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To me the Staf Van Reet pigeons that came out of Bert Hessions loft were best the UK has ever seen for winning big National, Classic and Combine races from 200-400 miles. He turned many fanciers into champions ie Rod Baxter, Alwyn Hill, Gary Downing, Ian Stafford, Mr Mrs Emberson, Jimmy and Sue Dickens etc etc. I bought his pigeon in 1999 and they won from the 1st race and showed me just how good pigeons could be!!!!

I paid bert around 1700 pounds for pigeons, unfortunately for me i split with the misses in 2003 and was stupid enough to sell the birds at auction, they made over 30,000 pounds!!!!!!!

I regret it every day despite the money!!!!! I feel somedays like i lost children i would never let that happen again!!

Stuart Wilcox

Stu

You should have kept the Van Reets and sold the misses at an auction  

Agree with your SVR thoughts, our small contingent we have originated from the first imports, they have been very successful for us , more so once we get over 200 miles, even had an 11th Open SNFC Vire with a SVR

Chris

                                  BUSSCHAERTS

Stuart,

Gary Downing had only one Hession Van Reet in his clearance sale - but I'll agree it was a damn good one! (The Hession Hen).

Gary's loft was at least half Jim Smith FVW and these provided many of his winners!

What a nonsense - there are only few great pigeons and thousands of poor ones regardless of the strain.

the van reets are awsome

awe some of the van reets are rubish too a champion pigeon is hard to come by irrespective of what breed, if one so called " breed" was better than another, surely it would show up in the one loft futirity races

1 ,Most people have more than one type of bird in their loft ,which end up being bred to that person's likes and dislike's (we don't allways make the right decision ) .
2 ,All the great's freely admit to having birds from different sources .

     So when does a family of birds become  a FifeKing pigeon or a Jimmy white pigeon and go down on the pedigree as that ???

     Because whether we like it or not , pedigree's are probably the most unreliable bit's of paper on the planet ! ha ha    

buschearts (37 votes)  34.26%

janssens (29 votes)  26.85%

staf van reets (16 votes)  14.81%

kirkpatricks (7 votes)  6.48%

van loon (7 votes)  6.48%

van wildermeersh (5 votes)  4.63%

vandenabeele (4 votes)  3.70%

jan aarden (3 votes)  2.78%

That's interesting. Pigeons are but pigeons, and George Buschearts shows that it is the 'Stockmen's' sence and natural racing abilty that is indeed the winners.
Have a friend that dominates the fed at middle to the farthest. Buschearts... have stood the test of time, mongrols all of them. And that is the art breeding a Pigeon to a Pigeon. Regardless of pedigrees. And not related birds are far superior of course... linebred, but not INbred.

The best pigeons are the first ones home every week regardless of (strain). If you get down to basics all pigeons are crossbreds and have been for years as it isa well knowm fact all the top breeders borrow or buy top birds from other winners to blend into their own family.

Dont think a strain means anything besides a lot of the foreign birds are crosses anyway good birds to good birds irrespective of their strain

Good Posts Shadow and Rose, agree 100%
Amazes me when one reads of the Cross that the Master brought to be crossed by that produce. and then that of cuase is the owners Strain, quite rightly too as Buscheart said! And so be it, paper flies, and some times a paper bag could win a a blow home race, but when the flaps are up, it's the pigeon, and what the fancier may or may not have done that counts. not the paper pedigree to sale on any...

i personely like the janssens because most pigeons now days all go back to the janssens any way 1 way or another. they r good reliable birds that will fly 80 to 450 miles no problem and win all your nationals classics combins feds clubs that is a good family of pigeons, but because there are so many out there its very hard to get the write 1s and pure.

the best in the uk is the first one at the post

well i have Van reets ,Braspenning's and boshneid flyers and jones bro's birds in my loft.This year i have paired how i wanted to ive crossed several breeds to each other and there now my breed.Simple as that.If i win anything or produce a champion pigeon i wont be saying its a van reet cross Jansen i will be saying its a Ronnie Dazzler.Just looking forward to reading the louella pigeon world advert .Ronnie Dazzler's young birds now available all bred from direct Ronnie Dazzler stock.

not a bobby dazzler

Regardless of all the hyped up strain names, and there are new fashionable ones each and every year, there are only two types of pigeons, GOOD ONES AND BAD ONES! Pedigrees are only as good as the person that is writing them!

Here in the Philippines the very dominant breeds for long distances are Jannsens, Van den broucke, joss thone and some CHINESE fanciers who name their breed from their SURNAMES.... Rey So... Paquito Ngo... Paul Ung to name a few. But still we know that they were crossed from some Old Englis line...


batusai!

I lived in Belgium from 1970 to 1974. My job was to manage the SHAPE Office of OSECY from 5 p.m. till 8 a.m. the following morning, two nights a week, and I was allowed to sleep from midnight until 0500 the following morning, so I had every day free !   In those days I usually toured Belgium, visiting winning fancier's lofts.  I met, and was made welcome by hundreds of fanciers, including many famous names like Raymond Cobut, Leo Coudou, Willy Clerebaut, Henri Van Neste, Julian Matthys de Vichte, Georges Busschaert, Jules Gallez, Senator Lahaye, Dominic Roelandt, Van Biervliet, (both 1st Barcelona winners) Daisy Slots, Charlie Lapaige, Maurice Delbar, Pierre Dordin and scores of other famous names.  I learned a hell of a lot from them, and handled thousands of bloody good pigeons, which included many, many real Aces.  I dined at Georges Busschaerts' table on several occasions, and though he was not reckoned (in Belgium) to be anyone in particular, the men he bought whole rounds of YBs from (at £20 or BF2,000 each) were names of note. Gilbert, Nachtergaele, and others.  That is where Georges Busschaert bought his name, and fame, for he was a born stockman and knew that what he was buying was the goods.   Others, like Pierre Dordin did the same thing, but he bought only Blues or Mealies, Busschaert bought any colour so long as they came from good racing stock.  I was the man George Busschaert made his now famous statement to, when I asked him how could he call these birds (40 YBs to a crate) "Busschaerts" when they came from lofts all over Courtrai and environs. He answered "Whose rings are they wearing?  Whose loft are they in?" and when I answered him with "Yours" he then answered with a large, satisfied smile, "Then they're Busschaerts"  The twin Coussemont Brothers who had been to fetch those YBs home smiled, and hefted them out of the Van without comment!

Nice to hear Bilco. But he has some records still unsurpassed in Belguim I believe...