Opening Summary

Updated Nov 19: Charm’s healing journey continues. Farrier was out for another hoof care visit and is very hopeful Charms Navicular Injury will heal. He suggested increasing his walking exercise to promote movement and circulation.  While he is improving, the bio-mechanical injury can take several months to a year to fully heal, and rehabilitation efforts require daily devotion. Charm and Katniss have bonded and they are turned out 24/7 in the naturally therapeutic sanctuary environment. Several Contributors from Charm's Fundraising Team have visit the Sanctuary and enjoyed Therapeutic Equine Walks with Charm and Katniss.

Charm's Retirement Team is making a quality of life difference for this gentle giant. We knew Charm's healing process was going to be a big commitment Your continued support helps with bio-mechanical holistic care, feed, farrier and long haul rehabilitative sanctuary efforts and your contributions are greatly appreciated. Today we’re at $2,910 — 53% of the $5,500 goal.  And we've have several new and returning visitors to the sanctuary to meet Charm and Katniss and enjoy a sanctuary retreat reprieve.

Whether this is your first time seeing this or you've been following efforts from the beginning to pull Charm from the Show Circuit and help Retire him at the Sanctuary where he can heal; Thank you for being part of Charms'  Yes Team and helping to make a difference .

To contribute now:  https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/HelpRetireCharm/pay

------

Updated: $2500 was given as a Trust with Faith Deposit, along with $350. To secure Charms transition to the Sanctuary for Retirement. The Farrier who is also an instructor for barefoot care, has reviewed Charms Xray and will be taking his heart bar "work shoes" off Wednesday and part of his long term holistic care program to help heal Charms Navicular Injury. Continue reading for full details and thank you for your contributions that help this deserving horse retire and get the holistic care, time and freedom, he needs...to heal. 

We urgently need to raise $5,500 to secure safe retirement for Charm, a 16.1-hand gentle giant and former youth champion show horse. After 14 years of loyal service, Charm has been diagnosed with navicular disease, making competition unsafe with at risk of further injury. Praised for his kind, goofy, and child-safe nature, Charm is more than a show horse — he is a loving soul who deserves peace and without our support, he is at risk of being resold into the horse industry pipeline, where he could be forced back into competition despite his Navicular diagnosis.With your help, Charm can transition to a naturally therapeutic healing sanctuary —with a slower-paced life, grazing pasture, holistic care and equine-human connections. Please join us in giving Charm the retirement he deserves.

For a deeper understanding:

 Meet Charm

Charm is a kind hearted (16.1 hands) ’gentle giant’ champion youth show horse gelding, who has spent 14 years in training and competition show arenas, bringing heartfelt joy to children and adults, Praised for reliability, loyalty, being child-safe, and in-tune with the people, Charm has touched countless lives with his calm energy, goofy spirit and champion focus.

Charms’ Current Reality 

Charm was diagnosed with navicular disease, a painful condition that makes the intense demands of competition unsafe with high risk of further injury. Instead of continuing in the show arena, Charms natural awareness and love for humans makes Charm a perfect candidate to retire at the Homestead Healing Sanctuary where he can thrive, rest, “meet you at the gate”, heal in a naturally rehabilitating environment; and continue sharing his heart with humans, through Presence-Based Equine Assisted Therapy and Equine Nature Walks—overall providing him with a holistic environment to heal; while also experiencing human connection, joy and meaningful purpose in his daily life.

💔 Why Now

(Update, we provided a 2500. Trust with Faith Deposit plus $350. for professional equine transportation and Charm is now at the Sanctuary and the balance due to keep him here, is $1150. We have also had the farrier out which is an amazing story in and of itself. and that is shared in the updates with new photos) 

original Why Now post: Charm’s current owner loves him deeply and knows his future should not be in competition, but due to life changes, must sell Charm, knowing, that selling him back through the industry pipeline, presents a high risk that he’d be purchased, only to be forced back into serving a new owner who’s focus is career show circuit despite his Navicular diagnosis and risks to further injury or potentially a worse fate which is being purchased by kill buyers for slaughter houses.

Kill Pen Reality —Why Intercepting and Buying Charm NOW Matters.

Every year, tens of thousands of American horses—many perfectly healthy—are bought by kill buyers at auctions and exported for slaughter in Canada and Mexico. In 2023, Congressman Vern Buchanan posted that over 20,000 horses were exported this way, and in 2024, the ASPCA posted that the number reached nearly 19,000, with 17,637 exported by November alone.

And… with further research you learn that these horses are subjected to brutal transport, injury, and uncertain fates they're ill-prepared for.

When a special horse (like Charm) is in need, waiting for a buyer may mean exile back into that pipeline—despite his diagnosis and his kind gentle nature.

By purchasing/adopting Charm to live out his life at the Sanctuary, we're not just saving him—we’re intercepting the industry pipeline, giving him a true opportunity to live a peaceful retirement, instead of a craps shoot that includes a very cruel fate.

With your support, we can purchase Charm directly from the current owner, eliminate the risk of unknown Horse Industry Auction and Broker Sales outcomes; while securing Charm’s safe retirement with dignity.. Which includes ensuring that competition, show arenas and hard training are behind him. With your help, we can give Charm a soft sanctuary landing with natural horsemanship mindfulness, love, holistic care and the peace in being (that for years, he has shown, he’s earned).

A Word from His Current Owner

*“Charm is a truly special soul with a calm, steady presence that naturally puts people at ease. He loves people of all ages and has proven himself to be gentle and safe in every situation. For ten years, he dedicated his life to being a top-level show horse, making a young girl’s dreams come true in the show ring. Through that journey, he became reliable, trustworthy, and deeply in tune with the people around him.

Now that this chapter of his career is coming to a close, I believe his next purpose is to bring healing and joy in a new way. He would thrive in an environment where he could connect with people, whether by standing quietly for comfort, sharing his calm goofy energy, or taking visitors on safe and peaceful trail rides. His ability to create trust and his love for people make him uniquely suited for the work your sanctuary does.”*
— With gratitude, Shauna Richards

Veterinary Confirmation

Vetrinary x-rays from April 2025 confirm Charm’s Navicular diagnosis (images are in the photos for viewing). These images also stand to confirm ‘why’ retirement to a healing sanctuary is the most compassionate option for Charm.

(Update: The Farrier came to the healing sanctuary Sept 24, 2025 and removed Charms heart bar shoes. made a couple corrections including relieving pressure from Heel Contraction. This was an incredibly positive experience for Charm and the full story is in the updates with photos.)

Why is Homestead Healing Sanctuary a good retirement choice for Charm?

Great question. Charm will not be the first horse entrusted to the Sanctuary. The following is a retirement testimony about Katniss Lovejoy and her journey to the sanctuary, from her previous owner.

Equine Retirement testimony

“Letting go is never easy, but sometimes love means choosing what’s best even when it’s hard. My mare Katniss battles chronic desmitis in her front and I’ve watched our long Keweenaw winters take more and more of a toll on her. I knew in my heart that keeping her up here, masking her pain with medication wasn’t the life she deserved.

What I wanted for her was the freedom and room to move, diverse pastures to nourish her, soft ground beneath her feet, and a place where she could simply be without expectation. Most of all, I wanted to know she would never be used or bred for profit, but honored for the soul she is.

That’s why I am so deeply grateful to Tammie Rain Hayes. At her sound healing retreat sanctuary, Katniss has found a sanctuary where she can live out her days in peace, surrounded by nature, cared for with compassion, and allowed to thrive in her own way.

It’s not goodbye. It’s giving Katniss the retirement she deserves, and knowing she is where she is meant to be. Thank you, Tammie, for opening your heart and your homestead to her. ❤”*

Now that you have had an opportunity to deeply understand "why" this is so important, here’s what we’re facing to make retirement to the Sanctuary, a reality for Charm

Our Immediate Fundraising Goal

We are raising $5,500 To Purchase/Adopt Charm permanently, and secure his naturally therapeutic long-haul holistic care, farrier, feed, supplements, Hay, straw and sanctuary retirement, where he can simply be a horse and heal from his injuries.

What’s Beyond The Immediate Goal

 To help bridge understanding, here’s a glimpse into Charm’s retirement and what his world of care looks like— and how every gift, small or large, does make a real life difference; while also supporting our local farming community:

• While there are additional expenses like Vetrinary, Dental Care, etc. this was to help break down how every bit of support will be helpful in retiring Charm.

Bales of Straw →Bedding, from local farmers; with several purchased monthly.

Farrier Visit → professional hoof care, every 4-6 weeks.

3-4 Rounds of Alfalfa every 4-6 weeks→ grown and delivered by local family owned farm. Sanctuary Enclosure Maintenance → The property is 38 acres with the primary enclosure being 3 acres with maintenance and upkeep ranging from fencing, tree trimming, shelter repairs, seasons tasks and unexpected impacts by nature itself

Holistic Care → treats, and supplements (including apples, carrots, watermelon, pumpkin, Red Beets,, Turmeric, Black Pepper and Cinnamon. (from Local orchards, farm stands and farm markets).

Visionary Prayerful Request (Wishlist),

For it is said: knock and the door will open, seek and you shall find, ask and you shall receive. I am knocking, seeking and asking, While $5500. Is urgently needed to retire Charm and transition him to the Sanctuary. Beyond the immediate challenge, there’s also a long term goal and I am going to share this goal as (small or large) you never know who is watching or who is in a position to make a difference:

🌱 Two Track Horse Fence to expand already green grazing acreage, in support of even freer roaming equine retirement space, as well as Equine Fence on a Walking Trail that is already naturally therapeutic and would meander around the outside of the already existing 3 acre enclosure. → The vision for adding additional horse fencing not only increases grazing with roaming freedom, it gives to natural horsemanship by creating opportunities for soft pace physical exercise that helps injuries to heal while mirroring wild horse activity that safely adventures through naturally changing ecosystem environments, terrain changes and forest diversity…while honoring nature, giving room for natural wildlife in a way that also provides mentally stimulating holistic exercise, that is good for the equine spirit.And while this visionary prayer /goal will naturally enrich Charm and Katniss’retirement environment, it also opens the sanctuary space to retire additional horses in the future who will also benefit for the naturally therapeutic experience.Amen

For Transparency

This Homestead Healing Sanctuary is not a 501(c)(3). It is a private family homestead healing sanctuary dedicated to living a presence-based lifestyle, mindful and compassion, while recognizing the importance of making room for wildlife, sustainability, andoverall symbiotic relationships with nature.

Who Am I?

Greetings, I’m Tammie Hayes — Sound Healing Meditation Experience / Retreat Facilitator, Artist and Sanctuary Steward, with background in caregiving for special needs.

At the sanctuary, I (along with student and guest holistic practitioners) offer personalized wellness experiences blending: Sound healing,Art and Creativity, Habitat enrichment & Conservation mindfulness, and… Presence-based nature walks across 38 acres of forest, gardens, and sanctuary habitats.

Gentle socially aware souls like Charm and Katniss who need a place to heal while having so much love to give are a natural, mutually-beneficial, ‘fit’ at Homestead Healing Sanctuary; and naturally developed into a passion for creating space and providing safe retirement sanctuary for socially aware horses that have sustained injury and simply need someone to give them a soft place to land, with soft earth beneath their hoofs, freedom to roam, heal and enjoy human-horse connections and peace in being.

Closing Appeal

Charm has loyally served humans for 14 years and now he’s leaning to humans to help him retire to a Sanctuary environment, where his injury can heal and his spirit can thrive; and I am reaching out, asking you, for your help, to raise the $5,500. Needed to retire Charm and safely bring him to his new ‘home’ at the sanctuary—where the rehabilitating environment, equine companionship and human who want to love and care for him await. Every gift (small and large) helps retire, transport and settle Charm into his new ‘home’ with dignity and compassion. Please join Charm’s network of support, by helping to give to him the peaceful life he deserves.

With Trust and Faith of a Mustard Seed.

Thank you for your consideration and your Help in Making A Difference.

Tammie (and Charm)

💛 Give, Share, Repost and Become Part of Charms' Retirement Team