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“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT - 26-02-24

“ON THE ROAD” WITH KEITH MOTT.

Judging at Pigeon Shows

I have been judging at all the top National and Show Society shows for my over 50 years and to be asked to judge ‘Best in Show’ at the British Homing World ‘Blackpool Show’ in 2014  was the crowning glory of all those years doing the job. Back in October 2013 I received a letter from the RPRA, inviting me to judge at the British Homing World ‘Show of the Year’ and it goes without saying I was delighted to except, as I have always loved to do the job and consider it a great honour to be asked. This was my third of six times judging at the premier show in the UK and the previous time I judged was in 2007 when the BBC sent a film crew to the Winter Gardens to film me and Peter Taylor for the ‘Inside Out’ programme. Needless to say, on the night I spent quite some time judging the 29 class winner and needless to say I went through them with a fine tooth comb! From the outset of judging there was only one winner of Best in Show, a wonderful Show Racer red hen and she was medium appled bodied, with good balance and brilliant feather quality. I loved the hen as soon as I picked her out of Pen 4 and from then on she was the one the others had to beat!

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We got up on Saturday morning and after breakfast I was keen to get down to the Winter Gardens to see who owned the red hen and it was finally confirmed that John Robilliard owned that wonderful Show Racer and had won his second Best in Show at the BHW Blackpool Show. I was so delighted to hear that great news as John has given a life time’s work to our sport and deserve every success he has with his wonderful Show Racers. Talking to John after the event, he said, the hen is now called ‘Rocquaine Queen’ and she won as a young bird, and won a first at the Duchy Show in November 2013. She was bred from a pair of stock birds that John obtained at the Ken Jeffery of St Ives dispersal sale. That Blackpool Show in 2014 and judging ‘Best In Show’ was my greatest judging experience!

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Over the years I have judged at every National and Show Society and enjoyed every minute of it. In other showing sports such as Canaries, Budgerigars, Dogs, Horses etc, they have an official written ‘Standard’ for judges to use when doing the job, in my 50 years judging, I have never seen one for our beloved pigeons. Personally I think there should be a ‘Standard’, but in our sport it is what the fancier likes. I don’t like to see white flights on showers or big pigeons. I never let that influence me when I’m at the pen, if a bird is what I need to see and it has a white flight it is carded. I have to see a nice bold head, nice bright eyes and good stance in the pen. The bird must handle medium size, with good length and ’apple’ bodied. The feathering must be strong, with strong markings and colour. Above all the pigeon must be in ‘mint’ condition, with no mess or mites on it. At most shows you find a bird that has it all and is in a ‘super’ good condition and these are our ‘Best in Show’ winners. The fancier works to the same system to get his pigeon ready for a show, but sometimes one will hit a ‘super’ form for the day and that’s the bird that hits the jackpot at the show. It’s the same when racing pigeons! My dear late friend, Eric Cannon, once told me about this ‘super’ condition, which he always looked for before the big races. He noticed his good hen, ‘Culmer Lass’ had hit this ‘super’ form, so entered her in the Bergerac (450 miles) race that following Saturday and she won 1st open SMT Combine, only bird clocked on the day of liberation in the Combine. Fancier work hard and get good form in their birds events, but ‘super’ form just happens on its own. Good luck with your showing this winter!

Text by Keith Mott (January 2024)