Our Patrons

A special thank you…

Our patrons help us to raise vital awareness of The Mare and Foal Sanctuary.  Find out more about their support of our work.

Angela Rippon, CBE

Broadcaster Angela Rippon CBE joined the Sanctuary in 2019 as Patron, following our merger with South West Equine Protection.

She said: “The Mare and Foal Sanctuary does a terrific job in protecting the welfare of horses and ponies, through their rescue and support services, and their education programmes. I am delighted to be able to support their work as a Patron.”

Ms Rippon was born in Plymouth and started her career as a presenter on BBC Spotlight before heading to London in 1975 to become the first woman journalist to permanently front the national Nine O’Clock News.

Since then she has presented a host of TV programmes, from the first two seasons of Top Gear to Come Dancing.

Most recently she has co-presented the BBC consumer shows Rip Off Britain and Holiday Hit Squad.

Ms Rippon has been a keen horsewoman.

angela rippon with horse
John Nettles with horse

John Nettles, OBE

We were delighted to welcome actor John Nettles as our charity patron in July 2014. The Bergerac, Midsomer Murders and Poldark star is best known for his turns on screen, but his help to publicise our work has also been invaluable.

From his early beginnings in the UK hit comedy The Liver Birds in 1969, John became a household name playing the Jersey detective Jim Bergerac and the straight talking DCI Tom Barnaby in ITV’s Midsomer Murders. Both series ran throughout the 1980s and 90s and were huge hits all over the world making him a household name and one of the nation’s most beloved actors.

John was the perfect choice for patron. As well as his status as a national treasure, he and his wife Cathy have had two Sanctuary ponies on loan, Pan and Avalon, at their home in North Devon which has been a great help to the Sanctuary.

Learn more about us

Our History

Our history of rescuing, rehabilitating and retraining horses and ponies spans more than three decades. The Mare and Foal Sanctuary was founded in 1988 by Rosemary Kind, and registered as a charity in 1992.
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Latest News

Read about our recent activities, events and latest developments here.
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Our Staff

Meet some of our key people here at The Mare and Foal Sanctuary.
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