Ruben Moreels (Ronse) wins 1st Provincial Old Pigeons Limoges East Flanders

Ronse - Ruben Mooreels produced a remarkable performance with BE22-4061618, named "Jempie", by taking the 1st provincial victory in the national flight from Limoges, competing against 596 old birds. At national level, his pigeon finished in an impressive 7th place against 6,889 old birds.

A Passion From a Young Age

Ruben, who discovered his passion for pigeon racing at the age of 12 and is now 44, has a long history in the sport. Until 2022, he played in tandem with his father under the name Jean-Pierre - Ruben Mooreels in Kluisbergen, where they were known for their successes in speed and middle-distance. The 16 couples of breeding pigeons they had at the time are still housed in Kluisbergen.

Jempie through the Years

Although "Jempie" was reared only four times to 200 km as a young pigeon and did not participate in races, as a yearling in 2023 he already achieved some remarkable results:
Pont
4th of 533 - 6th of 595
Pont
8th of 236 - 10th of 269
Ecouen
2nd of 113 - 2nd of166 (after a loftmate)
Toury
3rd of 191 - 3rd of 258
Chateauroux
13th of 109

This year, as an old pigeon, "Jempie" made his mark with excellent performances:
01.05.24 Pont 
43rd of 1,060 pigeons
04.05.24 Pont
9th of 1,580 pigeons
11.05.24 Pont 
5th of 1,651 pigeons
25.05.24 Ecouen
112nd of 1,335 pigeons
03.06.24 Toury
3rd of 249 pigeons - 23rd of 765 pigeons
15.06.24 Poitiers 
missed, came home day after
05.07.24 Limoges
1st of 260 pigeons locally, 1st of 1,787 pigeons provincially, 7th of 6,889 pigeons nationally

Loft Stock and Training

In 2024, Ruben started with 24 widowers and does not compete with hens. He rings about 60 youngsters a year, which are trained to a maximum of 200 km only in August-September. The pigeons do not get to see hens before departure, but after returning they are allowed to be together for two hours. The pigeons are trained twice daily. Due to his working conditions and the still relatively short days in March & April, Ruben does not start pigeon racing until May. His employer allows Ruben to work from 10am to 5pm from May onwards, giving him enough time to look after his pigeons.

Nutrition and supplements

The pigeons are given Versele-Laga mixtures adapted to the seasons. During the racing months, the widowers get Sport Subliem, Zuivering and Rui, while the youngsters get breeding and young pigeon mixtures from Versele-Laga. Additionally, the pigeons receive Belgasol on their return home, by-products from Comed and Röhnfried during the week, and a daily mineral mix.

Origin and Results

"Jempie" comes from the following line: 
On the father's side, he comes from "Oude Roste", base breeder 2, purchased from Lucien Rollet (ace pigeon 2017 - young pigeon at Ronse). 
On the maternal side, he is a daughter of "718/12", base breeder 1, with origins from Leo Hermans via Louis Thijs from Hulsthout.

The results of Ruben's racing team in 2024 are nothing short of impressive:
01.05 Pont-Sainte-Maxence
1.060 old:
1, 2, 14, 32, 33, 36, 43, 47, 53, 86, 123, 125, 126, 183, 285, 333, 347 (17/23)
525 yearlings:
1, 8 , 14,16,22,38, 55, 110, 122 (9/15)
04.05 Pont-Sainte-Maxence
1.085 old:
9, 11, 13, 22, 28, 32, 33, 33, 42, 43, 69, 84, 85, 88, 116, 149, 186, 342, 448 (19/23)
725 yearlings:
6, 11,13,15,16,23,36, 45,47,95,157,202 (12/15)
11.05 Pont-Sainte-Maxence
1.651 old:
3,5,13,33,34,49,52,63,65,66,66,94,107,174,188,217,221,304,550 (19/23)
793 yearlings:
2,17,23,29,30,31,31,48,79,85,97,232 (12/15)
25.05 Ecouen 
1.335 old:
6,8,16,18,20,21,30,34,41,45,55,65,68,70,72,112,119 (17/20)
665 yearlings:
3,9,10,17,24,33,35,36,38,191 (10/12)
03.06 Toury 
249 old:
1,3,4,5,6,8,9,11,12,13,15,42,44,69 (14/18)
150 yearlings:
1,3,4,6,7,8,26,42 (8/12)
15.06 Poitiers 
284 old:
18,23,66,73 (4/7)
283 yearlings:
26,39,50,51,54,70 (6/11)

Ruben Mooreels' recent results and his victory from Limoges are a wonderful recognition of his years of dedication and passion.
Ruben, congratulations from the entire Herbots team!

Maarten Herbots