My Senior Horse backs new APHA awards for senior competitors

My Senior Horse will sponsor three new senior horse high-point awards at the 2026 APHA World Championship Show, which runs June 19 to July 4 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The awards will recognize the top-point-earning horses age 15 and older in the Open, Amateur, and Youth world championship divisions. Eligible horses must be foaled in 2011 or earlier, and winners will receive prize packages backed by My Senior Horse, Linda Mars, and Mars equine brands including Buckeye Nutrition, Spillers, Waltham Equine Studies Group, Antech, Sound, and Mars Equestrian. (equusmagazine.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the new awards put an unusual spotlight on longevity and continued athletic participation in older horses, a group that often needs more individualized nutrition, dental care, lameness management, endocrine monitoring, and recovery planning. The program also reflects a broader industry effort to frame senior horses not only as retirees, but as active equine athletes whose welfare and performance can be supported with age-aware care. (equusmagazine.com)

What to watch: Watch for more detail from APHA on awards administration during the 2026 World Show, and for whether this recognition expands interest in senior-horse-specific competition incentives across other breed shows. (apha.com)