The All-Round Horse Food TOTAL, FOR WORK AND PLEASURE Equus Total is a nutritious and palatable all-round horse food that has been formulated to be used in a wide range of feeding applications. It is ideal for horses performing strenuous work, pregnant and lactating mares, young growing horses and as a maintenance food for idle horses. Equus Total is a blend of grains, lucerne chaff, cereal chaff and pelleted ingredients coated in sweet molasses and vegetable oil. Easy Digestibility – Naturally the best! Equus Total has been scientifically formulated to ensure safe and efficient digestion in the small intestine. Digestibility in the small intestine is very important to prevent digestive problems such as caecal acidosis which can lead to poor fibre digestion, diarrhoea, colic and laminitis. We have attained safe digestion of Equus Total by the addition of lucerne chaff, cereal chaff, cold press oil and by specially selecting other ingredients that are naturally safe to digest. Equus Total has been manufactured using these criteria to ensure the very best in nutritional digestibility, coolness and safety without the necessity to excessively heat process the food. While high temperature processing such as extrusion has some advantages there are also disadvantages such as high cost and detrimental heat damage to sensitive nutrients such as lysine, enzymes and vitamins. Equus Total is a highly nutritious diet that is not over processed giving you the best performance and value for money. The way nature intended! Unique Formula – Less Sticky! Feeds coated with molasses are very sticky and tend to pack hard in the bag when stored. To reduce this problem Equus Total has been processed using our unique "less sticky easy handling" formula to ensure the feed remains easy to handle even after storage. Palatability – Natural flavours! Equus Total has been specifically formulated to ensure that the natural flavours entrapped in the ingredients are released for the full benefit of taste and palatability to tempt the most finicky eaters. Hi-Lysine – For strong muscle growth and recovery! Protein is made up of components called amino acids, of which some must be provided via the diet and others synthesised by the animal. Amino acids needed to be supplied via the diet are called essential amino acids, of these lysine is normally the one most likely to be in short supply. Equus Total is balanced for essential amino acids, particularly Lysine, and as can be seen in the "Lysine" chart (below) contains a substantially higher level of lysine than typical horse feeds. The high lysine and balanced protein of Equus Total ensures efficient protein utilisation, improved lactation in mares, strong growth in young horses, enhanced muscle tone and aids in muscle recovery after strenuous exercise. Organic Chromium – Enhanced performance! Research has shown beneficial responses to supplementing diets with organic chromium where high stress, strenuous activity is performed. Organic chromium has been added to Equus Total to help maintain chromium levels during strenuous activity, this improves the bodies sensitivity to insulin, which in turn improves glucose utilisation and therefore the horses performance. NATURAL OILS – Highly digestible! Equus Total contains premium quality vegetable oils which are an excellent source of readily available energy. Vegetable Oils provide cool, safe and manageable energy and is a more efficient source of energy than carbohydrates. Oil has the advantage of sparing glycogen in the muscle and liver of horses thus increasing the time taken for the muscle to become fatigued. Oil contains approximately two and a quarter times more energy than carbohydrates and has an excellent balance of essential omega fatty acids. Omega fatty acids impart an attractive sheen to a horses coat, are important for maintaining healthy skin and are necessary for many biological functions.They also aid in the absorption and storage of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E & K. Electrolytes – The right balance! Equus Total contains essential electrolytes to aid in the prevention of deficiencies, particularly potassium, sodium and chloride. Under normal conditions no extra electrolyte supplementation will be necessary. Where moderate to heavy sweating occurs it may be necessary to supplement extra sodium chloride (salt) and to a lesser extent potassium. This can be done cheaply and effectively without the necessity to buy expensive electrolyte mixes. Please contact our technical personnel or email info@lauckemills.com.au for information on economical electrolyte replacement. Extrusion – The facts! Extrusion and micronising are expensive and unnecessary processes that are generally not required where diets are well balanced and specifically formulated for high starch digestibility in the small intestine. Excessive heat processing of horse foods is only necessary to cover inadequacies in diets not safe in their natural state. Contrary to claims made by some horse food manufacturers extrusion is not new age technology. Extrusion has been used to process animal feeds in Australia for over 40 years.