The Horsham club hampered for the first race of the season yesterday. We were all expectant and excited, like you are before you get disappointed.
I phoned my mate Terry at 10 this morning to ask how the weather was. The fog here was so thick I could barely see the loft. He said it was the same 70 miles away out there and they were waiting for it to lift on the north road at the liberation point.
Then he dropped the bad news.
He took forty something last night, including all our Breeders Plate youngsters. Later other members arrived with 90, 95 or 100 pigeons and demanded they be loaded. There was by all accounts heated discussion, but the club bullies got their way, (sound familiar?) and eventually there were 1250 pigeons in an 850 bird unit. Those blokes do not care. They breed 250, 300 pigeons and send them. The same blokes will turn up with another 95 next week.
I was feeling ill. After a night crammed in a unit in a shed they'd be in a terrible state, then take them 100 miles and let them out, it was not a good thought.
I phoned David Cox and told him. He's got youngsters off his best breeders out there too. He was not impressed.
A couple of hours later Terry called, the fog hadn't lifted, the pigeons were being brought back and would be released just out of town. There was a sigh of relief. I still told Terry to have a very hard look at them when they get back. The stronger, bolder ones will be okay, the timid ones will have had a hell of a time.
He tells me there will be a meeting at the club this afternoon. A "meaningful discussion". I'd like to be a fly on the wall
Last year after they hampered the birds for the first race, thieves sawed their way in and stole the truck. They recovered the transporter unit, with the pigeons still in it, two days later. Never did get the truck back. The Police knew who had it, but because of "Cultural" issues were unable to act.
It really is like living in the wild wild west.
