Racing Pigeons – The Winning Goals
There are some sports people play for fun and some for keeping themselves healthy. Pigeon racing is an interesting sport that people play for enjoyment in many countries today. It is an addictive sport. It is believed that this sport is as old as 2000 years but gained real popularity in Belgium in the mid 19th century. The pigeon fanciers got so impacted by this hobby that they have started to develop the bird for the purpose. This is when the cultivation of the pigeons started for long duration stamina and faster flights. “Voyageurs” as these racing pigeons were called and the racing got spread all over the world gradually. In this game the racing pigeons are released from a specific point for a carefully calculated distance until they come back home. To determine the winner, it is calculated that which bird has taken the least time to return home. To measure the timings accurately many instruments have been developed over the years. Sometimes, the races are lost or won on a difference of seconds.
Many people breed or domesticate pigeons for the purpose of racing but all of them are not successful in participating or winning the pigeon races. It becomes frustrating for them after some time and they tend to give up on the birds and the sport. One should remember that there is no one perfect way in pigeon racing the way things are done. Sometimes, the races are lost or won on a difference of seconds. To prepare birds for racing it recommended that one should give regular attention to their birds and be gentle and kind to them. This way pigeons will trust you and become daring which is very important in this sport. Try and not over work or burn them with hard training schedules. It is a proven fact over the years that good health is the key to winning the race. So keep few and keep good is the formula. Try and avoid breeding same bird again and again for pedigree gains. It is expensive and without good results. Racing Homer is a breed of pigeons which is bred for the high velocity flying and commonly used in pigeon racing. They are called “homer” because they also have this inherent ability of recognizing the path of returning home after flying over strange areas.
Every one wants to win especially when it is a competition. But to win a pigeon race you should have patience. Train your birds over and over again with strong trapping system and go for 10-15 mile short tosses. Spend quality time with your pigeons, that makes them intelligent and close to you; and for an intelligent pigeon it is not difficult to find the home back after racing and also adjust to tough flying conditions.
There are various champions and gurus of the pigeon racing sport who has contributed a lot for the use of new entrants. Before you want to become a professional racer you should apprise yourself of certain basics. This comprises of the stock selection, the breeding, health and nutrition of the birds, training and conditioning of pigeons and last but not the least the case studies in important for racing pigeons.
