The Art of Old Friends Book

About the book:

This exceptional collection of paintings, drawings, and pencil sketches has been a long labor of love for Old Friends artist-in-residence Dagmar Galleithner-Steiner.

Crafted over more than seven years, The Art of Old Friends is an ode to the farm’s famous and not-so-famous retired athletes. It features almost 50 unique pastel paintings and pencil works of horses both past and present, including such champions as Kentucky Derby winners Silver Charm and Charismatic, three-time Santa Anita Handicap winner Game On Dude– who graces the cover– Horse of the Year Black Tie Affair, and Eclipse winners Sunshine Forever and Hidden Lake. The in-progress sketches depict the farm, its people, the horses, and other pets-in- residence, like Buddy the cat.

The horse’s careers—from racetrack to retirement– -are recapped through brief reminiscences by Daily Racing Form executive columnist and five-time Eclipse Award-winner Jay Hovdey and Old Friends founder Michael Blowen.  The Foreword was written by Bob and Jill Baffert.

“I wanted to create something for people that have not been able to visit the farm,” says Galleithner- Steiner. “I wanted them to feel like they have been here. And the honor of being allowed to immortalize these amazing athletes is one of the greatest feelings one could ever experience.”

The completed work is a chronicle of the history of Old Friends that captures not only the soul of the horse but also the regal spirit of the Thoroughbred. This is volume one of what we hope will be a collectible series. The artist is generously donating 100 percent of the proceeds to the horses Old Friends.

The horses featured in the book are:   Amazombie, Afternoon Deelites, Appygolucky, Awad, Black Tie Affair, Bonnie’s Poker, Bull Inthe Heather, Catlaunch, Charismatic, Clever Allemont, Commentator, Creator, Criminal Type, Danthebluegrassman, Delay of Game, Driven by Success, Estrapade, Flick, Fortunate Prospect, Fraise, Free Spirit’s Joy, Game On Dude, Gulch, Hidden Lake, Kiri’s Clown, Little Silver Charm, Marquetry, Midnight Secret, Narrow Escape, Ogygian, Popcorn Deelites, Precisionist, Prized, Rail Trip, Rapid Redux, Ruhlmann, Sarava, Silver Charm, Special Ring, Sunshine Forever, Swan’s Way, Taylor’s Special, Thunder Rumble, Tinners Way, Wallenda, Watchem Smokey and Williamstown.

Dagmar’s Family.  Joe Steiner and son Jonah

About the artist:

Dagmar Galleithner-Steiner was raised in Bavaria, Germany, and horses have been an essential part of her life since childhood. While in college she worked at Daglfing, the harness racetrack in Munich, grooming, hot walking, and exercising horses as well as helping to retrain and rehome those done with racing careers. It was at the tracks, both harness and Thoroughbred, that Galleithner-Steiner earned her first commissions as a painter from various owners and trainers who wanted portraits of their horses.

After studying American cultural history, architecture, and art history in Germany, Galleithner-Steiner moved to the U.S. in 2013 to share her life with new husband Joe J. Steiner, who was then a jockey in the Southern California racing circuit. In 2015 the couple welcomed their first child, son Jonah.

Galleithner-Steiner’s work can be seen in private collections around the world. She has also donated paintings and prints to numerous equine-aftercare programs, including Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue, Save a Forgotten Equine (SAFE), CANTER, Thoroughbred Charities of America, and Old Friends.

“When I started working as a professional artist I always had this strong devotion to donating as much of my work to aid in animal welfare as possible,” says the artist. “In the beginning, I didn’t make much money, so instead of donating dollars, I donated art. I think this may have paved the path towards this project long before I even knew it.”  In recent years Galleithner-Steiner has been commissioned by the Del Mar Turf Club to create the official portrait of Pacific Classic winners Shared Belief, California Chrome, and Collected. Presently, Dagmar and her family reside in Georgetown, KY. You can visit her official website at equestrianpastelartist.com.

How to order:

We love to talk to you!  Please call us to order at 502-863-1775 with a credit card number. If you prefer to send a check, please include a note stating you are buying the book $39.99 plus $10 shipping (and 6% ($2.40) sales tax if you are a Kentucky resident) to Old Friends, 1841 Paynes Depot Rd., Georgetown, KY  40324.  If you need more information, you can also email us at:  barbara@oldfriendsequine.org

Makes a great corporate gift, too!