Owners of senior horses and ponies have very special stories to tell. Now horse enthusiasts can share their stories with the rest of the country by entering the Purina Senior Horse Tales Contest online at www.equinesenior.com.

"Purina receives many heart-warming stories from people who want to talk about their relationships and experiences with their senior horse," said Chris Goodwin, marketing manager for Purina. "Many horse lovers have owned their senior horse for a lifetime. A real family bond and connection is there, and every story told is truly one of a kind."

Horse enthusiasts can enter their one-of-a-kind senior horse tale in a number of categories. Winners will be chosen for the best senior horse or pony essay written in 300 words or less, the best senior horse or pony photo, the oldest horse in age and the oldest pony in age. Entrants are encouraged to include how Purina Equine Senior® horse feed has played a role in each story or photo.

"We know there are many more engaging stories out there about the ageless bonds between horse lovers and their senior horse or pony just waiting to be told," added Goodwin. "We're excited to open up this year's contest to capture all aspects of the senior horse."

Equine lovers will have until Oct. 1, 2009 to enter their essay, photo or age of their senior horse. Grand prize winners of each category will receive one ton of Purina Equine Senior® horse feed.

"Purina is proud of their investment in research to help horses live longer lives through good nutrition," said Goodwin. "When I learned how to ride horses, they were typically living into their 20s. Today, there are horses that live to be 40 years old. It's wonderful to create memories and have an animal be with you for that long."

Purina Equine Senior® horse feed was created over 15 years ago through research conducted at the Purina Equine research facility and a geriatric center for horses. It was the first senior horse feed produced where scientific clinical studies and palatability trials were conducted to address the specific nutritional needs of aging horses. Equine Senior® horse feed is formulated to deliver complete balanced nutrition, including forage, to the older horse with problems chewing and digesting feed due to age. Its unique pellet technology makes it easy to chew and more digestible than whole grains, hay or pasture.

With research protocols that span more than ten years and involve numerous Ph.D. equine nutritionists and veterinary researchers, Purina Equine Senior® horse feed continues to lead the way in contributing to longer, healthier lives for America's senior horses. And today, 480 million feedings later, Equine Senior® horse feed remains the industry gold standard in senior horse health and nutrition.

For more information on the Purina Senior Horse Tales Contest and Equine Senior® horse feed, or Purina Senior Horse Tales Contest official Rules, log on to www.equinesenior.com. A complete list of prize winners will be available on the site by Nov. 19, 2009.