The new point-to-point season in West Wales begins on Saturday with a six race card on the fixture being organised by the Vale of Clettwr Hunt at Erw Lon alongside the Llandysul- Pencader road.

Alun and Pat Lewis of the Tyssul Stud at Cwmduad are this year's joint secretaries and they anticipate that their excellent steeplechase course will be in fine fettle for the event.

At this stage in the year several new horses are just beginning to reach peak form and, with over £1,000 in prizemoney, the excitement is certain to be intense on the day and supporters are urged to ensure that they arrive early.

The first race, for Hunt members, subscribers and farmers, is at noon with the main events being the Mens' Open and Ladies Open at 1pm and 1.30pm respectively for trophies given by the late C Davies and W E Morgan.

The winner of the ladies race qualifies for the £5,000 Gerrard Ladies championship to be run over a little more than three miles at Hereford on May 10th.

Amongst the most successful female jockeys on the local circuit last season with five winners and being placed six times was civil servant Charlotte Owen.

Not only riding her own horses, she was also in popular demand by other owners including her mother, Heather Williams and Malcolm Jones, Tim Vaughan, Malcolm Tucker and Helen Pugsley. She is frequently travelling to the Midlands and the West Country for race meetings.

Coming from the Williams family of East Tarr, Charlotte has a sound pedigree of knowledge of breeding and training really top quality hunters and is now married to a dairy farmer, Charles Owen, and together they have joint ambitions for running a 200 cow herd.

She also has five hunters in training including De Chelley (jointly owned with her sister, Louise Meyrick), Beaseley, Batchworth Lock, Stormhill Daydream and Rogero.

Charlotte confesses to having probably been taken out on a pony before she was even old enough to walk! "I really enjoy the challenge, the speed of steeplechasing and the terrific, exciting feeling that goes with it," she says enthusiastically.

The next fixture after Erw Lon is the Tivyside Point to Point at Cilwendeg, near Boncath on Saturday, March 5th.