And then there were … NONE

And then there were … NONE! With the birth of the Redoute’s Choice x Heavenly Glow colt (one of the final Redoute’s Choice progeny to be born; fittingly perhaps this foal’s dam is a Champion and dual Group 1 winner) the 2019 foaling season came to a close and across the farm every staff member drew an exhausted breath (none more than Michelle Vincent who has done such an exceptional job managing the Nightwatch role at MVL for the past 15 years – she is easily the best in the industry). 148 mares were foaled down. That’s tough going in a very difficult season. We have experienced good fertility rates thanks to excellent vetting courtesy of our resident vet David O’Meara and the team at Scone Equine Hospital.  We’re also delighted to have so many quality foals on the ground – the progeny of new season sires to look forward to as well as progeny of proven sires to grow out and present to future sales with confidence; a cycle we are familiar with even as this is a drought we are not familiar with in its savagery and relentlessness. It calls on reserves that some days its hard to muster when its just another huge dust storm ripping up top soil, a lightning bolt has emptied the last of the water from the dam or shorted out the electric fencing, hay prices have doubled or feed can’t be sourced at all, the temperature is over 40 degrees for 3 days in a row and it’s only Spring … need I go on? Image credit Michelle Vincent.