I have spoken to the feed helpline at Dodson & Horrell today, they were very helpful and happy to give advice. Based on what they have said I think that I will keep Penny on the Suregrow unless she looks to be losing weight. I am very pleased with her condition at the moment, she looks very well. She has a lovely shiny coat (under the mud!) and bright eyes, she is very alert and taking interest in her surroundings. So showing all the signs of being well and happy!

I have increased her intake to 600g per feed with a handful of chaff. She will be on this for a couple of weeks before I increase it again. If the grass is not good quality then I will increase her chaff ration. Her feed will need to be split in to two feeds in mid February as the foal will start to take up more room and restrict her stomach. The best thing to do is feed little and often. Unfortunately I don't have the circumstances where I can give her five feeds a day, so it will have to be split between two or three. The following table shows a feed guide I have planned, though it is all subject to change and does not include the chaff ration.

Jan 01 – Jan 14	500g
Jan 15 – Jan 28	600g
Jan 29 – Feb 12	700g
Feb 13 – Feb 27 (split into min 2 feeds a day)	425g	425g
Feb 27 – Mar 13	500g	500g
March	500g	500g
April	500g	500g
May	420g	420g	420g
June (immediately after foaling)	500g	500g	500g
July	500g	500g	500g
August	500g	500g	500g
September	600g	600g

From September on Penny and her foal will need to be fed separately. Penny will require much less feed and the foal will require more. Obviously this will all be dependant on how the foal grows etc. so I will have to play that by ear. I hope that the foal will be sharing or at least eating some of Penny's feed by this stage. Penny shares with her field companions so I am optimistic that she will be good with her foal.

Also had a reminder from the Vet this morning that Penny's second EHV is due 5th Feb, so must get that booked up. Penny was showing signs of lameness in her off hind last night. I have had a good look at her this morning and can't see anything obvious. She didn't look lame this morning so hopefully there is nothing to worry about. I will keep a close eye on it.