The earliest record of Hunt Racing in the north goes back to 1884.  Then it was genuine hunt racing, with races mainly for the members and the farmers. It also included races for the local Yeomanry and visiting Regiments. This format existed until after the Second World War. Then Hunts restarted racing but the old fashioned courses gave way to the circuits we know today.

In 1969, three well known gentlemen in the North, Ken Oliver, Reg Tweedie and John Marshall set up a northern area meeting which resulted in the Northern Area Association being formed with George Fairburn as its first Chairman and Tony Hogarth its first Secretary. In 1970 the Leverhulme Report laid down the basic ground rules on how Point-to-Point Racing was to be run.  As the Northern Area was already in existence, we played a part in the formulation of the Rules, which became the corner stone of the sport.

But today we preside over a sport, which is far different from that of 1969. It is still the responsibility of the Hunts to run Point to Points, but it has become a sport in its own right. It has become the schooling ground for riders, and for those going on to work in racing, from Starters, to Race Course Stewards. But as always it is still the source of horses to progress from the hunting field, to Point to Points and then to National Hunt Racing. The Northern Area has produced such stars as Freddie, The Callant, Merryman, Earl's Brig and Gayle Warning, to name but a few.