While the youth usually come knocking at the door cautiously, Bob Ringoet forcefully kicked the gate to success open not so long ago! The number of provincial and national top placements continues to grow each year, despite his extremely small colony: a testament to the fact that quality has solid roots with Bob!
How it Began
Even as a teenager, Bob showed interest in pigeons; at his grandfather's, there were peacock tails that Bob bred in a greenhouse converted into a pigeon loft. At the neighbors’ (Noyon players Patrick Sichin and the late Victor Sichin), racing pigeons flew around the loft, which he kept a close watch on. As a complete novice without any pigeon background in the family, he bought a small 2m x 2m loft from BAKA and picked up about 10 pigeons at the market in Lier. Bob: "I remember sending those little pigeons to Quiévrain and not one of them ever returned; I had no idea that a pigeon had to be trained." The medical assistance and know-how regarding care were also lacking, which led to the pigeons becoming ill. A nasty memory.
The gun was switched from shoulder to shoulder, and Bob approached a few local pigeon fanciers who later became friends. Here he gained the necessary tips and know-how to continue his career as a pigeon fancier. For about five years, Bob continued playing with the little loft, and each year he gained a bit more experience in managing the pigeons. However, due to the combination of school and the associated costs that come with raising pigeons, Bob quit at the age of 18.
Restart
In 2018, this old passion was revived after an unfortunate incident on the football field. The pigeon virus had never left Bob, and one hobby was traded for another. Now, a real start was made with a few learning moments from his childhood already in his backpack.
Pigeons were obtained (see pedigree) from the right people, and already in 2019, against all expectations, a 1st prize on Noyon against 776 young pigeons in Het Land van Aalst, one of the best locales in Belgium, followed. This pigeon comes from ‘baseline II’ and proved to be a precursor to what was to come. Many brothers, sisters, and other descendants have since flown top 10 prizes. The parents are still paired annually and can also be found in the pedigree of 2 of the 5 pigeons offered.
Other beautiful results followed, and since 2020, Bob has consistently ranked at the top of the ace pigeon competitions in the strong club 'Land van Aalst'. In 2021, he became the overall king of long-distance young pigeons. Subsequently, both provincial and national classifications followed. The results in the various championships are detailed further on.
Pedigree
Pigeons from Dany Leus (Herzele), Erauw José (Berlare), and David Vermassen (Gavere) form the current common thread throughout the main pairs in the breeding loft. Combining these lines turned out to be successful. A hen from the Erwin De Grauwe breed and a male pigeon from the late Rudy Kerre have also contributed to the successful breeding. These pigeons have been housed in the lofts for some time. In 2022, he acquired 2 pigeons from Frederik De Wolf, and the crossbreeding with these pigeons seems to be successful as well.
Focus on Racing Young Pigeons
At Ringoet's place, the focus is primarily on young pigeons; however, in recent years, some hens have also been retained and raced among the young birds. The pigeons are raced on both the small and large middle distance but also fly well on Noyon, as evidenced by several beautiful victories both locally and in the federation.
Racing System with Young Pigeons
The date for pairing the breeding pigeons varies. Bob primarily looks at the pigeons themselves: “When the pigeons show that they are ready and shine in their feathers, they are paired together, usually at the end of November - beginning of December.”
The vaccinations are applied as follows: 6 weeks after weaning, paramyxo, herpes, and rota for the first time this year; otherwise, it was just paramyxo, but he does not regret his choice to vaccinate more and will maintain this in the future. Pox are treated with a brush. The young are darkened from the end of March to June 21, which is no small feat to manage precisely; if possible, his mom or wife does this when he has the late shift - "thank you!!" From July onwards, supplemental lighting is provided.
The training of the young birds often involves free training and not every day. Bob: “I don’t always see them flying due to work commitments, which is why I opt to take them myself once the season starts, so I am sure of their flown kilometers. The last 2 years have been a recovery move to get rid of the training backlog; I hope that with now one round, this will change. However, I am convinced of the beneficial effect of sending pigeons out. I am also in favor of challenging the pigeons at the beginning of the season (once they are well trained). By this, I mean: daring to send them out even in (for some) unfavorable conditions like hot weather. This always comes with losses, but I have seen for several years that those who withstand this are at the front in the rankings later in the season. I start training at 1 km and ideally, they should be sent away at least 8 times before going to Quiévrain.”
Once the young birds are on the flights, they are raced using the sliding door, and as extra motivation, corners are created that the pigeons can use at their discretion.
Current Highlight
On the national flight from Argenton, Bob’s “Astra” achieved an impressive performance. Against 1,787 yearlings and old pigeons, she secured the 3rd national prize. In addition to this national award, Astra also won the 1st provincial prize (344 pigeons) and the 1st zonal prize (222 pigeons), making her stand out even more.
The name 'Astra' means 'Star', and that's not without reason. In the past two years, this yearling hen has proven that she is one of the top pigeons in Bob's loft. With an impressive record, in which she has finished in the top 10 multiple times, Astra has become a mainstay in Bob's pigeon colony.
Astra's Achievements:
- 3rd Noyon (201d Club)
- 2nd Noyon (2,827 pigeons, after loft mate)
- 1st Noyon (305d Club)
- 1st Toury (92d Club)
- 3rd Argenton (1,787d National)
- 1st Argenton (344d Provincial)
- 1st Argenton (222d National Zone)
Championships
- 16th NATIONAL CHAMPION HEAVY MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2024
- PROVINCIAL CHAMPION HEAVY MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2024
- 10th PROVINCIAL ACE PIGEON HEAVY MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2024
- 25th NATIONAL ACE PIGEON SMALL MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2024
- 6th PROVINCIAL ACE PIGEON SMALL MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2024
- 4th and 7th PROVINCIAL ACE PIGEON SMALL MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2023
- 5th PROVINCIAL ACE PIGEON HEAVY MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2023
- 14th NATIONAL ACE PIGEON SMALL MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2022
- 44th NATIONAL CHAMPION SMALL MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2022
- 4th PROVINCIAL ACE PIGEON SMALL MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2022
- 6th PROVINCIAL CHAMPION SMALL MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2022
- 8th PROVINCIAL ACE PIGEON HEAVY MIDDLE DISTANCE YOUNG 2022
Overview Local Championships 2024 Young Pigeons
Middle Distance:
- 4th overall champion
- 3rd champion most prizes
- 2nd champion most prizes 1+2+3
- 3rd champion most prizes 1+2
- 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th ace pigeon middle distance
- 10th points competition
- 7th most prizes per ten 4EA Hafo-Dender 12 prizes
- 6th, 7th, 13th, 33rd, and 40th Super ace pigeons Hafo-Dender most prizes per ten (6-5-5-4-4)
- 1st, 13th, 32nd, and 38th Ace pigeons Hafo-Dender 4 best prizes
Long Distance Young:
- 3rd champion most prizes small circumference (4th large circumference)
- 1st overall king 1+2 small + large circumference
- 1st champion most prizes 1+2+3+4 small + large circumference
- 1st champion most prizes 1+2+3 small + large circumference
- 2nd champion most prizes 1st issued small + large circumference
- 3rd ace pigeon long distance young small circumference, 3rd and 5th ace pigeon large circumference
- 2nd points competition large circumference
- 5th champion most prizes 1+2 FCD
- 7th, 14th, 15th,.. ace pigeon FCD
- 18th PIPA Champions League large middle distance – young
- 59th Best young pigeon in the Belgian middle distance races – 5 races
Overview Local Championships 2023 Young Pigeons
Middle Distance:
- 2nd champion most prizes
- 1st champion most prizes 1+2+3
- 1st champion most prizes 1+2
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ace pigeon middle distance
- 4th points competition
- 1st champion most prizes per ten 4EA Hafo-Dender with 13 prizes
- 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 36th super ace pigeon Hafo-Dender most prizes per ten (5-5-4-3)
- 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 19th, 20th, 30th, and 39th ace pigeon Hafo-Dender 4 best prizes
Long Distance Young:
- 5th champion most prizes
- 6th champion most prizes 1+2
- 5th champion most prizes 1+2+3+4
- 7th champion 1+2+3 LVA
- 8th champion most prizes 1st issued
- 1st ace pigeon long distance young
- 2nd ace pigeon FCD
Overview Local Championships 2022 Young Pigeons
Middle Distance:
- 3rd champion most prizes
- 3rd champion most prizes 1+2+3
- 2nd champion most prizes 1+2
- 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th ace pigeon middle distance
- 3rd most prizes per ten 4EA Hafo-Dender
- 1st super ace pigeon most prizes per ten Hafo Dender with 7 prizes
- 1st, 8th, 16th, 20th ace pigeon Hafo-Dender
Long Distance Young:
- 4th champion most prizes
- 6th champion most prizes 1+2
- 1st champion most prizes 1+2+3+4
- 4th champion most prizes 1+2+3
- 1st champion most prizes 1st issued
- 1st, 3rd, 6th ace pigeon long distance young
- 1st ace pigeon FCD
Some References
- Deolet Freddy (Zele)
- achieved ace pigeon among the young pigeons and ace pigeon among the yearlings in the VNVB from a direct male pigeon from Bob.
- Patrick Sichin (Berlare)
- achieved ace pigeon young pigeons Noyon 2021 from a direct hen.
- Dany Leus (Herzele)
- played this year 2 Nat.Z.Bourges with a young from an exceptional hen of Bob and secured 5th Super ace pigeon Hafo-Dender with a purchased ticket in 2024.