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By Martha Claussen for SureBet January 2012 - There are many wonderful people who devote their time, energy and resources to assist the racing industry. One special woman came up with a unique and creative way to raise money and support Thoroughbred equine aftercare. Sally Faith Steinmann is a milliner, artist and horse lover. She was born and raised in Cape Cod, Mass. Creative from a young age, she recalls her passion for decorating her dolls and puppets. A huge knitted hat was her first foray into the millinery world, but bigger, grander and more colorful designs were her destiny. She was awed by the large-brimmed creations in My Fair Lady and the hats worn by women attending the Kentucky Derby each year on the first Saturday in May. Steinmann attended Wellesley College, one of the esteemed Seven Sisters colleges in the Northeast. The women who attend Wellesley, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith and Vassar are very bright and aspire to a high standard of excellence. Wellesley’s lively academic community places a high value on rigorous cross-discipline thinking, and graduates enter the “real world” with a readiness to think, to act, and to contribute meaningfully and effectively in their chosen areas of interest.
After she graduated, Steinmann was determined to pursue a creative
outlet. Her interests were varied: women's studies, psychology,
writing and filmmaking, but once she returned to Cape Cod, she
rediscovered her childhood love of creating hats. Maggie Mae Designs
Steinmann launched her company, MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® in 1998. The name was not derived from the legendary Rod Stewart song of the 70s, but for her tiger cat, Maggie, a devoted companion from 1996 to 2010. Steinmann specializes in one-of-a-kind designer hats; creating with the customer that truly special hat that can express a woman's individual sense of style and taste. Her initial market was comprised of ladies attending the Kentucky Derby, polo matches and other upscale horse shows and equestrian events. The handcrafted, individual creations garnered attention and soon women were contacting her to design hats for special occasions. Each hat was made from scratch, with fabric swatches and a variety of textures and materials. She makes her home in Cape Cod, where she and husband, Tom, an artist, live with their cat, Marmee. Tom moved there from St. Louis in 1984 and, inspired by the natural beauty and charm of “The Cape,” paints landscapes and seascapes that capture the essence of each of the four seasons. Inspired by Horses and Devastated by Tragic Events in Racing Captivated by horses at any early age, Steinmann was drawn to their strength and beauty. She would watch the Kentucky Derby each year, with one eye on the horses and her artistic side drawn to the beautiful hats. However, in 1975, her storybook idea about racing was shattered, with the untimely death of Ruffian in her courageous final race against Foolish Pleasure. “As a lover of animals, I was absolutely rocked by her death,” admitted Steinmann. “To see that gorgeous filly die was really tough.” Steinmann had a hard time thinking about horses and watching races, but it was Barbaro's valiant fight for survival in 2006 that set the wheels in motion for Steinmann. “Roy and Gretchen Jackson were so classy,” said Steinmann. “Gretchen brought him grass from her farm every day. She spread such a special message and kept us all captivated in his story." Steinmann designed a hat for “Run for the Roses for Barbaro” in 2007 and recognized that she, like so many people who were touched by Barbaro, could do something to make a difference. The word was soon out on Steinmann's unbridled enthusiasm for helping Thoroughbreds. Foxwoods Resort and the Thoroughbred Charities of America requested a hat to honor the intrepid filly, Eight Belles. "I couldn't say yes fast enough," said Steinmann. In May 2008, Steinmann created a one-of-a-kind couture Derby hat, “A Dozen Roses for Eight Belles” was created especially for the auction, and all proceeds were donated to the Eight Belles Memorial Fund. Inspired by the Kentucky Derby runner up, Eight Belles, the hat with a 5-inch brim was adorned with one dozen delicate red silk organza and chiffon rose curls, hand-rolled, hand-stitched, and placed along the crown with herb green taffeta fabric leaves. A red satin sash surrounded the crown and wispy tulle sprays accented the roses to create a soft, elegant chapeau. The auction for the Eight Belles Memorial Fund had a profound effect on Steinmann. In 2009, she embarked upon a unique online auction titled “Hats off to the Horses: The Road to the Derby” with Old Friends Equine of Kentucky. Old Friends is a retirement and rescue facility for pensioned Thoroughbreds in Georgetown, Ky. It was founded by Michael Blowen, who was shocked by the death of Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand in a slaughterhouse in Japan in 2002. Their goal was create a haven for " at risk" racehorses whose racing and breeding careers had come to an end and provide them with the dignified retirement they deserve. The public was welcome, and a campaign of education and tourism was initiated to draw attention to all retired Thoroughbreds and all equines in need. Blowen and Steinmann set a six-month auction prior to the Kentucky Derby. The first year, Steinmann created hats commemorating Black Tie Affair, Commentator, Bull Inthe Heather, Little Silver Charm, Wills Way, Academy Award and Sunshine Forever. The second year series included tribute hats for Gulch, Tinner's Way, Creator, Marquetry and Ogygian. This will be the third year that Steinmann has donated a hat for auction for Hats Off to the Horses: The Road to the Derby. The horses have inspired her, but so have the people she has met who share her passion for helping horses after their racing careers are over. She has high regard for Blowen and his wife, Diane, the Jacksons, Dean Richardson and Alex Brown, who has been an ardent protester of horse slaughter, and author of Greatness and Goodness: Barbaro and his Legacy. Her outreach has expanded to other credible organizations including CANTER and the Texas-based LOPE, run by Lynn Reardon. Based in Cedar Creek, not far from Austin, LOPE has placed more than 800 retired racehorses into new roles in pleasure, hunter-jumper, barrel-racing and trail riding. Reardon wrote a book titled Beyond The Homestretch: What Saving Racehorses Taught Me About Starting Over, Facing Fear and Finding My Inner Cowgirl. She describes her journey from a desk job in Washington, D.C., to being a full-time caregiver of horses. She writes lovingly of many personalities of the horses she has assisted. One of the most famous horses at LOPE is Wooden Phone. The strapping bay gelding made history in 2001 when he defeated Horse of the Year Tiznow in the $500,000 Strub Stakes. He was sent to LOPE at the age of 14, and Reardon described him as “a truly classic racehorse who loved to run and had a competitive heart so much bigger than his pedigree or conformation would have predicted.” Last year, Steinmann donated a hat inspired by Wooden Phone to assist LOPE's annual drive.
The end result was a high bid of $1,000 by Thoroughbred owner Barry Irwin, who briefly owned Wooden Phone after his debut race. Irwin gave the creation to his wife as birthday present and reported to Reardon that she plans to wear the hat to the 2012 Kentucky Derby. Steinmann's donation helped LOPE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, raise $10,000 last year as part of its charity horse show and auction. “Sally is such an unusual and creative artist,” added Reardon. “It is so rare to find that. We were tremendously impressed with the hat she created in honor of Wooden Phone; it truly did capture his personality and spirit.” A Labor of Love
Each hat takes two to three months from start to finish, said Steinmann. She will look at video and photos and research each horse as a prelude to her design.
“It’s hard to explain my inspiration when I design,” admits Steinmann. “I feel a connection with each hat, and want it to portray the essence of the racehorse. Sometimes when it does not feel right, I have to start all over.”
It is a time-consuming, highly personal and very tactile process. After the final touches have been added, the creation is delicately boxed and sent on its way.
Adjectives cannot truly describe the beauty and individual creativity of Steinmann and MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®. The colors, gorgeous brims and dazzling attention to detail are a sight to see. To view her creations, visit the photo gallery at www.maggiemae.com .
In the past three years, bids for Steinmann's hats have exceeded the $10,000 mark. She is proud of the money raised, but more importantly, creating awareness of the importance of taking care of racehorses after their glory years.
Steinmann has committed to branching out to other rescue organizations in the future and acknowledges that this is not a fleeting charity-of-the-month endeavor.
“Hats and horses are my two passions,” Steinmann
said. “I see this as a lifetime devotion and am happy to invest my
time and resources in any way I can.” | ||
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Sally
Faith Steinmann - A Talented Milliner Making a Difference in the
Equine World
“Sally
approached LOPE with the fundraiser idea,” said Reardon. "She had
read my book and wanted to do something to help LOPE's horses. She
was incredibly generous with her time and put as much effort into
Wooden Phone's hat as if we were a special client.
