Over half of the professional jockeys riding today cut their teeth in UK Point-to-Pointing. Richard Johnson, Sam Twiston-Davies, Harry Skelton, Tom Scudamore, Nico de Boinville and Daryl Jacob are a few of the current crop.
You can contact the Point-to-Point Authority, British Horseracing Authority, British Racing School, Northern Racing College, or the Point-to-Point Owners and Riders Association, to learn more about getting involved as a Point-to-Point Rider.
What are the requirements for riding in a Point-to-Point?
To ride in Point-to-Points you must be at least 16 years old and the holder of a Riders' Qualification Certificate (RQC), which is issued by the Point-to-Point Authority. Budding Riders under the age of 16 can also get involved through Pony Racing - contact details for Pony Racing can be found in the Who's Who section.
In the first instance, you will need to download an RQC form from the Riders section, fill it in and get it signed by the nominated person at your Hunt.
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, or a Person who has paid a One Day Cap.
There are two types of RQC: a Full Certificate and a Hunt Members Race certificate. The Hunt Members Race certificate is considerably cheaper, as it only allows you to ride in one Hunt Members race (you need to have qualified with the relevant Hunt in order to ride in their Hunt Members race).
The full RQC entitles you to ride in as many races as you want.
Should you apply for a Hunt Members RQC, you can always upgrade to a Full Certificate by paying the difference. You are only allowed to ride in a total of three Hunt Members races each season, unless you are a novice rider, in which case you can ride in five.