Barbara Bagg had been preparing for months to complete a Century Ride with her off-the-track Thoroughbred, Irish April, when the mare suffered a series of colics. The Century Ride is an award for riders who complete a dressage test where the combined age of horse and rider is at least 100 years. The Century Club was formed in 1996 by The Dressage Foundation, a 501c3 that provides financial support for the advancement of U.S. dressage.

The 77-year-old Central Oregon rider had been working with trainer Audrey Goldsmith to develop the choreography for her training level musical freestyle with the 24-year-old mare. “Audrey knew me and the horse. She was helping to maximize the things we do well,” Bagg said.

Bagg hoped the freestyle would encourage people to take on off-the-track Thoroughbreds like Irish April. “I wanted people to see what a good horse she was,” Bagg said.

Irish April (Jockey Club name April In Ireland) had 47 starts and came off the track at age 5. Bagg bought her for $600 two years later in a broodmare dispersal. Bagg purchased the mare as a potential broodmare but when pregnancy didn’t take, she started April with a little jumping and trail riding. “It was always interesting,” Bagg said. “She expected the world to be flat. She had to learn to watch her feet.”

The mare was also unfamiliar with trotting. “She didn’t think trotting was a proper gait,” Bagg said. “She would go a bit sideways. It was a project to dissuade her.

“Both she and I were well into middle age when we started dressage. We had a lot of fun with it,” Bagg said. She worked with Central Oregon trainers Betsy Soule and Audrey Goldsmith over the years, working to improve the way the mare carried herself.

Barbara Bagg riding Irish April. Photo courtesy of Barbara Bagg

“She had a work ethic,” Bagg said.

So, Bagg made the Century Award a goal for 2016, when April would turn 24 and Bagg turned 77. They planned to show in October for thier Century Award ride.

As Bagg developed the choreography for her freestyle, her granddaughter Elese Viloria, also an equestrian, filmed a practice session. She sent the video to Cynthia Collins, who paired the ride with orchestral music from the musical “Oklahoma.”

“My granddaughter sang leads in the musical in a high school production,” Bagg said. The music was a special choice for her.

Three weeks prior to Bagg’s scheduled competition at a Central Oregon Chapter dressage show, Irish April began to colic.

“She had never colicked before,” Bagg said. “She wouldn’t drink and would only eat grass. I thought about taking her to the vet clinic but didn’t want that for her. At age 24, I wasn’t going to take her to some strange place and leave her there.”

Bagg chose to euthanize April, giving her the peaceful ending she deserved after years of companionship. “As for the Century Ride, I kept reminding myself that it was my goal, not hers,” Bagg said.

Viloria knew what the loss meant to her grandmother and took an unprecedented step. She submitted the videotaped ride to The Dressage Foundation and explained the circumstances. “I asked if they would consider judging my grandmother’s Century Ride from the recording,” Viloria said.

Executive Director of The Dressage Foundation Jenny Johnson said, “When I received the email about the situation from her granddaughter, Elese, there was just no way we could say no to the request!

“Judging a Century Club ride by video isn’t something we’ve done before, and we don’t foresee doing it in the future,” Johnson said.  “This was just such a special case, that I knew we had to make a concession for Barbara and April. And I was very honored to do so.”  

“S” judge Maryal Barnett judged the recorded test, awarding the pair their Century Ride designation and a score of 69 percent.

Bagg’s barnmates secretly organized a gathering in her honor on Dec. 5, where Viloria surprised her grandmother with a ribbon and plaque commemorating her Century Ride designation. “There were some tears,” Bagg acknowledged, “but it made me feel so much better.”

Although Bagg wasn’t able to show off Irish April’s willingness and ability in a competition setting, she did achieve her goal of showing people what a good horse she was. Although Irish April is gone, she remains as a tribute to the value of off-the-track horses and the people who lovingly retrain them.

Barbara Bagg (left) celebrating her Dressage Foundation Century Club award with her granddaughter, Elese Viloria. Photo courtesy of Barbara Bagg