By Kimberly Loushin

Flower sashes and blankets have become ubiquitous in the equestrian sport world. They are draped over winners of the country’s most prestigious horse races, presented to champion hunters and used in retirement ceremonies across the United States, and this year one was bestowed upon Harley, who was named the 2025 Therapy Horse of the Year at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show.

New this year, the flower sash was made by Susan Garrett, a florist from Saratoga, NY, who began making flower blankets for the New York Racing Association in 1994 after she realized that the Travers Stakes – the premier race at the Saratoga Race Course – did not have a blanket for the victor. After that, the idea took off, and she began making blankets for the entire meet, painstakingly gluing and sewing live flowers to the blankets with a crew of helpers to ensure the flowers are fresh for race day. Altogether it takes about six-and-a-half hours to produce the sash.

“The one thing I did, it’s always about the comfort of the horse,” Garrett said. “I learned making them for Thoroughbred racehorses, you don’t want to scare them, you don’t want them feeling uncomfortable. If you look at them, you’ll see that they’re made of fleece material, lightweight, nothing sticking out floral wise. There’s an attachment in the front, so that you’re not putting it over their head.”

While Garrett spent years making blankets for racehorses, including the one Justify wore after he won the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes in 2018, a few years ago she began working in the sport horse world thanks to a recommendation from her sister, who is an FEI steward. One of her early projects was making a neck sash for McLain Ward’s FEI World Equestrian Games team bronze-medal winning mount Rothchild when he retired at the American Gold Cup in 2018. She also made the blanket for Kent Farrington’s Olympic mare Gazelle when she retired in 2023. For the last several years, she has made sashes for the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s WCHR Hunter Spectaculars and the WCHR Challenge classes as well as sashed for USEF Pony Finals, though those are made with silk flowers, which allows them to be shipped across the country.

With this being the 10th anniversary of the Therapeutic Horse of the Year Award at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, the show’s executive director, Susie Shirk, reached out to Garrett to see about making a flower sash for this year’s award winner. The sash features red, blue and gold silk flowers and the 10th anniversary logo of the award.

“I always say that I only make blankets for championship horses, and you think about the therapeutic horses and what they do, there’s no better champion than that for sure,” said Garrett.

View more photos and read about the 2025 Therapy Horse of the Year, Harley, here.