THERE aren’t many photographs of Phine Banks and her sister Abs running around as children – they are mainly of them on horseback.

Phine – short for Josephine - is a leading lady point to point jockey and doesn’t actually know when she first sat on a horse but she was probably barely walking. “It was easier to put me on a Shetland pony than wheel me about in a push chair. I have been riding ever since,” she says.

The vivacious 26-year-old who lives on a farm near Himbleton is, together with her younger sister and various cousins, part of the latest generation in a very well established Worcestershire point to point dynasty.

She says point to point riding goes back generations in her family and her grandmother Patricia Tollit, affectionately known as Granny, was ladies champion six times and, despite finishing in 1973, held the record number of ladies wins until a few years ago. “She was very good,” says Phine with true admiration.

“It is in our blood and goes back generations in our family. When Granny was racing she was only allowed to race in women only races. Now the women can complete against the men,” says Phine, who mother Christine Banks was also a point to point jockey together with her two sisters. Her aunt Angela Rucker still races.

“We are all passionate about racing. I think it is addictive. It is the best feeling in the world to be galloping around and jumping fences. I like the fact that it is definite. If you win, you win. There is no greater feeling than coming through those finishing posts and winning,” says Phine.

After her early introduction to life in the saddle, Phine, who competes in point to point races every weekend of the season from the end of November until early May, graduated to the Pony Club where she did area competitions in show jumping, dressage and eventing.

She also did a tetrathlon once – riding, running, swimming and shooting – but says she wasn’t a good enough runner to do it regularly. However, running is part of her fitness regime now – together with cycling and rowing. Point to point jockeys have to be very fit and also keep their weight under control to compete at Phine’s level.

It’s a very physical sport with the constant risk of injuries and accidents. You have to control a horse running at 35mph and not fall off. “It is a whole body exercise and if you are not fit enough, you are not safe.”

Phine has had one or two falls resulting in a broken collar bone, a fractured metatarsal and some painful bruising. She considers she’s been lucky when other riders suffer much more serious injuries and have even been trampled after a fall.

Phine has been competing for 10 years and, while she is completely committed to doing the best she can in her sport, she makes it absolutely clear it is a hobby – even if it is an all consuming hobby requiring total commitment.

She is equally passionate about her work. She always knew she wanted to go to university and did pure chemistry at Bristol University before getting a job in scientific research in Salisbury. In those days she was living away from home in the week and travelling back at weekends for her point to pointing. The races she enters are anything up to four hours drive from Himbleton so she was doing a lot of miles.

Now, based at home, she works for Anatune, a company making and supplying instrumentation for laboratories. Although she does a lot of travelling for work, she is able to balance life in and out of the saddle. And she can also be found helping out on the farm in the lambing season. Her mother and Granny, now aged 84, run the farm which has in the region of 350 sheep, beef cattle and Granny’s small suckler herd.

A day at the point to point when Phine and Abs – short for Abigail - are racing is a real family day out. Phine, Abs, mum and Granny, together with two large kit bags and up to three of their seven Springer Spaniel working dogs pile into the car and set off.

“We are all passionate about racing. The dogs love it,” says Phine. “They walk the course with us before the racing starts.”

It’s an expensive hobby and she genuinely appreciates the contribution her sponsor Worcester estate agent Halls make towards some of the costs.

She and Abs go as far afield as Cambridgeshire, Wales and Yorkshire although many of the meetings like Chaddesley Corbett in north Worcestershire and Bitterley near Ludlow are obviously a lot closer. The horses they ride are selected for each course depending upon the length of the races and the ground conditions.

“They all have particular distances they are better over,” she says. “Some are very long distance horses and some are better over shorter distances. Some of them love the mud and some love it much firmer.”

It is completely obvious the dogs and horses are a central part of the family as Phine greets her own horse Horsham Lad, otherwise known as Murray, like a dear friend. The feeling is clearly mutual.

He has been out of action this season due to an injury but she is hoping his recovery will be complete for her to race him next season.

Phine admits her best season was last year when she qualified to compete at Cheltenham Racecourse in the Hunter Chase event. She rode Invisible Man (owned by Granny) and finished second in her race.

“It was the best thing ever,” she enthuses. “I never thought I would get a chance to ride there and for him to run such a good race was brilliant.”

And if riding at Cheltenham – the cream of the national hunt venues – is the pinnacle of her point to point career, does she have any more ambitions?

“There is always a drive to get better and have better results. I would love to be able to go back to Cheltenham and get a win there.” I certainly wouldn’t bet against it!

In stark contrast - during the occasional moments when Phine is not working, riding, training, mucking out horses and helping on the farm – she likes to turn her hand to cookery and particularly baking. Her highly decorated birthday and wedding cakes are legendary among her family and friends. There’s certainly never a dull moment in her life!