Meet Charlie, 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 been 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. He has become very bonded with El Presidente, one of the Calico stallions.