SEYMOUR, Ill. (WCIA) — There’s a saying, “It’s not how old you are … It’s how you are old.” One central Illinois man has taken this to heart and is still taking part in his passion at the age of 95.

Lowel Hill’s hobby is horseback riding. Hill had worked with these animals as a boy in the 1930’s. He took a break — until he bought his horse Blue in 2003 to get back on the saddle. Now he’s showing off, and sharing his skills better than ever.

Hill got his start training horses at Iowa State.

“For my bachelor’s degree, I was able to find employment at the college horse barns,” Hill said. “So with 25 head of horses to care for morning and night, I got acquainted with a lot of horses.”

He also showed horses during that time — even winning Champion Showman his senior year. But after grad school — he didn’t ride or train for 40 years. But fast forward to the early 2000’s, and that all changed.

“I retired and I thought, well, maybe I wasn’t too old to go back and try again,” Hill said.

He bought Blue — and created an unlikely match.

“The owner, who was then trying to sell him, said that he was too much activity, too high strung for children and he would never be safe for children or for someone as old as I was,” Hill said.

Now they have an uncommon bond and some fun tricks up their sleeve. Hill and Blue are a great pairing in barrel racing as well. They signed up for completions in central Illinois — in the 18 plus division.

“Even though we were competing with much younger people, Blue was still able to win some ribbons for me in the different events. Now there’s pleasure in being able to have a 25-year-old horse beneath me. And still he has the ability to compete with younger horses and younger riders,” Hill said.

Even more than the individual accomplishments — Hill takes the most joy in helping others.

“The satisfaction, to a large extent, is not of my riding as it is watching other riders, particularly with children, and watching them develop and grow and gain self-confidence,” Hill said.

Hill wouldn’t put a number on how long he’ll keep riding for — but said he feels good and wants to do it for as long as he can.