Two popular point-to-point race meetings in Pembrokeshire have been saved after their usual course was hit by a Bovine TB lockdown.

Prospects were looking bleak for the Tivyside and Llandeilo Farmers point-to-point meetings, as the course shared by the two hunts at Cilwendeg, Boncath, was brought under Defra’s Bovine TB movement restrictions in January.

Cilwendeg was hit with a 60 day restriction after some cattle in the herd which grazes the course were identified as TB reactors, ruining any chances of racing there this year.

However, thanks to the permission of landowners and committees, the west Wales area team and individual hunts have pulled together to save the two meetings.

A spokesman said: “With the weather restricting so much racing at the moment, the worry for the enthusiast was that the two fixtures could have been lost altogether from this year’s list.

“Thankfully for all concerned, the efforts of the hunt committees involved with the reorganising is much appreciated, and hopefully they will be rewarded with some fine weather and good racing for all to enjoy.”

The Llandeilo Farmers hunt meeting will now take place at Erw Lon, Pencader, on Saturday, April 4th, from 2pm, with the Tivyside Hunt switching its racing to Lydstep, near Tenby on Sunday, April 19th, first race 1pm.

The rest of the racing calendar in west Wales includes the South Pembrokeshire Hunt meeting on Monday, April 13th, at Lydstep, Tenby, first race 1pm and the Pembrokeshire Hunt meeting on Saturday, June 6th at Trecoed, Letterston, first race 2pm.