THE ELIMAR INTERVIEW
HUUB HERMANS
of Born, Holland
Huub and Diana
Huub came into contact with the sport of pigeon racing at the age of 5; he sat on a small bench and waited for the pigeons of his neighbour, Pierre de Bruijn, to arrive from their races. When his neighbour passed away in 1977, the Hermans family built a small loft in their own courtyard and Huub became a member of P.D.V. de Adelaar at his residence in Born.
During the annual organized youth show of the C.L.B. v. P. in 1982, Huub won two pigeon orders from the champion lofts of Thei Bours from Elsloo and Lei Zinken from Sittard. Both these fanciers gave him a couple of brilliant pigeons and almost his entire loft was founded on them.
Thei Bours and Huub developed a very special friendship and still every year Huub gets more pigeons from Thei, so it’s not so strange that almost Huub’s complete loft is built on the pigeons off Thei. From this grandmaster, Huub has offspring from almost all 25 provincial winners. Thei has also provided Huub with lots of advice and good counselling throughout the years.
In more recent years he has housed several brothers and sisters of Natascha, the best pigeon on the middle distance of the Netherlands in '96 (also Olympic pigeon Basel '97). Natascha was a full sister of Ricardo, 4th best pigeon on the middle distance of the Netherlands in '96. Ricardo went on to be one of the super breeders in the loft of Mike Ganus of the United States.
In 2007 and 2008, Huub bought several direct pigeons from Pieter Veenstra, such as three half-sisters and one half-brother of Mr Blue, a direct son and daughter of Prima Donna, the nest brother of Davinci and four direct children of Mr Blue, seven grandchildren of Kleine Dirk (G & C Koopman) and seven grandchildren of Kannibaal (Dirk van Dijck). The first breeding products of those last lines have been excellent, when you see the results of them.
Although Huub at 47 years of age is a young fancier in the sport, he has been active with pigeons for a long time. It’s impossible for him to look after all the pigeons by himself as he has got a full-time job as a network-administrator at the municipality Leudal. Without his wife Diana and his mother Mientje, who lives at the same address, it would never have been possible to become such a successful fancier as he is now. So it can be said that the Hermans family is in it completely!
Elimar caught up with Huub recently and asked him a series of questions. Here’s what he had to say.
Which races do you target?
My targets are the flights between the 350 km and 800 km.
With this in mind, which bloodlines form the base of your loft?
80% Louis Van Loon, 15% Veenstra and 5% Dirk van Dijck for the normal distance. For the long distance (flights above 850 km) Jan Theelen, Jan Corstjens and Wil Cramers.
Which individual pigeons are proving to be your key breeders and racers?
These are the NL 98-1658015 Super 015, NL 04-1176006 Super 006 and the NL 05-1731421 Blue Magic.
When sourcing your base pigeons, what attracted you to them?
Good body and eye-sign with very good wings.
Have you evolved a particular type or line most suited to your methods?
The middle one-day flight pigeons between 350 and 800 km. And more especially the stronger flights with warm weather and headwinds.
How much emphasis do you put on motivation, and with this in mind what methods do you adopt?
My motivation is good contact with the pigeons and good motivation between the pigeons. They must have a very strong feeling for their loft.
How has your approach to feeding changed over the years and what feed do you now favour?
The racing cocks always have plenty because they are flying each week in ompetition. The hens are fed less, only receiving more and better food in the last day and a half.
Have you found any supplements of benefit?
I don’t give any special supplement to my pigeons with feeding.
What medication, if any, do your birds receive?
Every three to four weeks something against trichominase with a capsule after the flights. My pigeons will be vaccinated every year against parathypus, combi paramyxo/herpes and pox. For the rest of the products I am giving some natural products off my vet Peter Boskamp (Beek), such as Boni-SGR and Sambucca.
What balance do you strike between workload (home exercise, training and racing) and rest when preparing a bird for its main target?
Because I am working during the week I cannot bring the racing pigeons away during the week for training. Only the youngsters are taken once a week by my wife. The widow cocks are exercised twice a day and the racing hens only in the evening for an hour and a half hour. The youngsters will be exercised every day for around 1 hour each time.
How do you get a pigeon to peak?
With good health, training and especially motivation.
Describe, if you can, how your birds handle at basketing time when in top form.
When they are in top-form they feel very good in the hand, round and sometimes warm, and they are not too heavy but you feel very good muscles on them.
How great a bond do you have with your pigeons?
The contact between my pigeons and me and my wife are normal.
How much emphasis do you put on loft design?
I made myself it myself with the help of friends, with no glass and in the front a lot of fresh air.
Which fancier has influenced you most, in the way in which you fly your pigeons?
My teacher is Thei Bours from Elsloo in the Netherlands. He was in the eighties and in the nineties one of the best pigeon players of the Netherlands. I have weekly contact with him on a very good friendly basis. Also I did receive some Van Loons off him in the eighties and the nineties and all for free. In the last ten years as Thei has become older, I have given him youngsters off my better pigeons for his breeding loft.
Huud, Diana and Saskia
Who do rate most highly of today’s fanciers?
In the Netherlands I have now very good contact with Pieter Veenstra. He has been one of the best players from the Netherlands in the last 5 years. I have some very good pigeons off him such as four children of his Mr Blue and children off Prima Donna. They are both National Ace Pigeons in the Netherlands.
Please give the readers the most memorable results that you have achieved.
My best memorable result is from Bordeaux 834 km. With only 2 pigeons in the race, I won 2nd and 4th National. Also I have always been between the 1st and 5th General Champion of Limburg (3000 fanciers) in the last 15 years.
What are your future ambitions?
My ambition is to become more famous on a national level in the day-flights from 500 to 800 km, and also a name more famous all over the world. Also I will try to work fewer hours and spend more time on my pigeons because I am sure if I did have more time during the week for my pigeons, I could be the National Champion of the Netherlands.
And finally here are some of Huub’s top results.
National TOP 50 Results 2009-2012:
2e and 8e Nat. Afdeling 4 Chateauroux 556 km – 6261 pgn. in 2012
3e and 42e Nat. Afdeling 4 Argenton 586 km – 4125 pgn. in 2010
6e and 7e Nat. Bordeaux 832 km – 12.987 pgn. in 2011
6e and 22e Nat. Afdeling 4 Blois 502 km – 2036 pgn. in 2010
6e and 31e National Blois 502 Km – 33.709 pgn. in 2010
7e and 8e Nat. Afdeling 4 Chateauroux 556 km – 2528 pgn. in 2010
7e Nat. Afdeling 4 Bergerac 793 km – 3006 pgn. in 2012
8e Nat. Sezanne 298 km – 15.123 pgn. in 2012
8e Nat. Afdeling 4 Cahors 829 km – 2273 pgn. in 2011
11e Nat. Afdeling 4 Pithiviers 409 km – 4575 pgn. in 2009
17e and 53e Nat. Afdeling 4 Bordeaux 832 km – 3639 pgn. in 2010
18e and 28e Nat. Afdeling 4 Orleans 447 km – 4158 pgn. in 2012
19e Nat. Afdeling 4 Sens 365 km – 4411 pgn. in 2009
19e and 42e Nat. Afdeling 4 Bourges 504 km – 10375 pgn. in 2012
22e Nat. Afdeling 4 Orleans 447 km – 3896 pgn. in 2009
22e National Marseille 882 km ZLU in 2009
24e Nat. Afdeling 4 Tarbes 972 km – 2358 pgn. in 2010
24e Nat. Afdeling 4 Bergerac 793 km – 3443 pgn. in 2011
27e Nat. Afdeling 4 Cahors 829 km – 3705 pgn. in 2009
28e National Bordeaux 832 Km – 18.023 pgn. in 2009
34e Nat. Afdeling 4 Poitiers 636 km – 2182 prg. in 2012
36e and 70e National Bordeaux 832 Km – 13.937 pgn. in 2012
39e Nationaal Chateauroux 556 km – 32.719 pgn. in 2009
43e Nat. Afdeling 4 La Souteraine 621 km – 2894 prg. in 2012
46e National Bordeaux 832 Km – 13.336 pgn. in 2010
In the last 9 Years: 65 1st Prices in MLS ’04 (125 Fanciers)
In 2012:
2nd and 4th Ace-pigeon Old pigeons All flights MLS '04
1st, 3th and 4th Ace-pigeon Yearling pigeons All flights MLS '04
1th and 4th Ace-pigeon One Day Flights MLS '04
2nd Ace-pigeon Long Day flights MLS ‘04
1th General champion long one-day flights 1st pigeon MLS '04
1th General champion long one-day flights first 2 pigeons MLS '04
2nd General Champion MLS '04
1e General champion one-day flights onaangewezen District 8
1e General champion one-day flights aangewezen District 8
2e Ace-pigeon Yearlings Long Day-flights Wefo Limburg
2e Ace-pigeon Yearlings Havens Competition Long Distance Wefo Limburg
7th General overall Champion Afdeling Limburg (in one weekend Unikon-system defect otherwise within the first three places)
5 times 1st Prize in MLS '04
In 2011:
1e Loft-Championship One Day Long Distance (650 km - 850 km) Limburg-Totaal
3e, 9e and 19e Ace-pigeon One Day Long Distance (650 km - 850 km) Limburg-Totaal
2nd Loft-Championship One Day Flights (500 - 650 km ) Limburg-Totaal
1th an 2nd Ace-pigeon All flights MLS '04
1th, 3th and 4th Ace-pigeon One Day Flights MLS '04
1th General champion long one-day flights 1st pigeon MLS '04
1th General champion long one-day flights first 2 pigeons MLS '04
2nd Ace-pigeon long one-day flights (650 km - 850 km) MLS '04
5th Ace-pigeon Youngsters 1th Tour MLS '04
1th Ace-pigeon Late Youngsters MLS '04
2nd General Champion MLS '04
1e General champion one day flights onaangewezen District 8
1e General champion one-day flights aangewezen District 8
1e General champion long one-day flights District 8
1e Ace-pigeon Late Youngsters District 8
1e Keizer Eendaagse Fond Wefo Limburg
2e Champion Runnercup Wefo Limburg
2e Ace-pigeon Long Day-flights Wefo Limburg
2e and 5e Ace-pigeon Yearlings Havens Competition Long Distance Wefo Limburg
2e General overall Champion AfdelingLimburg
3e General loftchampion one day flights Afdeling Limburg
3e General loftchampion long one-day flights Afdeling Limburg
3e and 6e Ace-pigeon Yearlings Long Distance Afdeling Limburg
5e, 12e and 27e Ace-pigeon Long Day-flights Afdeling Limburg
8 times 1st Price in MLS '04
In 2010:
1e Ace-pigeon Middle distance District 8 Midden Limburg
2e Ace-pigeon All flights MLS '04
2e Ace-pigeon One Day flights MLS '04
1e General champion Long Distance 1st pigeon MLS '04
1e General champion Long Distance 2 1st pigeons MLS '04
2e General champion Long Distance 2 1st pigeons Limburg
5e General champion Afdeling Limburg (2800 fanciers)
6 times 1st price in MLS ‘04
In 2009:
7 x 1e Price in MLS '04 and 5 x 1e Price in District 8
3e General Champion Samenspel MLS '04 (135 fanciers)
3e General champion one-day flights District Midden Limburg
3e General champion all flights District Midden Limburg
4e General champion Afdeling Limburg (3000 fanciers)
Elimar - March 2013
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