RACE AND SHOWYARD RIDING 255 



reply is that they did not manage them. There 

 was no attempt made to confine the steeplechases 

 to amateurs — a most desirable — indeed a most 

 essential thing to do. And there was no attempt 

 made to punish those who were guilty of breaches 

 of racing law. I have seen things done with 

 impunity at Point-to-Point Meetings some years 

 since which would scarcely have been attempted 

 at regular meetings under the Rules and which 

 would certainly have met with condign punish- 

 ment if they had been. 



The National Hunt Committee have also issued 

 Rules for what they call Bona Fide Hunt Meetings, 

 which are offered as an alternative to the Point- 

 to-Point Meetings, where only four steeplechases 

 are allowed. 



A Bona Fide Hunt Meeting is held on one day 

 in a year by a particular Hunt or two or more 

 Hunts adjoining over a natural or partly natural 

 course situate within the limits of the Hunt or 

 one of the Hunts joining in promoting the fixture 

 and duly approved by the Stewards after in- 

 spection by one of the official Inspectors of 

 Steeplechase Courses. The conditions ruhng such 

 meetings are that (i) Every race must be a 

 steeplechase run over a distance of at least three 

 miles and must be neither a handicap nor a 

 Selling Race. Each steeplechase must be con- 

 fined to horses certified by a Master of Fox- 

 hounds, Staghounds or Harriers (being a member 

 of the Association of Masters of Harriers) to have 

 been regularly and fairly hunted during the 



