Jumping all the obstacles the weather brings

There's an excited undercurrent in the yard at the moment, its been building up over the last few days ever since I announced our first point to point meeting was only two weeks away. All those long months of road work, trotting round fields, cantering up hills, flatwork, trips to the gallops and eventful times out hunting in order to qualify a yard full of horses for that one goal – to win races – and now suddenly here it is, having jumped out in a startling fashion, as it does every New Year.

My completely impractical cobbled yard had turned into a skating rink thanks to a burst water pipe. I was on the phone (pulling my hair out) trying to find useable gallops within a two-hour radius in order to exercise our extremely fresh horses, while the girls were dancing on ice with bags of grit and kettles full of boiling water trying to defrost everything in the yard before we could begin our day's work.

Thankfully, Sue and Harvey Smith can always been depended on to save the day so we headed up to the gallops. A strong pipe opener and a blustery sand facial scrub later on the wilds of Baildon Moor put pay to all my earlier frustrations.

This year I have quite a number of loveable rogues who were to start the season at Sheriff Hutton on January 24 – but that has now been cancelled. On Y Va had been set to line up for the Ladies Open, he is an 11-year -old now and won a few races last season with us.

The first event of the year will now be the West of York Steeplechases on Sunday January 31.

My bargain buy at just 600 from Ascot Sales the previous Summer - "Ben" has proved quite a steal.

If human, he would be the Ferris Bueller of the point to point world – the small cheeky guy with the gorgeous blonde on his arm. He could put a whoopee cushion under Gordon Brown's bench at PM's question time and still have the Prime Minister merely wag a finger at him laughing when he sat on it… that is how he wins his races, flukey yet timed to perfection. He is in my Yorkshire Point to Point Syndicate and a particular favourite of mine, definitely one to follow.

Myself and my father, Peter (avid pointing fan, beef farmer and my landlord) train around eight pointers between us this year, including some three-year-olds I broke in this summer and am now educating in order to run in March.

Four is the youngest a horse can race in a point, due to their age and immaturity they receive a generous weight allowance from the older horses, as do mares, so a four-year-old filly will carry a stone less than a five-year-old gelding in the same Maiden race, an important thing to note before placing your bet as weight will make all the difference in a close finish.

One youngster we have is a smart little bay filly who is not yet named. The owner is still deliberating between which of his favourite holiday destinations to name her after. Expecting St Kitts or Sardinia, I was slightly surprised with his initial suggestion of Southport (unavailable, it seems, so look out for Blackpool or St Anne's appearing shortly on a course near you).

She is a proper madam and I hit the deck more times than I can remember when we broke her in, but now under saddle she is impeccably behaved, I don't mind a slight quirk or two – it usually means they have fighting spirit if it is channelled the right way.

Education of young stock is a long and patient process involving schooling on the flat to ensure balance and rhythm are established, then weeks of stamina work. I do plenty of loose jumping in my sand pen and indoor school at this stage with them all. It is important for youngsters to know how to jump without relying on a rider – in a race there can be 14 horses in front and around you to distract both horse and rider and when going into a 4ft 8in chase fence while travelling at speeds of 25 miles an hour, I need to know my horse is a natural jumper.

Anyone who has seen my nose will know I am pretty well-practised at soil sampling by now – but I still don't like it much.

Hunting is an important part of the horse's preparation work for racing. I like taking older horses out especially as it seems to put a spring back in their step and revitalise old enthusiasm. The Pendle Forest are the pack I qualify the Pointers with, a very sociable crew who enjoy the sport, the gossip and the liquid refreshment.

This year has been testing, with so many meets called

off due to snow or ice and water- logged land, unfortunate for us all and difficult for the huntsman, but it has put me on a backward step with some of the horses I'd hoped to be ready and perked up to go racing full of enthusiasm.

Let's hope a New Year allows us opportunity to catch up now time is of the essence. Pointing in summer would be so much easier!

Jo Foster is based at Brookleigh Farm, Menston, West Yorkshire