Charlie
This is Charlie. He is a handsome Virginia Range stallion. We named him after Velma Johnston’s (Wild Horse Annie’s) loving husband.
Wild Horse Annie began her 32-year crusade to save America’s wild horses after following a truck that had blood dripping from it. The truck reached its destination at the slaughterhouse she saw the blood of wild horses crowded in the truck spilling to the ground. These free-roaming horses were the Virginia Range horses. Annie fought for 32 years to pass legislation that would protect and preserve our wild horses.
In 1971, The Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed. In a tragic twist of irony, the Virginia Range horses who roam on state lands were not protected by this federal legislation.
Charlie was captured on State lands in Nevada’s Virgina Range. He ended up at the livestock yard where he would have ended up sold for slaughter. His mare and foal were spared and went to another sanctuary, and Charlie would have been herded into an auction ring and then onto a truck to Mexico for slaughter. We could not let that happen.
Charlie came to live at Return to Freedom Sanctuary where he is now part of a herd of 20 stallions from the Calico mountain range. Charlie and “the boys” are anxiously waiting for Return to Freedom to relocate to a larger preserve. In the meantime, they are being fed and cared for in the rolling hills of California.
Our Sponsor a Horse program is an automatic monthly donation program. It only takes a moment to sign up and your debit or credit card will be automatically billed each month. You can cancel at any time. Will you help Return to Freedom by sponsoring Charlie?
Partial Sponsor — $50
Help Feed Charlie for 1 monthFree newsletter
Yearly updates
1 Sanctuary Tour
Sponsor Charlie
We can’t do this work without you. YOU make it possible for Return to Freedom to save horses who have been removed from their home in the wild and offer them a safe haven where they can live out their lives in large pastures with their herd groups.Our Sponsor a Horse program is an automatic monthly donation program. It only takes a moment to sign up and your debit or credit card will be automatically billed each month. You can cancel at any time.
Full Sponsor — $100
Feed Charlie for 1 monthFree newsletter
Yearly updates
2 Sanctuary Tours
Sponsor Charlie
We can’t do this work without you. YOU make it possible for Return to Freedom to save horses who have been removed from their home in the wild and offer them a safe haven where they can live out their lives in large pastures with their herd groups.Our Sponsor a Horse program is an automatic monthly donation program. It only takes a moment to sign up and your debit or credit card will be automatically billed each month. You can cancel at any time.