native ponies and show jumping. I love the partnership you can create with equines and the journeys you have with each and every one of them. Having known about the charity since my childhood, I relate to the foundations, values and ambitions of the sanctuary. When the opportunity arose to join the board, it was only natural for me to embrace it. I have not looked back.
Being part of the continued growth of the charity and seeing the different aspects of equine welfare impacted by the sanctuary is particularly important to me. I am passionate about equine welfare and how we can prevent welfare cases by providing support and education for the wider equine community.
I know so many people who have had their lives touched by a special horse or pony. For me it was a palomino Welsh cob named Supra. She was with me from four years old until she passed away at 24. She embraced everything we tried. She loved the beach and would get very excited the minute her hooves hit the sand.
Yvette Bacon – Trustee
I qualified as an accountant and spent most of my career in the NHS in a variety of roles from management accounting, financial and strategic planning to data analysis and performance management.
I always wanted to use my own professional skills and experience as a volunteer in a charitable organisation. Having relocated to Devon in 2020 and seeing and reading about the fantastic work that the Mare and Foal Sanctuary did, the charity was the obvious choice.
Horses and ponies are a big part of my life. For the last 16 years I have supported my daughter with her interest in equines and riding. We even took on a loan horse as a family with the inevitable responsibilities of early mornings and late evenings spent grooming, feeding and mucking out. My daughter has developed this passion and has just qualified as a vet and is about to start work in a specialist equine hospital.
I am passionate that the sanctuary is a home for life for those animals that need a long-term, safe environment where they can be given the physical and emotional care they need to ensure a happy life. I was, and still am, astounded by the developments and progress that the charity is making in equine welfare. I am also extremely impressed with the work that the charity is doing in the area of Equine Assisted Services.
As a trustee, I am most looking forward to utilising my professional skills in finance to assist the charity in taking forward its objectives and aspirations and to help make the charity a continued success.
Rebecca-Rafiyah Findlay – Trustee
I’ve enjoyed an extensive and successful career in campaigning, fundraising, public relations and engagement in the voluntary and public sector. This is accompanied by a lifelong passion for sustainability and animal welfare. In my personal life, I’m proud to have a beautiful mixed heritage through my British-Egyptian family and a young daughter who keeps me on my toes.
I’m currently part of the senior communications and management team for an NHS acute hospital trust. I’ve been in the NHS during the entire Coronavirus pandemic. The word ‘extraordinary’ feels inadequate to describe the experience, but I’ve come out of it being a more thoughtful and confident leader.
I’m particularly looking forward to bringing my knowledge and talent to help the sanctuary develop supporter engagement. Everyone who clicks on a social media post, walks into one of our charity shops, or donates the smallest amount of money is a cherished supporter. Our supporters are everything. As a trustee I’m absolutely dedicated to making sure they are at the heart of all we do (alongside our gorgeous horses and ponies of course).
I was thrilled to get an interview to be a trustee at the Mare and Foal Sanctuary. Arriving for my interview I was hideously nervous. At my tour around the site, I met a beautiful pony called Milli. Milli just stood there ‘being’ with me. She calmed and soothed me and helped me see the bigger picture of what the amazing work at the Mare and Foal Sanctuary is all about.
Jane Williams – Trustee
I am an Associate Professor and Head of Research at Hartpury University. I am an experienced researcher, with a passion for enhancing equine performance and wellbeing through industry-informed, real-world research that generates change.
I qualified as a veterinary nurse then gained a Masters in Equine Science before completing a doctorate and have published over 100 research articles as well as regularly presenting at international equine conferences. I am also Honorary President for the International Society of Equitation Science and a member of the editorial board of Comparative Exercise Physiology and Animals journals.
Horse and ponies have been a consistent feature in my life and have been some of my best friends as well as inspiring me within my career. As a trustee, I am looking forward to understanding more about the work the charity does and its impact. I am also keen to see if my experience and expertise in equine research can be of use. For me, everything comes back to equine quality of life and developing evidence to provide objective, reliable and valid foundations to how we interact with horses.
One of the biggest equine influences in my life was a Cleveland Bay x thoroughbred mare called Phoebe, who sadly is no longer with us. Pheebs was a real character right from the start. She excelled in show jumping and gave me the confidence to compete at levels I never thought I would achieve. She was always there through good and bad and I still miss her friendly face and huge ears every day.
Jacqueline Watton – Trustee
I’m a specialist speech and language therapist. I work across Devon with children aged between three months and 18 years who are deaf or deafblind. I set up the service and have provided this care and support for Devon children and their families for 22 years. Prior to this I worked in Australia as a speech and language therapist for children with cerebral palsy. Before training as a speech therapist, I was a dessert chef in a local hotel!
I have had horses all my life. My mum taught me to ride. I’ve owned, cared for and ridden a wide range of horses during my life from Shetlands to Shires. Although I’ve never been drawn to competitive riding, I ride at least three times a week. Come rain or shine I also have the day-to-day care of my cobs. From bringing them in at night with a head torch to mucking out at 6am! My cobs are where I find some peace and refuge at the end of a busy working day.
With my background in therapy and communication, my passion for horses and my insight into how my own horses support my wellbeing, I am particularly interested in the work the sanctuary is doing with Equine Assisted Services. I hope to use my knowledge and experience to support the development of this area. As a trustee, I’m looking forward to learning about how the charity does what it does as well as finding out more about the people that work for and support the charity.
Grace Thomas – Trustee
As an executive search and evaluation specialist, I lead the Client Success Team at technology firm Nurole and also provide board career advice and coaching. I gained a BA in Human Sciences and a MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford.
Horses have been my greatest love from an early age and have driven almost every decision I’ve made. They motivated me to build a career which enabled me to have a horse of my own and brought me into contact with so many fantastic people.
My pride and joy is Duke, my giant 17.2 hands Irish boy. He is incredibly fun and affectionate – I fell in love with him the moment I met him. I’ve owned him for ten years and have built my life around him – and my Labrador!
I love the ethos of The Mare and Foal Sanctuary to provide lifelong care to the most vulnerable of horses and ponies. The organisation’s commitment to welfare outreach and education is fantastic and the Sanctuary’s Equine Assisted Services make it unique. I love the idea that horses can help us as much as we can help them.
I’m glad to offer my time and expertise to a charity that rescues equines, supports those struggling to care for them and also helps horses and ponies transform the lives of people. Everyone who works and volunteers here is genuinely passionate about the cause, and I’m excited to see how The Mare and Foal Sanctuary develops in coming years.
