A left handed course with 18 fences over 3 miles
Point-Pointing , A Brief Introduction
Pointing as it is generally known first came into existence in the 1700's, in fact the 1st race was held in 1752 when Mr Blake challenged his neighbour to a race across the country from one church to another, by keeping the church spires in sight they could judge where the start and finish were hence the term
Point - Pointing
The races were run over all terrain and obstacles , walls ditches , hedges etc . The 1 st recorded reference of a hunt holding a point-point was on 12th Jan 1852 , run by the Monmouthshire . And so to today , Point -Pointing is a form of amateur racing run over brush fences , over a distance of a minimum of 3 miles , with a minimum of 18 fences to be jumped approx 4ft6inches , with 2 of the obstacles having ' ditches ' in front , although in the past few years a number of 2.5 mile races have been introduced to accommodate , younger horses and those that possibly don't quite stay 3 miles . There are a total of 110 courses in the UK , which are mostly laid out on ordinary farm - land ( pasture ) with the odd one run on the inside of professional courses such as Bangor and Hexham. The races are normally :
Hunt Members : for horses qualified with the hunt or hunts promoting the meeting . Maiden Race : for horses that have never won a point-point race or any race under the rules of the Jockey Club or other racing authority . Intermediate : open to a horse that has not won any flat race ( other than a National Hunt Flat
race ) under Jockey Club rules or any Men's , Ladies or Mixed Open or Intermediate at a point- point meeting . Confined : for horses qualified with the hunt holding the meeting and not more than 15 hunts adjoining it . Open : for any horse , and is either Men's to be ridden by a gentleman , Ladies to be ridden by Ladies or a mixed open . There is a minimum weight to be carried by each horse , which is 12 stone in most races , except a ladies which is 11 stone , also mares and younger horses do get concessions which can bring the weight down to 11st7lb depending on s*x and age of the horse , or for 4 yr olds 10st7lb . There are now also opportunities for the younger generation with the introduction of pony-racing at some meetings where riders aged between 9 -15 can gain their 1st experience of riding in a race
( no obstacles involved ) , providing they and their ponies have proved their competency in the hunting field . It's a great day out in the country where all sorts of people come together to enjoy the sport and socialise . Most meetings consist of at least 6 races , the start times vary depending on the time of year , and number of races , the season runs from mid November to the beginning of June , but most meetings will open the gates at least 2 hrs before the 1st race . All courses have a bar , catering and toilets , and most have a variety of trade-stands and attractions that run along side , there are also facilities to make a bet with the Tote or a bookmaker if you fancy having a flutter ! The racing itself is open to any thoroughbred horse that has been ' fairly ' hunted with a recognised pack of hounds , and the owner or syndicate ( which is a fun and cheaper way of owning a racehorse ) must be a member , farmer or subscriber of a recognised pack of foxhounds , a Hunter Certificate has to be obtained from the Master and then lodged with the Point - Point Authority ( PPA ) . Whilst professional trainers are excluded from running horses , increasingly horses are run from ' livery yards ' , unlicensed but otherwise professional training establishments, gone are the days of the farmer running his hunter at the local point-point , but there is still a lot of fun to be had and it can be a real family concern .
