The program recognizes the time participants enjoy with their Arabian and Half-Arabian horses in a slew of activities, including Hyman's favorite, riding for the fun of it.
Participants earn prizes for the amount of time they log with their equine partner.
In that time, he learned to ride, lost more than 20 pounds and found he had a tremendous amount of love and respect for the Arabian breed. Wanting to learn to ride while enjoying recognition for his efforts, as well as feeling he wasn't necessarily ready or interested in competing on horseback, Hyman decided to enroll in the IAHA Recreational Riding Program three years ago. It was a program I could do and not have to compete in an arena, with no judges and no politics. We were judging ourselves, out there having fun. I've been riding her going on six years.