How do I ride in Point-to-Points?
In order to ride in Point-to-Points, you have to be the holder of a Riders' Qualification Certificate, which is issued by the British Horseracing Authority.

In the first instance, you will need to contact your local Hunt Secretary around October / November and ask for the relevant paperwork, which is:

• an application form
• a health declaration form
• a completed white 4 page medical form if fall into one of the following categories: (a) first time applicants; (b) applicants who are aged 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 on 1st December 2007 or who will reach this age before 30th June 2008; (c) Applicants who, on 1st December 2007 are aged 50 or over or who reach 50 before 30th June 2008 require an annual 4 page medical; (d) applicants who, on 1st December 2007, are aged 60 or over, or who reach 60 before 30th June 2008, require and annual 4 page medical and the results of a recent exercise stress test.

For any further information on the medical requirements please contact our Medical Department on 020 7189 3838.

You are only eligible to apply for an RQC if you are one of the following of a hunt:

• a Master
• a Member
• a Subscriber
• a Farmer
• a Son/Daughter/Spouse of a Master/Member/Subscriber or Farmer
• a Person who has paid a One Day Cap.

The Secretary needs to complete and sign the relevant part and you must complete the rest including the Health Declaration, on which you must make sure that any past medical history is recorded.

These forms, including the medical one if relevant, should be returned to the Point-to-Point Department at the BHA with the relevant fee, which can be found on the application form. This is only acceptable in the form of a cheque (made out to the British Horseracing Authority), bankers draft, postal order or building society cheque. Cash will not be accepted. You must apply for your RQC at least three weeks before you are due to have your first ride.

There are two types of RQC:

• a Full certificate
• a Hunt Members Race certificate.

The full RQC entitles you to as many rides as you want whereas the Hunt Members RQC only allows you to ride in one Hunt Members Race. Should you apply for a Hunt Members Race certificate you can always upgrade to a Full Certificate by paying the difference of the two. You are only allowed to ride in a total of three hunt members races.

Please find here a user-friendly guide around the Point-to-Point Regulations for those people interested in riding or who will be riding in a Point-to-Point race for the first time this season. Please note that people applying for a Riders Qualification Certificate will be sent a copy of the Regulations when their RQC is issued. We also answer here some frequently asked questions.

Eligibility of horses to run in Point-to-Points
Except for in Hunt Members Races, all horses which run in Point-to-Points need to have been registered at birth by Weatherbys', and to hold a passport showing details of their birth and parentage, their appearance and that all their injections are up-to-date.

In addition to the above, the following conditions apply:

In order for your horse to be eligible to run in any Point-to-Point race it has to have a Hunter Certificate (HC) registered with Weatherbys. Hunter Certificates are issued by the Master and can not be signed until the 1st November.

To be eligible the horse has to be qualified i.e. hunted, with a pack of recognised Foxhounds, Harriers, Bloodhounds or Draghounds. The horse must have hunted a minimum of four times after which the Master will sign and issue your HC.
You must also be a Member, Subscriber or Farmer of a recognised pack so as to qualify as an owner.

HC's are registered by Weatherbys every Friday from December throughout the Point-to-Point season. The HC must be sent to Weatherbys by 12 noon. A Certificate for a horse that is registered by 12 noon on a Friday means the horse is eligible to be entered at and run at any Point-to-Point meeting where entries close on or after the following Monday. The majority of Point-to-Points close their entries on a Saturday or Sunday, but for those that close on a Monday is means horses with  a registered HC on the previous Friday will be able to run the following weekend.

The only time that you don't have to register the Hunter Certificate is when you want to run your horse in a Hunt Members race. If this is the case you must submit your Hunter Certificate with your entry to the Point-to-Point meeting where the hunt race is to be held. For any other race it must be registered.