Marc & Geert Pollin (Snellegem) own with Michiel again a real top pigeon !

Sometimes it is not easy to write the right title for a report. You have to summarise an entire season in a title and on some lofts this is not that simple. When you are a guest of players who reach the top years after each other, who reinvent themselves years after each other, who produce ace pigeons, top pigeons from their breeding stock years after each other, you have to choose a general overall title, which is in fact less appealing.
That is why we chose to highlight the exploit of top pigeon Michiel on the lofts of Diane, Marc and Geert. Indeed, this new crack managed to fly 2nd national on the flight from Agen two years in a row. Last year (2022) he did this as an annual pigeon and this year this achievement was renewed as a two-year old pigeon. But more on that later

The certainties of the Pollin loft
To still outline the framework of a top loft, here are a few characteristics of this loft that has managed to hold its own at the top of pigeon racing across all disciplines for more than 40 years.

§ Pollin's pigeons have evolved nicely with the evolution of pigeon racing. Starting with speed and middle-distance they have grown into long-distance and very long-distance racing.
 

§ They are pigeons that fly top from 200 km to 1,000 km. The Barcelonas of this world are not the favourite terrain but the other long distance flights are not feared (we refer to the 1st national Perpignan, 1st national Sint Vincent, ace long distance etc....). However, from the start of the season and on the middle distance flights, they are already at the top of the rankings.
§ At the Pollin home, toppers are not sold ! A golden rule if you want to stay at the top for years on end. The toppers move to the breeding loft and the good pigeons (or the closest relatives) are bred from.
One exception was made with the sale of New Belgian Pride (1st ace heavy long-distance yearling and national winner Libourne) in a season when no fewer than 4 first prizes were won nationally. However, the offspring of New Belgian Pride can now be found in the pedigrees of the best performing pigeons.

§ Regarding the racing system and care, everything is kept as close as possible to a fixed organisation. In principle, pigeons are played on widowhood. Some hens are sometimes played among the youngsters but the focus is on playing with cocks. Marc, at 77 years old, is very familiar with this system and has no intention of redrawing it all in the future. The results achieved years in a row do not necessitate this either. Marc confides to us "pigeon sport is a matter of good pigeons and for the rest your own organisation in which you can make as few mistakes as possible, so stick to what you are good at".

In terms of feed, we are dog loyal to the Versele-Laga feed. This feed has proved its soundness on these lofts for decades and what is good does not need to be changed. In the breeding season breeding mix, in the moulting season cull mix and in the racing season sport mixes. It's as simple as that.
§ Regarding supplements, the pigeons have also been given Kaucabam in the drinking water for years. It is a natural product that always keeps the pigeons in very good basic condition (soft plumage, pink breast meat, few pigeons that drop into a dip, etc.). Pure nature, proven useful for years and in the drinking bowl of all pigeons daily.

The base of the breeding loft is never undermined and the lines with results are cherished. The bases are still the line Dortmunder, Mortifer, Perpignan, Limoges. Their progeny is still emphatically present in the strain. Out of these pigeons followed New Belgian Pride, Joe, Brother Joe, Saint Junien, Cadel, Bruce, Montauban II, Limo 301, and in a more recent phase Brutus, Mister Jarnac and some more top flyers-top progenitors. These lines are strongly adhered to and these are then coupled, as the occasion arises, with some foreign blood with an origin from the heavy middle-distance, long-distance or heavy long-distance. Pigeons are bought very selectively. Usually not the "big names" but very selective pigeons that have raced strongly themselves or very close to strong performers (see also the pedigree of the new phenomenon Michiel).

Nature sometimes has to do its work. By this, we mainly mean the location of the flight lofts. They are garden lofts without heating located in an open plain. The coastal wind is usually present and can be annoying to lure the forme fairy to Snellegem. Weather conditions in spring can be quite fickle and then patience must be exercised until when the weather becomes warmer and more stable. Similarly, this was the case in 2023. The initial phase was tricky with few indications of forme. But once it got warmer and the wind had settled in the east, the pigeons visibly came into forme with top results as a result. Starting the train took some time, but once it got going there was no stopping it. Marc knows his loft through and through, doesn't panic with such a spring and knows, strengthened by the quality, to be patient until it gets warmer. Then, without discussion, the pigeons will be at the front of the results.

 

The Michiel phenomenon

 

Let me introduce Michiel (BE21-3052027) is a beautiful two-year old cock who managed to fly the 2nd national on the international flight from Agen (825 km) two years in a row. He did this as a yearling and this year as a two-year old he repeated this stunt again 
§ 2022 Agen
o 1/535 club
o 2/1820 provincial
o 2/7331 national
o 3/163932 international
§ 2023 Agen
o 1/432 club
o 1/1,137 provincial
o 2/5851 national
o 5/15387 international
§ With this, Michiel crowns himself the best Agen pigeon of the last 2 seasons
o Agen '22 int 3rd 16,932
o Agen '23 int 5th 15,317
The flight from Agen was overall a stunner the Pollin loft with not only Michiel but some other good ones in its wake. It is worth mentioning that his nest brother had also flown in front at Agen / (BE21-3052028) 26th nationally and 47th internationally.
National 5,851d.
2 - 11 - 26 - 64 - ... (6/8)
International 15,317d.
5 - 17 - 47 - 123 - ... (6/8)

 

He is back a typical example of the proven breeding strategy of the Pollin loft. His father is Roi (himself twice top 100 national long distance) who in turn is a grandson of Mortifer coupled with the top breeding hen Harriette (also mother of Mister Jarnac, among others). The old line of Mortifer. His mother is a daughter of the Blue Barcelona hen of Van Haeken-Petre who won Barcelona no less than 4 times without fail. A targeted purchase subsequently mounted on the old own basic strain.

"Roi" B19-3015100 first showed his class on the long distance races himself as his palmares are adorned with, among others 

3rd Nat (z) Limoges 1,418d. - 83rd National 17,356d. 
3rd Nat (z) Limoges 568d. - 67th National 6,986d.
3rd Nat (z) Chateauroux 2,185d. - 55th provincial 5,555d.

"Roi" is a full brother to winners of:

2nd Provincial Jarnac '19 against 1,139d
3rd National Jarnac '18 against 5,371d.
8th National Angouleme against 5,030d.
10th National Angouleme against 4,525d.
59th National Libourne against 3,176d.

Season 2023 was again a very strong episode in the Pollin book
Despite a somewhat stubborn start to the season due to the weather conditions, very nice results were again achieved with, of course, the outstanding result of Agen.
Let's have a quick look at the championships of the 2022 season where just about everywhere was a hit :
1st champion KBDB national long-distance yearlings
2nd champion KBDB national heavy long-distance old
It would not be easy to do this every year and the weather conditions and the direction of the wind (which in many cases is decisive) are never the same.
This season, rankings were set that certainly do not pale in comparison to other years such as 1st provincial ace pigeon long distance yearlings West Flanders and this with Son Limo 301 (BE22-3078093).
To achieve this title, this cock scored 2 zonal (A1) victories viz.
Tulle (633km) jl 1st 368 d
Aurillac (697km) jl 1st 316 d
It is not really news that Limo 301 is quietly emerging as a top sire. Limo's line has shown this in the past as yet. From Limo 301, among others, come the full brothers of the provincial ace pigeons Rudolf and Matthias who last year were members of the team that flew the national KBDB yearling yearling champion national title to Snellegem.

 

A half-brother (also a son of Limo 301) wins three zonal wins :

Chateauroux 1st 2,185 d
Limoges 1st 775 d
Souillac 1st 307 d

In globo no less than 6 zonal wins were recorded in the past season 

Agen old 1st 2,404 b
Chateauroux jl 1st 778 d
Limoges jl 1st 595 d
Tulle jl 1st 368 d
Aurillac jl 1st 316 d
Souillac old 1st 307 d

References as icing on the cake

It is not news and it would also be very unlikely if in the distant and recent past others did not succeed with pigeons from the Pollin house.
We name Norbert & Stefan Ally, Bert Vanden Berghe, Team Dejaeger, etc...More recently, the super performances of Coby with Gerard Koopman (who got several good breeding pigeons in Snellegem), Youri Deblanc, Marc & Franky Van de Walle, Dhaenens Geert, Dhaenens-De Block.
A lot of pigeons from abroad also score top results at the One Loft Races and this both from the offspring of pigeons Pollin bought from third parties or from pigeons they used themselves in the races.
In the final of the Europa Masters (Romania) Marc & Geert achieved 13th and 78th place in the final (13th place inbred Joe).
Several satisfied have informed them in recent months of top results played by owners of Pollin pigeons almost around the globe.
Evidence abounds that the breeding loft in Snellegem is of the highest quality.

At the risk of repeating myself....

When you take a break from emotions and passion for the sport, let your helicopter fly a little higher and try to evaluate who the real stayers in pigeon racing are, Marc & Geert (and Diane) are without a doubt at the top. 
Yearly top in the national and provincial championships (and by extension already several times at the Olympiad). Yearly new top pigeons emerging from the strong breeding stock. Yearly pigeons that fly top at (inter)national, zonal and provincial level. Numerous references around the globe from people who succeed with their pigeons. Always the fixed strong breeding lines returning in the pedigrees of the top pigeons.
Then there is no doubt, the quality is there and so is the art of maintaining this quality and forging it where necessary. Real stile men in Snellegem with rock-solid pigeons!

Congratulations from the Herbots team !

Geert Dhaenens

EXCLUSIVE ON WWW.HERBOTS.BE

AT THIS MOMENT MARC AND GEERT POLLIN ARE OFFERING A TOP GROUP OP HIGH QUALITY BIRDS BRED OUT THEIR PROVEN BREEDERS

THIS AUCTION ENDS TUESDAY 21 NOVEMBER AT 2 p.m. (c.e.t.)