What is the difference between point to point and racing

Not many courses have facilities for card payments, so be sure to take enough cash to cover the cost of admission and a racecard, any bets you wish to place, and food and drink. Your Guide to the World of Point-to-Pointing. What is it? What happens on the day?

View Upcoming Events. Can I bring my dog? In the UK, point to point racing is not so competitive. However, the days when a local farmer would enter any old horse into one of these races have long gone. Nowadays, the horses tend to be from livery yards. These yards do not have professional licenses, but produce and nurture good horses for racing.

Many will have some kind of an affiliation with a professional yard. In a point to point race, the horse will still be a thoroughbred. This is unless the race is only for members of a hunt. The horses can also run in hunter chase races. A hunter chase race will be run under the rules of the British Horse Racing Authority.

Unlike on racecourses where there are a mix of races, from those on the flat, to those run over hurdles or fences, all point-to-point races are fun over fences, and almost solely over 3-miles. Point-to-Point racing has a great amateur tradition — both in terms of the riders and the officials.

The majority of the official positions are filled by volunteers from within the hunt committee, such as the clerk of the scales, starter, clerk of the course, fence stewards and much more. These people give of their time freely and are so crucial to the smooth running of a point-to-point fixture. Do many Irish Point-to-Pointers go on to be successful on the track? The answer to this question, is certainly yes! Often, the owner of a horse does not keep the animal on their premises, instead choosing to use a livery yard.

At a livery yard, horses are housed and cared for in return for payment or reward but are not the property of the proprietor.

These individuals are not licensed and the owner remains responsible for the welfare of their horses and compliance with the requirements of the Point-to-Point Regulations. You can find more information on the National Point-to-Point website. Like any new website you might come across things that need fixing, please let us know and we will get these resolved as quickly as possible.