Looking to make a point in new season.

(From Yorkshire Post)

Here's a toast to the dedicated men and women who make a fascinating amateur sport a feature of the countryside, the point-to-point jockeys.

They were the ones refusing the mince pies and the extra plate of Christmas pudding, wearing extra sweaters to keep out the cold because they are getting their weight down.

Every year, and right through the gluttony season, they face making the sacrifice so they can ride in the sport they love. It may be the cradle of National Hunt racing, but for many it is also the pinnacle of their competitive riding and training ambitions. And they do it for the fun of it all.

In Equestrian Post country we are fortunate to be blessed with a good number of point-to-point meetings, many are run by hunts and the events help hunt funds, important in the dark days to come. Some stage their meetings on established race courses, others use a stretch of their hunt country for the course, often in spectacular surroundings.

The season proper starts on Monday, but we have to wait until January 30 for the first meeting, the Lincolnshire United Hunts Club at Market Rasen. Then the season really takes off. Time to get your new diary out and jot down the events, check out your picnic sets, get ready to pile the family into the biggest 4x4 you have and head out for the thrills and the spills.

February: Old Raby Hunt, Witton Castle, February 6. Good viewing and a famous setting for the long-established fixture.