Weatherbys Point-to-Point

All the necessary paperwork for Owners and Keepers is listed below.

Becoming a Point-to-Point Owner offers you the chance to be part of a unique British sport offering the experience of owning a racehorse in a relaxed and friendly setting. Whilst there aren't official Point-to-Point 'trainers', there are a number of Point-to-Point 'keepers' offering training services and a traditional ownership experience. Alternatively, there is nothing to stop Owners training their own horse if they wish.

This guide takes you through the process of Point-to-Point Ownership from finding a horse and registering it to run to what to expect on the day. If you have any questions about any part of the process, please do contact the relevant office as listed. For general enquiries, contact the PPA Office (01793 781990 - [email protected])

1. Finding a horse
If you are buying your own horse to Point-to-Point, you will need to check that the horse you are interested in is eligible to Point-to-Point. To do this, you should read through the eligibility criteria, which can be downloaded here

2. Becoming an Owner
Whether you are buying yourself a horse, joining a racing club/syndicate or you already have a horse that you'd like to run in Point-to-Points, it's important for you to know what your responsibilities are as an Owner.

If you have recently purchased a horse with a current Hunter Certificate, you need to make sure that the relevant form has been completed and sent to the Equine Services Department at Weatherbys within 30 days of the change of ownership being made; please click here to download the Change of Ownership form.

Change of Ownership Form (for horses with a current registered Hunter Certificate) click here

DEFRA Change of Ownership - click here to register online

VAT Scheme for Point-to-Point Owners - click here for more info

Owners of Point-to-Point horses are bound by the Point-to-Point regulations and you should be familiar with these before you run your horse. A copy of these can be downloaded below.

The PPORA is the membership body that represents Owners and Riders in Point-to-Pointing, you can find out more about joining them and the membership benefits by visiting www.ppora.co.uk or you can contact them on 07513 101659 - [email protected]

3. Before your horse can race it must have a registered HUNTER CERTIFICATE

The form which can be downloaded here must be completed and returned to Weatherbys before the Hunter Certificate deadline for the meeting you wish to run at - usually 12noon on the Thursday a week prior the meeting, but please check the Planner, see section 4 below (please note that the form can be filled in electronically, but you must first download the file before completing, and then save your changes before submission).

The Form requires a signature from an official of the Hunt you wish to support. If the Hunter Certificate is sent in without a correct signature, the Hunt may object. At this stage it will not be registered and will be returned.

A Hunter Certificate must be re-registered for your horse each season. Hunter Certificates for Hunt Members Races sometimes do not have to be registered. Check Regulation 32 and 33 for further detail here

If your horse is in the care of another individual or 'Keeper', their details must be stated on the Hunters' Certificate; this includes the exact location of where the horse is to be housed.

Please consider the notice about 'Authority to Act' on the Hunters' Certificate; if you choose to delegate certain duties to an individual on raceday, you must ensure they are aware of their responsibilities in line with the Regulations, e.g. saddling or lodging an objection following a race.

NEW - Change of Keeper/Trainer

If there is a change of keeper/trainer, you must complete a change of trainer form - click here

Colours

Point-to-Point Owners do not need to register their colours officially unless the horse will be running on a licenced racecourse i.e. in Hunter Chases.

For any queries relating to Hunter Certificates, contact:

Weatherbys, Equine Services Department
01933 304808 - [email protected]

4. Now your horse is registered you can CHOOSE A RACE to ENTER

The fixture list for the forthcoming 2023/24 Point-to-Point Season can be downloaded here.

A full list of scheduled Point-to-Point races and their conditions are available in The Planner which is available to purchase at the start of the season by visiting the Shop page of the website. It also includes useful information for owners including National Championships and an abridged version of the regulations. This is only place to get detailed conditions of races.

In season updates to any of the Planner pages are available exclusively in the Digital Planner which can also be ordered from the Shop page.

When your horse's Hunter Certificate has been registered you will receive a confirmation letter which, if this is your first horse will contain details on how to log onto the on-line entries system. You can enter all races through this system, or by contacting the receiver of entries as stated in The Planner.

There are seven types of race in Point-to-Pointing. Definitions for these can be found here.

5. Payment for Entries

Payment for entries can ONLY be made by Credit or Debit Card.

When entering through the Online Entries Portal, once happy with the payment details, you will be redirected to a secure payment gateway where the transaction can be competed.

It is important that you do not close your browser window until the transaction has completed and you have been redirected to the pointtopointentries.co.uk website.

Whilst the majority of entries are made online its is possible to make some over the telephone. A member of the team will take your entry details, card payment details and process the transaction on your behalf.

The term ‘every entry’ is not to be confused by a meeting’s own rulings on second or multiple entry discounts. Every time a horse is entered, the flat fee of £4.00 (plus VAT – TOTAL £4.80) will be deducted.

In the event of a meeting being rescheduled, where the new date is more than sixteen days after the original fixture, all entries made before the original closing date shall be voided, original entry monies refunded to the owner and the entries will be reopened.

Where a meeting is abandoned, an invoice shall still be raised by The Point-to-Point Racing Company for the services provided, i.e., £4.00 (plus VAT – TOTAL £4.80) for every entry taken. Unless otherwise stated in the race meeting conditions in The Planner the original entry fees will be refunded to the Owner. The PPRC will deduct a £4.80 administration fee from each entry fee prior to refund.

Non-Qualified Entries - A horse subsequently found to be not qualified will be removed from the relevant race, but the entry fee will be retained by the PPRC to cover the relevant administration costs.

6. What to expect on the day

Every Point-to-Point course is entirely unique so you won't have the same experience at any two courses.

If you are travelling your horse yourself, don't forget the passport and check the vaccinations are all in order well before running. The new vaccination regulation from 2022/23 is that horses must be vaccinated within 6 months starting from 31 December 2022.

Once you arrive at the course you may want to;

Find your keeper/horse and make sure all is OK
Walk the course to check the going is suitable
Check the rider has arrived – make sure they are happy and have walked the course themselves

Either the Owner or the 'Authorised Agent' must declare the horse at least 60 minutes before the race. To fill out the declaration form you need to know the name of the race, name of the horse, name of the rider, any applicable Club membership details, items such as tongue ties/blinkers etc. You also need to make sure you declare the correct weight, and colours, and state any allowances or penalties that the horse should be carrying.

Now it's time to enjoy the racing until it's time to get ready for your race. Whoever is in charge of saddling up will need to meet the rider to pick up the saddle – remember it is the Owners' responsibility to ensure that the horse is carrying the correct weight.

Horses are due in the paddock at least 15 minutes before the race, so make sure you are there to watch your horse parade and meet the keeper (if you have one) and rider to talk tactics. Then it's time to watch the race!

Testing

Following (or even before) a race, your horse may be selected for sampling by the BHA, for prohibited substances. The Veterinary Officer and Equine and Welfare Integrity Officer will make themselves known to you and they will take you (or your authorised agent) through the procedure for taking a blood sample from the horse.

Please click here for more information on prohibited substances and detection times.

Horse Sponsorship Scheme (HSS)

Either individual owners or keepers may register under the PPA's Horse Sponsorship Scheme (HSS), enabling the horses in their respective ownership or care to receive sponsorship from a business in return for advertising. Once registered, logos can be placed on the paddock sheet, across the chest and neck of the owner’s colours and on horse attendant's clothing.
NB Only Owner sponsorship will be stated in the racecard

Owner Single-Horse Sponsorship – Set sponsorship amounts of a minimum of £150 per horse and maximum of £950 should be in place, being paid directly to the owner. Registration can be made at the time of lodging a Hunter Certificate or afterwards by completing the HSS1 form. A fee of £60 is payable for each horse at the time of registration.

Multi-Horse Sponsorship – Registration can be made by either an owner or keeper completing the HSS2 form. A fee is payable at the time of registration dependent on the number of horses in the yard, and it is the owner or keeper’s responsibility to ensure that the payments are correct for the number of horses registered during the season. Payment can, on agreement by the PPA, be made by instalment.

1 to 5 horses: £100; 6 to 10 horses: £250; and 11+ horses: £500.

Keepers should bear in mind when registering a Multi-Horse Sponsorship that an owner with a horse(s) at their yard can, at any time, withdraw their horse(s) from the sponsorship and no refund of the initial registration fee will be made.

Where a horse is dual sponsored as part of an Owner AND Multi-Horse sponsorship, no single sponsorship site can carry more than one sponsor’s logo.

Full details of the scheme can be found here:

HSS Guidelines for Potential Sponsors

In order to carry Sponsorship in Hunter Chases a separate registration is required under the Rules of Racing:

Sponsorship for Hunter Chases

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the PPA who will be happy to help - 01793 781990 - [email protected]

VAT Scheme for Point-to-Point Owners

Regulation Downloads

Regulations for Point-to-Point Steeple Chases 2023/24

Instructions for Point-to-Point Steeple Chases 2023/24

Race Definitions

Provisional Horse Eligibility and Race Conditions Regs 23-24 Reg 32-34 & 72-76

Horse Vaccination 22-23 Reg 36

Weights for types of race and ages 23-24 Reg 74