The saga of Nickel Bronze has taken yet another twist in its journey.

We were very sad to have lost him here, in February and still hoped that some foals may still be due from the mares he ran with the previous season.   He had stayed paddocked with his mares, quite happily until late in the season when he was brought in for the colder months.

One by one the mares turned up empty and hence we had decided that there would be no foals.

Then in May, when I was again looking at the mares - some still looking in foal, although having been seen cycling - I discovered that Remember Me was obviously very heavily in foal.

We could barely believe it and were so excited.

We got her up and she enjoyed “room service” up in the yards, which she enjoyed very much.   She foaled on June 12th, the most exquisite filly foal with long white stockings, a blaze and the most glorious flicked back ears one could imagine.

She mothered her foal with huge delight and all looked very well.   At about 12 hours, Remember Me suffered a sudden huge bleed about which we could do nothing.   She passed away.

She had been the most loving Mother for the brief time she had her daughter, even when obviously dying the brave devoted creature got to her feet to feed her filly one last time.   When she could no longer get up, she carefully suckled her foal whilst lying down in the straw.    We admired her courage, and wept streams of tears when she passed away.

Remember Me was one of our last Remembrance daughters, conceived when he was 27 years old.   We had never managed to get her to breed, despite all the efforts of Fenwick Rasindh and then Fenwick Silver Star, since Remember Me was perhaps five years of age.    She was the most gentle silver mare with huge dark eyes, always last in when we were getting the mares in, in fact one needed to usually go find her and bring her in on her own.    Every day I would scan the paddocks, checking the mares, and looking to see where Remember Me was - she was always on her own due to being just so timid and gentle.   I discover that it is a hard habit to  break, still looking for Remember Me.    She was 18 years of age, from the second last small crop of foals sired by her celebrated Dad.

To think that Nickel Bronze managed to produce fillies from India Fair, who has but one ovary and is not easy to get to breed.   And from Remember Me, who had never produced a foal.   We theorise that these two mares, having been served many times throughout their lives, stood quietly for him and he was able to serve them.    He was a very clever fellow.   The fillies are both gorgeous.

Hence we were left with a tiny little filly, whom we were not at all certain was full term.    We got her into our big extended horse float, filled it with straw - and seeing it was a weekend with everything closed - went to the supermarket and got some S26 for toddlers - and this filly has put everything into surviving.    She has been desperate to survive.    We fed her every two hours for the first two weeks, and we are now feeding a magnificently beautiful two months old filly foal - every 3 and a half hours, on a special formula devised by Dr. John Konke.     The same formula was used to raise Mircille’s Special Remembrance.

The filly has done very well.   God’s wee treasure.    We see in her our Remembrance with his tiny little ears that were tightly curled and flicked back.   We just marvel at these.   Her short head, her low set eyes and compact body shape - are all him.   The markings and general body shape are Nickel Bronze.   We are thrilled with her.

She continues to adore her milk, and goes through a biscuit of lucerne hay each day.

We will continue to update her progress each couple of weeks, as she grows.    We have to do a really good job for her, in memory of her brave Mum.   She is will be registered as Paywit Unforgettable.