HOPES are high this weekend that a solution will be found to the insurance crisis which threatens to force the cancellation of five point-to-points in the coming weeks.

Earlier this week two fixtures were hastily arranged for yesterday [Friday] in order to beat the expiration of the current insurance policy which covers virtually all hunts, excluding those in the Cork & Waterford region and in Northern Ireland.

Sunday’s planned meeting at Monksgrange in Co Wexford has already been lost due to lack of insurance and the same fate could befall Stowlin (April 30th), Grennan (May 7th), Stradbally (May 14th) and Ballingarry (May 20th and 21st) unless either a new insurance policy is agreed or the current one is extended by a month.

Sources with knowledge of the situation believe the group behind the National Hunt Steeplechase, Point-to-Point and Field Sports Insurance Programme are very close to having secured an annual insurance policy to cover all hunting activities including point-to-points, with the final touches being put in place yesterday.

However, by close of business on Friday the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee was unable to confirm if the required insurance cover was in place for the affected fixtures.

In a statement, the regulatory body said: “The INHSC, as the body responsible for the governance of point-to-points, continue to liaise with the NHSPFS and the insurance industry to help achieve a resolution.

“The insurance difficulties are wider than just point-to-points, but the INHSC is cognisant of the integral role hunts play in organising point-to-points and so continue to assist in any way to find a resolution that will provide a degree of certainty for the point-to-point industry, going forward.”

Assuming there is confirmation of a new policy in the coming days, there are no plans to schedule extra fixtures in the Cork & Waterford region or north of the border. To do so would involve asking insurers to re-examine the policies in place for those regions, which could backfire.

Insurance first became a major issue for point-to-points in September 2021 when two major underwriters withdrew from the market. Some observers pointed to a rise in claims as the cause of the problem, while others said it was merely a reflection of what was happening in public liability insurance across many sectors.

A new group policy was agreed in October 2021 but with significantly higher premiums required plus the establishment of a ‘rainy day’ fund which would be used to settle major claims. The new policy also covered hunting which is seen by insurers as a high-risk activity.

The policy was due to expire in January but a last-minute extension was agreed at that time which allowed hunting and point-to-points to continue into the spring.

One option which may need to be explored during the off-season is the creation of an insurance policy which covers point-to-points but not hunting. However, if hunting turns out to be no longer viable then it will raise the question as to why hunts would continue to voluntarily run point-to-points.