“On The Road” With Keith Mott

Three Borders Federation (Blandford Race 2)

The Three Borders Federation sent 1,557 birds to Yeovil for the second old bird race, but because of problems getting into the liberation site, the Federation convoyer, Dom McCoy moved the birds to Blandford (80 miles). The Federation secretary, Bryan Poulton, said after the race, ‘I have had a few enquiries regarding the change of liberation site this week. The facts are that Dominic phoned me at 06.00hrs on Saturday as he and the other Federations on site were unable to access the Yeovil Showground as the code for the entry lock did not open it. During the next hour I contacted numerous telephone numbers taken off the website for the Showground, Rugby club and car boot people, and left messages to contact me. We had no joy with that, although the Rugby club offered us their car park to liberate the birds, but on inspection, Dominic found it unsuitable. I phoned the Federation chairman, Dave Lebby, to make him aware of the situation and we agreed that if access was not available by 08.00hrs we should move from the site. After weighing up our options, we asked Dominic to contact the Army Camp office at Blandford to seek permission for our liberation and this was granted’. Dom McCoy produced yet another great race, liberating the birds at 12.30hrs in a West / North West wind at the Blandford liberation site. Well done to Dominic for all his good work! Bobby and Danny Carter of the Esher club had four widowhood cocks hit the ETS together to record 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Federation. This is ‘first blood’ for the father and son partnership this season, after being runner up for the Federation ‘Individual Points Trophy’ and winning three times 1st Federation in 2016. The partners also won the ‘Ken Besant Memorial Trophy’ for best Federation pigeon of the 2016 season, with their good widowhood cock, ‘0479’ and he recorded 1st, 1st, 5th, 6th, 14th, 23rd Federation to lift the trophy.

The first ten in the Blandford (2) Federation result were: 1) Bob & Danny Carter 1823.9: 2) Bob & Danny Carter 1823.5: 3) Bob & Danny Carter 1823.5: 4) Bob & Danny Carter 1820: 5) A. Stoner & son 1817.5: 6) A. Stoner & son 1817.2: 7) Frank & Sue Carson 1815 8) A.& E. Lofts 1814: 9) Paul Arnold 1809: 10) R. Tingley & son 1808.

Bobby, Linda and Danny Carter are three of nicest people you will ever meet in the sport of pigeon racing and they are enjoying another great season racing in the Three Borders Federation in 2017. Bobby says he is hard working with his pigeons, but told me recently he owes a lot of his outstanding success in recent seasons to his wife, Linda, his son, Danny and good friend, Ron Keeley, who all also are hard workers for the loft. I have only known Bob Carter a few years, with the first time I met him being when he joined my club the Esher & Dist RPC and since then they have set the club on fire with their outstanding performances. The 2008 season saw the Carter family win the ‘Individual Point Trophy’ in the Three Borders Federation and Bobby Carter is always the man to look out for in the inland sprint races. The 2016 saw Bob and Danny win: 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th Federation Blandford, 1st, 2nd, 12th Federation Yeovil, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Federation Honiton, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 11th, 23rd Federation Exeter, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 14th Federation Exeter, 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 14th, 15th, 24th, 25th Federation Kingsdown, 3rd, 4th, 5th Federation Blandford, 4th, 5th, 6th Federation Yelverton, 13th, 14th, 15th Federation Exeter. Brilliant pigeon racing!

The Carter partner’s race 20 cocks on the widowhood system and all the racers are mated up in December. Bob tells me the widowhood cocks exercise around the loft twice a day and during the racing season are broke down for the first half of the week on Depurative mixture, and then built up with Super Widowhood mixture in the second half of the week. Bob doesn’t show the hens on marking night and the racing cock only get their hen for a short time on their return from the race. The cock are not broke down for the longer race up to 450 miles, being fed on Super Widowhood all week and Bob likes the cocks to be holding 8 to 9 flights for these events. The Carter’s have about 50 young birds to race each year and have raced on the darkness system in recent seasons, with outstanding success and great losses. Bob says, in his opinion the big losses with the babies each year is because of the Federations clashing! He trains the youngsters every day, weather permitting, up to 30 miles and races them natural to the perch, but they are allowed to pair up if they want. They race the full Federation young bird programme from 100 miles through to 180 miles. The Carter partnership race to two lofts, a 20ft x 8ft structure with a tiles apex roof for the old birds and another 20ft x 8ft shed for the young birds. The most important feature of Bob’s lofts is that they are dry and well ventilated. When I asked young Daniel if the partners like deep litter his reply was, ‘Our experience of using Deep litter is the amount of dust it creates and as my dad cleans out 365 days a year, it defeats the object of cleanliness.

Bob told me he doesn’t keep stock birds and over the last 25 years has purchased a lot of good birds off Barry Hall of Rayleigh in Essex, including pigeons to produce club, Federation and Open race winners. One of the most outstanding Barry Hall pigeons was the mealy cock, Champion ‘Rayleigh’, and he won eight firsts in the club and three firsts in the London Federation. The Carter loft has won about six other Federation races with Barry’s pigeons, including two 1st Federation winners in the 2008 season. Bob first met Barry Hall in 1984 when he sold the Carter butcher shops and when to work at Smithfield meat market in London, and says he has never looked back with his pigeon racing. He advised Bob on the widowhood system and supplied him with the birds to do the job. Another good friend who has advised the Carters with his health theory through the years is David Cook. The main families raced at the Carter’s loft are Lefebre Dhaenens, Janssen and Maurice Vereheye. In recent seasons an outstanding family of Gaby Vandenabeele pigeons have been purchased from Dighton & Lister of York and Dave Hawkins of Yorkshire and these birds have started to win premier Federation positions from the outset for Bob Carter.

Bob Carter was born in Battersea, London and obtained his first pigeons at the age of nine, and kept them with his friend, Donald Hawes. Their first birds were from Bill Patterson of Benfield Street and he sold them four pigeons for two shillings. The first was an 8ft x 10ft structure; sited in the back yard of the butcher’s shop and he raced mainly Sam Mayo’s Vandy pigeons. Bob remembers another Battersea fancier, Billy Colston, helped them get started with pigeons and their first winner, a blue cock bird was a gift from Billy. The cock was an Amule pigeon from the stock of the best local fancier in the 1980’s, ‘Scrubber’ Cook of Battersea and in those days they flew as Hawes Bros & Carter in the old Putney RPC. Bob’s uncle, Bob Taylor, was a very successful pigeon racer and years ago he flew in the Old Man’s Institute Club. Bob’s wife, Linda, is very keen on the pigeons and her father, George Atkins of Battersea, was also a very good fancier. From 1981 Bob raced with the help of his wife, Linda, as he worked all day on a Saturday in the butcher’s shop and she clocked in the winners racing on the natural system. In 1990 he started too raced in partnership with Steven Cook and raced the Barry Hall pigeons on the widowhood, with brilliant results. The year 1996 saw Bob become very ill and had to pack up his pigeons, but left his best birds in the care of a friend in the hope that he would return to the sport. In 1998 he had a lung transplant because he had Emphysema and luckily for Bob and his family the operation was successful and it gave him his life back. As he got stronger he wanted to get back into pigeon racing and top fancier and friend, Fred Roberts, said he would help him get back. They flew as Roberts & Carter and started by flying darkness youngsters in 1999, winning five times 1st Federation in seven races with the Barry Hall and Kenny Roberts pigeons. Bringing the story up to date, Bob has two partners now in the form of his son, Daniel, and Ronnie Keeley, and they are the Three Borders Federation Individual Points Champions of 2008. Bob says Ronnie has been a silent partner for about eight years and without his help he could not keep the team of birds they now have and be so successful. Previous to racing with Bob Carter partnership, Ronnie raced with Johnny Barrett and had great success for over 20 years racing together as Barrett & Keeley.

Bob enjoys all racing from 80 through to 450 miles and told me his biggest thrill in recent seasons is to see the great grandchildren of his wonderful Champion ‘Rayleigh’ win the Federation. His most thrilling experience was a few years ago, when he raced with Fred Roberts and they flew their young bird team on the darkness system. On one race they had nine birds drop on the loft together, all nine were clocked to take the first nine positions in the West Middlesex Federation and then went on to take first six and the first three positions in the Federation that same season. Through the years Bob has won the Federation countless times! Bob is not a great lover of showing his racers in the winter months and thinks the eye sign theory is rubbish saying as long as they have two, he is happy. He was a night worker on Smithfield meat market and holds no offices in the pigeon racing sport because of the lack of time. He maintains the system of racing pigeons is very important to gaining success and fancier’s knowledge has improved greatly in recent times due to DVDs, media and internet web sites. His advice to a new comer to the sport is obtain your stock from the very best source you can and keep your loft clean dry and well ventilated. Bob says the London area is the home of many premier pigeon racers, but thinks in the last 25 years Frank and Sue Carson were the best in the Federation. He has also admired his old Battersea friend, Ron Wasey’s, channel and long distance performances, including winning 1st open NFC Pau etc. Bob has never had latebreds and likes tame pigeons as it makes a calm environment in the loft. His opinion of the moult is quite short and sharp, ‘To be successful the birds have to be healthy and have a good moult’. His feeding for the moulting season is a large variety of grains, with lots of small seeds, and plenty of minerals and grit given fresh daily.

There you have it, the recent successes of Bob and Danny Carter of the Esher & Dist RPC! That our article for this week! I can be contacted with any pigeon ‘banter’ on telephone number: 01372 463480 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY KEITH MOTT

(www.keithmott.com)