Visitor Wendi Murphy, of Bend, pets Misha, a rescued horse, while two others enjoy the pasture during an open house at Equine Outreach, a horse rescue nonprofit that now has about 50 horses.

Joan Steelhammer walked past Teddy, Georgie and dozens of her other horses Sunday afternoon, stroking their faces and telling their stories.

Some had cuts. Others had been starved. One was found with worms burrowed in its body.

“They all have a story,” said Steelhammer, the president of Equine Outreach, a horse rescue nonprofit that now has about 50 horses. “I mean look at them. They’re beautiful.”

Steelhammer, 53, held an open house for her nonprofit in part to increase awareness about horse abuse and neglect. From noon to 3 p.m. alone, Steelhammer counted about 100 people from the area who came to see the horses.

Her horses have hailed from all over Central Oregon.

Most recently, the Crook County Sheriffs Office seized nine malnourished horses in August from Prineville. Steelhammer said the animals were underfed and had not received regular inoculations.

Teddy, a chestnut thoroughbred found about three months ago in the Sisters area, looked sick and skeletal at first, according to Steelhammer. But after weeks of proper nourishment, the horse has become healthier.

“People thought this horse had to be euthanized,” Steelhammer said. “It turns out, he’s a purebred.”

People came to the open house Sunday for different reasons.

Brian Nicholson, 45, arrived with his family because his 9-year-old daughter, Kelli, loves horses.

They walked around the animals, watching them and talking about what may cause people to neglect their horses.

“People get in over their heads,” Nicholson said. “It’s a huge commitment.”

Marthe Merrill, of Bend, brought her two daughters partly because she wanted to teach them about animal treatment.

“It’s important for kids to realize that not all animals are treated fairly,” she said. “And we as a community need to be responsible.”

Merrill’s 9-year-old daughter, Natalie, said she wanted to sponsor a horse, where people can pledge a certain amount of money each month to feed and aid the animal. She at least hopes to take apples to them after school.

“I’ve touched (horses) before, but I haven’t seen horses that had problems,” Natalie added.

Barbara Cass, 56, who has lived in Bend for about two years, came out Friday to volunteer. She has been helping out at the horse shelter for the last year.

“It’s just soulful,” Cass said, adding later that, “It’s not about the abuse here. It’s about the healing.”

One of the younger horses, 4-month-old Georgie, came to the shelter about three months ago from Sisters, where he was found malnourished and still nursing his mother, Gracie.

Today, the greyish horse looks better, thanks to Steelhammer’s shelter.

“It’s a safe sanctuary for the horses,” Cass said. “It’s giving them back what’s their due.”

Christopher Stollar can be reached at 617-7818 or cstollar@bendbulletin.com.