03/29/2026
From Irish church steeples to Loudoun County — the story of the Point-to-Point 🏇
The race you're coming to watch on April 19 has roots stretching back over 270 years. Here's the story.
It started in Ireland in 1752, when two gentlemen settled a bet by racing their horses cross-country — starting at one church steeple and finishing at another. The race was wild, the terrain was unpredictable, and the sport was born. They called it steeplechasing.
By the 19th century, point-to-point races had taken hold in England as a way to keep hunt horses fit during the off-season... Each hunt club held its own race, ridden entirely by amateurs. The horses were the same ones used for fox hunting. The riders were members of the hunt. It was a celebration of the season — and a very competitive one.
Fox hunting and steeplechasing came to America with the Irish and English settlers who put down roots along the eastern seaboard. Even before the Civil War, recognized race meetings were being held in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson met in sporting competition over fences. The tradition was woven into the fabric of Virginia from the very beginning.
Point-to-point racing took root in the 19th century in the United States, mainly in fox-hunting country along the Atlantic coast, precisely the landscape of Loudoun County. The sport's first footholds were in Long Island, Maryland, Virginia, and eastern Pennsylvania, and it never really left.
The Loudoun Hunt has been part of that tradition since 1967. For over 50 years, the Point-to-Point has brought that heritage to life each spring — amateur riders, thoroughbred horses, and a course that demands everything from both.
On April 19, you're not just watching a horse race. You're watching 270 years of history run.
🎟️ Tickets from $40 → eventlist.store/loudounhunt/tickets
📅 Sunday, April 19 | ⏰ Gates open 10am | 📍 Morven Park, Leesburg VA
