HUYSKENS-VAN RIELS IN AMERICA: 50 YEARS & STILL WINNING
Title
HUYSKENS-VAN RIELS IN AMERICA: 50 YEARS & STILL WINNING
Description
It is hard to believe that the HVR'S have been in the USA for 50 years. Mr. Paul Veegaete of Michigan introduced the first HVR'S in the early 1950's. (EXAMPLE "SEE BREEDING LIST TAIWAN SECTION OF THIS SITE") - Breeding list published
HUYSKENS-VAN RIELS IN AMERICA: 50 YEARS & STILL WINNING
By: Bob Prisco
It is hard to believe that the HVR'S have been in the USA for 50 years. Mr. Paul Veegaete of Michigan introduced the first HVR'S in the early 1950's. (EXAMPLE "SEE BREEDING LIST TAIWAN SECTION OF THIS SITE") - Breeding list published by Paul Veegaete offering young birds from the 16 pairs of imports.
Price of young birds $30 per pair, and a kit of 8 for $100. You could purchase the imports for under $50 each.)
This is just a small example of the quality of birds Mr. Veegaete introduced to the American fanciers at a very reasonable price. The HVR'S came to America with a great reputation. They were exceptional birds because they were able to fly 100 - 600 miles with great success, while possessing the speed and endurance to achieve outstanding results in all different types of weather and conditions. They adjusted well to flying the "Natural system", a system that most American fanciers flew at that time, although they raced on the "Widowhood system" in Belgium. Many of the fanciers in America were conditioned to train their birds hard and long everyday. The Sions, Bastins, Stassarts, Hansenne, Trentons, Havenith, Wegge, Osman and Gurnay families were the common families in the USA at the time, and the fanciers needed to train the birds hard to keep them in condition. Many times they would train 75-100 miles everyday and race on the weekends. The HVR'S were just the opposite. They needed light training during the week, but they would fly every week at all distances with no problems. Many American fanciers did not have the great success they anticipated from the famous HVR'S because they over trained the birds during the week and treated them like the old strains with hard and long training tosses. Many American fanciers were quick to condemn the birds, eliminate them and go back to the old strains with which they had success in the past. However, there were several fanciers in the USA that had great success with the HVR'S. They trained them lightly during the week, raced them every week and won many large prizes and "National Awards". It was not until many years later that the secret of the HVR'S success by these fanciers was known, just loft fly the birds once or twice a day, a few short training tosses of 10-20 miles each week and then send the birds back in the races on the weekends.
Another mistake made by many of the American fanciers that tried to preserve the bloodlines was to inbreed very closely for several generations without really flying and testing the birds in race competition. We know the HVR'S were mostly an inbred family of birds, coming from 2 key pairs. Of these two pairs, BANGE AND BOERINNEKE WERE NESTMATES. There is nothing wrong with inbreeding, but you must continue to keep the best of the inbred birds that fly and breed, like the great partnership of HUYSKENS-VAN RIEL, who developed a family of birds that are still famous and having great success more than 50 years later. Those fanciers that just bred on paper and for pedigrees for several generations without proving the birds, did a great injustice to the famous bloodlines of the key birds on which the Huyskens-Van Riel made their reputation. Also, many fanciers believed that the HVR'S were all dark checkers and blues without any white markings. They continued to breed all dark checkers and culled the white marked birds and blues.
You only need to look at the famous picture of June 26, 1949, results of the LIBOURNE RACE NATIONAL. THIS PICTURED THE 14 BIRDS SENT TO RACE AND THE 14 THAT WON PRIZES. FOUR OF THE BIRDS HAD WHITE MARKINGS THAT WERE VERY NOTICEABLE AND TWO OTHERS HAD A WHITE TIC NEAR THE EYES. Yet, many Americans bred only the self colored birds and said these were the true HVR'S. Another great mistake, along with the paper pedigree breeders.
If the right combination of genes needed for racing are present, you can breed quality birds closely and still race and breed well. However, one must look for the racing performance and breeding qualities in each generation of these closely bred birds, or all can be lost and destroyed in a few years.
It is this authors opinion that the HVR'S ARE THE BEST FAMILY OF BIRDS EVER INTRODUCED INTO AMERICA. They possess the three qualities that are necessary for our racing pigeons success: HEALTH, HOMING INSTINCT AND ADAPTABILITY.
Famous all-around racing pigeons, unlike many of the birds of today only suited for certain distances and conditions, the HVR'S WILL RACE WELL FROM 100-600 MILES. They will be consistently competitive over the long race series, in America 9 races, flying each week. Also, they breed a high percentage of quality birds both straight and crossed. One of the most famous HVR CROSSES was "BUTCH" #259, pictured in "PIGEON SECTION AND ARTICLE IN TAIWAN SECTION OF THIS SITE".
In the reality of Taiwan pigeon racing only an extremely small percentage of racing pigeons are capable of racing competitively, and the HVR'S ARE AMONG THE BEST, PAST AND PRESENT, OVER LAND AND SEA, FOR THE TAIWAN RACING STYLE.
The key traits that distinguish the high quality HVR'S racing pigeons from the typical birds found in most lofts is their enhanced intelligence and vigor. It is my belief that the most important trait of a racing pigeon is its intelligence. Smart pigeons learn loft procedures quickly, do not get lost easily off the loft or in training and know where their loft or home is at all times. A properly trained, healthy, conditioned, motivated, smart pigeon will fly home straight and fast and win the large prizes.
Smart pigeons come in all colors, sizes and shapes, but if you breed for color, size, shape or any other physical trait first, then you are going to lose the intelligence. Many birds and races are lost because fanciers put other qualities before intelligence in the breeding loft.
The American fanciers who have had the greatest success with the HVR'S AND THE HVR'S X WITH OTHER STRAINS all focused on the easily trained, consistent birds, especially those that have been raced hard and rebounded quickly after each race. Smart birds have better capacities to adapt and respond positively to the range of conditions that fanciers impose on them in the loft, and training and race conditions. These fanciers selected smart birds first, with vitality and health, because they are the most important inherent traits of the HVR'S BLOODLINES. The only way to select such birds is to observe their behavior and their racing and breeding records.The great success that the HVR'S AND THEIR CROSSES have had in TAIWAN is due to "NATURAL SELECTION", the process in evolution by which those individuals (RACING PIGEONS) with characteristics that help them to adapt to their specific environment tend to survive and transmit or reproduce those characteristics, while those less able to adapt tend to die out, or in racing just get lost or do not achieve results. The fancier should eliminate those birds that are unable to adapt.
The fancier best achieves the elimination of undesirable genetic qualities and the perpetuation of desirable qualities by selective culling. It would be this fancier's choice to breed from a bird that flies the race series, or a major part of it, and shows its ability to handle the conditions of the race course, in hopes that it will pass on the same desirable characteristics to future generations. Birds will adapt over years to any conditions, whether it be land or sea racing. A fancier should immediately eliminate breeders that produce birds that are lost easily during training or racing. Only breed from birds that have had success under race conditions or bloodlines that have proven themselves under those conditions. When a fancier goes out and buys new birds that have not been proven, most times he moves backward instead of improving his chances to win. HVR'S are associated with success in Taiwan, but just the name and bloodlines are not good enough. We need the birds that have been successful and selected for their racing and breeding ability over the last 50 years. To own and race birds selected for their racing and breeding abilities since the 1950's from these HVR'S means that you have the best of the original imports. (SEE TAIWAN SECTION OF THIS SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HVR)
Many of the famous birds we associate with the greatest HVR'S are mostly cocks, because of the system they used, "widowhood". However, the partners were very proud of their hens. Many of the hens were big winners as young birds and Huyskens-Van Riel were very careful to select the hens that help to produce their champions.
When you consider the small number of HVR'S imported to AMERICA, and the many mistakes the fanciers made while handling and breeding them, the record HVR'S have achieved over the last 50 years is truly outstanding.
HUYSKENS-VAN RIELS IN AMERICA: 50 YEARS & STILL WINNING
