Happy, healthy and active lives well into their later years...

It's what we all want for our ageing equine friends and the reason behind Mitavite's development of Gumnuts - a unique complete feed which addresses a great many of the problems and physical challenges facing horses from around 15 years of age onwards.

Few of us are likely to have horses like "Tango Duke", a thoroughbred chestnut gelding in Victoria who survived to the age of 42 (126 human years) or "Old Billy" a horse that died in 1822 in England at the very ripe old age of 62 (186 human years).

However, with the right care, love and attention, particularly to nutritional needs, there is no reason why your horse can't be among those leading happy, productive lives well past generally accepted survival times.

Although the average life span is said to be 24 years, many well cared for horses age gracefully and usefully, continuing to be ridden and with mares, continuing to have foals.

Ageing brings physical changes and health problems and while a comprehensive list of these appears under Older Horses Health, there are some common signs and conditions. Greying of the coat, swaying of the back, and prominence of the backbone, arthritis, anaemia, susceptibility to the respiratory and skin conditions, changes in teeth, reduced salivation and a 20% reduction in the ability to digest and absorb certain nutrients. This last aspect becomes critical to a horse's wellbeing when we understand unprocessed (raw) grains are less than 50% digestible in the first place. Over half of the amount fed passes into the caecum (large bowel) where it ferments yielding acid. heat, gas and ammonia. Low digestibility in the small intestine predisposes horses to loss of appetite, colic, diarrhoea and laminitis ? as well as reducing fibre, energy, protein and mineral absorption. Crushing, cracking boiling and pelleting of grains has been found to do little to improve digestion.

Steam-extrusion is the most advanced process in complete horse feed production, available today and Mitavite are one of the pioneers and leading exponents of the process by which Gumnuts has been produced. Normal digestion levels in the small intestine for oats (55-65%), whole cracked or crushed corn (29%) and barley (21 % ) is increased to over 90% through steam-extrusion.

International veterinary nutrition research has consistently found steam-extrusion of complete formulations (containing grains, protein meals, high oil levels, heat stable vitamins, minerals and salts) increases protein, mineral, fibre and energy digestibility. The untangling of nutrients during steam-extrusion allows digestive enzymes to work up to 100 times faster - increasing nutrient availability and reducing acid, heat and gas production.

Research has also confirmed blood test results, coat condition, level of physical activity and bodyweight are all superior when older horses are fed steam-extruded nuts. When compared to pelleted feeds, horses ate slower, chewed for longer and produced more saliva with steam-extruded nuts, which led to a reduction in the incidence of choke and colic.

Steam-extruded feeds are not only more digestible, they improve feed conversion efficiency so a lower weight is required than if feeding pellets or unprocessed feeds. Clean, dust free and with a much lower moisture level (reducing mould spores), extruded feeds aid in preventing respiratory irritation.

Mitavite Gumnuts contains increased levels of many of the necessary nutrients required by older horses including vitamins E and C, selenium, Omega 3 anti-inflammatory oil, extra calcium, phosphorus and high quality protein. For horses suffering teeth problems, Gumnuts can be softened to an easily chewed, delicious mash. Gumnuts is the first feed to address, in a complete way, the special nutritional needs of older horses. If you own or care for one of our ageing equine friends, you can be confident with Gumnuts, you're doing the very best you can for them.