INTERVIEWS WITH SUCCESSFUL FANCIERS Today: The American Show Racers of Friedel Bossmeyer, Germany. By: Volker Lortz In today's breeders interview I visited the well known American Show Racer breeder Friedel Bossmeyer from Frankish-Crumbach. Above right: Friedel judging an Amercan Show Racer asking himself, if this pigeon is a candidate for the next show? To orientate our readers I will give a short description of where we are today. Frankish-Crumbach is located in the south of Hessen, a State in Germany, the City of Darmstadt to the north and Mannheim to the south and in the vicinity the 3,200 population community of Frankish-Crumbach. A well know landmark is the Castle ruins of Rodenstein and the Sarolta Chapel. The northern Odenwald (a massive forest) is characterised by a rural region with a rural community 'feeling' where you still feel the World is still 'in Order' and you could have a comfortable living here. Below: Three breeding compartments with an aviary in the front. This year I have had the opportunity on several occasions to visit the well situated house of Friedel Bossmeyer and engage in many enjoyable conversations at Fancier Meetings surrounded by likeminded fanciers and fascinating pigeons, nothing more is needed for the time to fly like the wind! I am sure that most, if not all the fanciers with winning American Show Racers were sitting around the kitchen table exchanging conversation and listening to the words of this very experienced breeder /exhibitor and eventually leaving with one or more valuable breeding birds. Here in the Odenwald, where American Show Racers seem to spring out of the ground like mushrooms, Friedel Bossmeyer s birds have provided a broad breed basis for many successful fanciers. Most would agree that the success of this pigeon breed over the last 20 years would not have been so eminently possible without Friedel Bossmeyer. Such a rapid development is only possible
with a breed that takes the imagination of the Pigeon Fancy and has extremely dedicated fanciers as a focal point, with good technical articles to support the Breed and ensured enough quality birds to satisfy the demand for progression of the Breed. The main driving force behind this development has a name: Friedel Bossmeyer. Hallo Friedel, nice to be back in Frankish-Crumbach again, thank you for the invite and hopefully today you will have time to answer some of my questions and provide some insight for the readers into your almost infinite knowledge on pigeons. Above right: Young blue grizzle American Show with a strong beak. Left: Promising young American Show Racer with an impressive positive head presentation. Right: Friedel in his workplace at the computer, his worldwide pigeon friends are just one click away. 1. You have been breeding American Show Racers now for many years with considerable success. Before we consider that particular breed please can you tell us about your time before you had the American Show Racer? When one is born in Westphalia it is almost inevitable not to imbibe the 'Pigeon Bacillus' with the Mothers Milk! Back in the 1950's there were off-course not so many recreational opportunities as are available today, 'leisure time' meant usually football or pigeons. In my home-town at that time almost every roof top had a pigeon loft, so it was natural that at the age of ten years old I began my journey with pigeon keeping, first with Racing
Above: Beautiful young American Show Racers with all the promises. Pigeons and until almost my 20th year this hobby occupied most of my leisure time, until 1959 when to further my education I moved to Switzerland for three years. In 1962, I came to Frankish-Crumbach in the Odenwald. Once settled here I off-course wanted to indulge in my former passion, namely pigeons, but in my new home the interest in the Area was almost exclusively in Racing pigeons. But through an Uncle in Holland, I had already as a child had some experience of Cropper breeds, so in my new home my first 'Fancy' Pigeons were English Pygmy Croppers and the start of a new Passion. Right: Beautiful Brunner Cropper, more for the Heart than for the Show. 2. In the Dragoon Club you were for a long time Chairman of that Club and also by the Norwich Cropper Club you had a leading position. You were a few weeks ago 75 years old and obviously over this time Honours and Awards have not failed, so even when you do not prefer to speak about such honours please tell our readers a little over your time as Functionary/Administrator and awards during this time. I have never consciously strived for leading positions in any Clubs. Through my membership of the (former) Dutch Pigeon and Poultry Magazine 'Avicultura' and through my Uncle in Holland in 1968 I was able to meet the leading Norwich Cropper expert Jan Schuürman from Enschede. That developed into a very close friendship and the reason I came to the Norwich Cropper as a Breed. My wife Christa also found great pleasure in the Pigeons and the Hobby and we travelled to almost every big Show in Holland and Germany. When you travel a great deal, you can also pass-on a lot of information, so at that time I was asked to take over the position of Press Officer for the Norwich Cropper Association. In 1972 I started as a Teacher as a profession and because of a Study Course at the University in Karlsruhe and my workplace in Mannheim, there was little time for my pigeons and I sought a new breed that demanded less time than the Croppers, one that had some similarity to Racing Pigeons (Homers) so came about my involvement with the Dragoon.
Left: Vital young American Show Racers with much head substance. In this breed after very few years, I was voted as 1st Chairman of that Club. This position until 1993 over a ten year period, I happily fulfilled and at that time I was also given the Member of Honour Award. Then came my new Passion, the American Show Racer, and through several publications within Germany and in other Countries I have come into contact with many new friends and became determined to form a new club for friends of the American Show Racer. This resulted in the Show Racer Club being formed in 1996. I took over the lead for the first 10 years and was responsible for the Public Relations work. In just 3 years we had over 200 members and that made me just a bit proud. Since 2006 I have been awarded the 'Honorary Membership' of that Club and the American (USA) have also given me the Honorary Master Breeder' Award. In my Local Club in Frankish-Crumbach, I have been awarded the Golden Medal of Merit (Service Medal / Medal for Services Rendered). Deze functie heb ik meer dan 10 jaar, tot 1993, met plezier uitgeoefend en vervolgens heeft men mij benoemd tot erevoorzitter. 3. The Homer Type Breeds and the Croppers have always belonged to your favourites and you have never completely given-up breeding Croppers. What is the Charm of these breeds for you? Anyone who has once bred Croppers cannot so easily be parted from them. Today after over 50 years, I still sometimes dream at night of my first 'Runners'. They had then become so deeply ingrained in my heart that to this day I keep one or two pairs in my loft, not for exhibition, simply for the heart (Love of them). Right: These are the heroes for the next show season. 4. Let us come now to the American Show Racer, please tell us a little about your beginnings with this breed, how was it in the 90's with the first breeding birds? During a visit with my wife to the USA in January 1992 to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where at the same time one of the biggest Dog Shows and also the Grand National Pigeon Show was being held, was the first time I came into contact with the American Show Racer and I was completely enthusiastic about this breed from the first instance. There were animals that were very similar to the first pigeons that I had in my childhood, namely the Bricoux Racing pigeons with their strong physic and head points.
It was here that I was also able to make my first contacts with Show Racer Fanciers/Breeders. In the same year, in November 1992, I made a point of visiting the Pageant of Pigeons in San Bernadino, near Los Angeles. There I was able to meet many new contacts amongst the Fanciers at the Show that to this day I have a close friendship with. Jack Fix, from Anaheim CA was one such. From him, on my next trip in May 1993 I became my first three breeding pairs that he had promised me six months before. Among these pigeons was a Cream young hen that I christened Jacky, she was to become the ancestor of almost all the Cream Show Racers in Europe to this present day. I liked her very much and she will never be forgotten. Left: Champion female American Show Racer at the 2003 Show Racer Club show. 5. During your many travels in the USA you have had the opportunity to meet an uncountable number of American Fanciers and made many friendships, please tell us a few of the high points of this exciting time. There are off-course several highpoints. Because the USA NPA Grand National Show is held in different locations each year I have naturally met many new friends at each place. Inevitably at the Young Bird Show 1996 in Louisville Kentucky I had the chance to meet the World renowned Pigeon Geneticist Dr. Hollander with whom I was for several hours able to exchange knowledge about our mutual hobby; an unforgettable experience. Also my later engagement as Judge at one of the leading Shows. I am very grateful to my American friends for the confidence and trust and approval they gave me to evaluate and judge the Pigeons. I am also thankful to Dr. Richard Brooks from Holiday Island in Arizona, that I could share a great friendship with him and learn almost everything I have needed to know about the American Show Racer. That knowledge has helped me immensely in the following years with the writing of the Book The Show Racer. Richard Brooks is today over 90 years old and still active as a breeder and judge, the Passion of the Pigeon Fancy keeps one young! Right: Blue American Show Racer female, from 2013, with a nice type, head shape and body.
Above: Beautiful young American Show Racers, which breeder would not like to pick out a few from them. 6. As initially the only German American Show Racer breeder, you had several times to select Birds for Top Honours in the Home Country of the breed, this was I imagine certainly not an easy task? It was not easy but extremely interesting. In the USA to qualify as a Judge you must first, be a very experienced and secondly successful breeder of the breed. I had made several trips over there to be fit for this task and from my Californian friends, Jack Fix, Amos Hodson and Jack Hamilton had been expertly prepared for this pleasant task. Right: The sight of such vital young pigeons rejoices the heart of the breeder. In the U.S. - although the external form/type of an animal in the assessment is important - the in the Hand inspection is also a focus of the evaluation and the eventual award. There, the breeders select the Judge for the Show, they are not determined by the clubs or the show organizers and it is a voluntary Post (position/engagement), unlike in Germany there is no Honorarium (payment). The reward you become, when all goes well, is given in the form of applause from the breeders and exhibitors and public, who are always present during the assessment. 7. What for you makes a top quality American Show Racer? An noble elegant looking Show Racer is distinguished by a bird with a compact and full chested body who stands upright in posture on strong legs, the strong medium length neck then leads to a comparatively large head that is wedge shaped and with a certain fullness, in profile exhibiting a good rounded/curve to the head with a good sweeping line into the neck. A blunt beak with the correct substance to the upper and lower mandibles and also the desired length of head is also important.
Left: Concentrated Show Racer power, a breeding group of mature Show Racers hens. 8. With the Show Racer in Blue Chequer and Dark Chequer you have been a dominant feature for a long time on the list of winners at the major shows. Today mostly Bar and Grizzle (Schimmel) inhabit your lofts, thereby you have in the last few years brought the Blues to the fore in your breeding. Concerning the Head Points your birds show a great deal of substance, please tell us about this impressive development. Indeed, during the first 12 years the Chequer and the Dark Chequer Show Racer were my favourites, which by the way are also to be found in overwhelming numbers in the United States. However to achieve a uniform Chequer pattern many more breeding birds must be kept and I have to consider my age, so I changed over to Blue bar and birds with the Grizzle factor. I believe I have managed very well in transferring the Breed type quality of my Chequers and Dark Chequers over to my Blue bar and Grizzle (Schimmel). To obtain the necessary head substance was very difficult because you have to work against nature (the tendency is for the head to lose substance.) but with my deliberate 'family breeding' (line breeding) this can and will continue to be successful. Right: Indigo coloured American Show Racer. Watercolour painting by Volker Lortz. 9. How many breeding pairs do you usually start the breeding season with? My pigeon loft is so designed that in 8 sections and 12 nest boxes I can pair my pigeons. Usually I pair between 15 and 18 pairs. Show Racers are sun lovers, so I start pairing really early in the year. My USA friends have said that the best birds are produced in the months without an r, so May to August and that is also my own experience. 10. You have massive success with your pigeons, Blue Band, Winners Band, VDT Band, are uncountable Master Breeder awards;
the name Bossmeyer has a very high significance in breeders circles. Which success is for you the most worthwhile? After the ten Club Championships it was naturally the winning of the VDT Champion at the VDT Show 1999 in Lingen but as with so many things in life, high points often lay next to disappointments. At the same Show, three of my best pigeons were stolen. In my entire life I have never felt so helpless. It was not only high grade animals but birds that were particularly important for future breeding, my best breeding pair and their daughter, that had 8 weeks before at Hannover won the Blue Band award. Since then, I have never exhibited adult birds breeding birds at any show. Furthermore I also value very highly the 13 German Master-breeder awards with my Show Racers. Next to the individual awards I naturally value very much when Fancier friends achieve high grades with offspring from Birds they have acquired from me. Right: Young well kept American Show Racer hens in their favourite places. 11. What specifics should a Show Racer breeder take note of in the breeding and management and what should they in particular Not do? My fatherly friend Richard Brooks told me: An American Show Racers must have three things, Type, Type and more Type. What he here was trying to say was, as near to the Standard Picture as possible. I can only advise all beginners to Not begin with too many birds and procure the best birds you possibly can. Go to a fancier you can trust and make a point of building a 'Family'. That will however not happen, when you try to work with birds from varying lofts and families. 12. You keep a perfect Pedigree/Breeding Book, and anyone who has birds from you is supplied with a pedigree of every pigeon. I find this exemplary, then these pedigrees are valuable for further pairings. Please explain this system and method used for pairing. In my opinion it is futile to try and achieve success when you do not know the exact origin of your animals. An exact pedigree of the Family tree is thereby an enormous help. Like many of my American friends I prefer the method of Bruce Loewe, an Australian Mathematician, who in 1895 developed this method for Racing Horses. Accordingly the Male should have relationship to the female he is to be paired too on his mother s side and his prospective hen, blood relationship from the Cock bird s Fathers side. With this method you can quickly see the strengths and weakness in the Offspring and when needed take counter action. 13. In my opinion there is no successful Loft in Germany that does not have the breeding blood of the Bossmeyer Pigeons flowing through it. I will not hide the fact that I too keep American Show Racers and my small Stud has exclusively Bossmeyer breeding. Thereby I have determined that you distribute many good and very good birds, even Champions from your own stud, have you no worries that this will undermine your own breeding?
Unfortunately, it is also very discernible here in Germany the envy in many pigeon fanciers. In the USA, I was able to encounter a different mentality among fanciers. Their approach maintains a very comradely interaction with each other, according to the motto: A shared joy is joy doubled. It is true it is a great feeling when one is the owner of a Champion but it is not bad either when, whoever the winning bird belongs to, you can say that bird is related to my Family of birds - so a blood relation to one of my birds. My principle is, whoever wants something must also give. It is true I have had one or two negative experiences but also many good friends amongst the fanciers that have had birds from my breeding so I can now go in and get back what I desire for breeding. Today I do not need to go to the USA but become from my friends what I need which are also the correct pedigree. So when I give good animals, I find it strengthens the Breed in general and that for me is much more important than personal success. Left: Indigo grizzle (schimmel) American Show Racer. Watercolour painting by Volker Lortz. 14. The selection of young birds is an constant theme in all breeds. What is your thoughts and procedure on this topic and what criteria are you looking for in your breeding stock? Since American Show Racers require a longer development time to mature, I have a lot of patience with them. However, they are all evaluated at weaning time on health and correct posture. Everything that is in its natural surroundings that does not show the correct stance, is culled. Then I wait until after the moult for the next assessment. Then all that should be needed is the head points, as in all Breeds of Homer, these require a longer period of development than many other breeds. When choosing breeding animals, I always make very sure that they match/complement each other, as I have already explained, by the method of Bruce Loewe. 15. Nu zijn de Show Racers een relatief jong ras en hun ontwikkeling is in de afgelopen jaren zeer snel gegaan. Hoe zie je de voortgang van het ras en op welke punten zie je gevaren? Many breeders and also those responsible for the (German) American Show Racer club, have contributed greatly to the rapid advancement of the breed here. Our American friends have also been a very great help. For the future it is very important to continue on this route and also to give some competition to the established colours and introduce some new colours. In the USA it is unfortunate that nearly 70% of the exhibited animals belong to the two or three most established (top) colours in the breed. A very great amount of responsibility must naturally be taken by the judges, by evaluation of the potential breeding stock according to the valid Standard, to access the animals with the main breed characteristics as the centre of their evaluation and any personal preferences pushed firmly into the background.
16. The Show Racer Club is your baby. You were largely responsible for the development of the breed and were the club's founding member and for a long time the breeds spokesman. Recently, the number of members and exhibitors has stagnated somewhat at the special shows, while similar breeds like the Dutch Beauty Homer have correspondingly enormously increased. How you evaluate this development? A Breed is always only as good as the Club Management Board and as good as the breeders permit. 20 years ago, I wrote in a breed report in the German 'Geflügel-Börse' (Pigeon and Poultry Magazine), that The American Show Racer is the Homer Breed most like the Racing Pigeon and therefore many new breeders came from the racing pigeon fraternity over to us. For several years this privilege has been taken over by other breeds, such as the Dutch Beauty Homer and more recently, The Polish Show Racer. Today the American Show Racer has to share the limelight with these breeds. To do this successfully dedicated breeders are required and of course the total input of the board of the (German) American Show Racer club. The medium of the internet is now a great help to make your breed known across a broad spectrum, we should make much more use of it. A very good model to take as an example is the Dutch Beauty Homer Club (Sonderverein der Züchter Niederländischer Schönheitsbrieftauben ). Their Website is informative and above all, always up-to-date. There are experts are at work there, which is for all to see in the entry numbers at the leading shows. Many thanks for your interesting observations, that was really very enjoyable and I am sure the readers will find the same. Whoever has up to this time observed the American Show Racer only from the periphery, will I am sure not fail, after this comprehensive discussion, to feel a little nearer to understanding this Breed. At least at the next Exhibition to go and seek out the pens of the 'Racers' and to observe the occupants more closely. I speak from my own experience; after closer inspection it is very difficult to resist the charm that this Breed radiates. For anybody who wishes to learn more about this wonderful Racing Pigeon type breed, or who may wish to start breeding them, I have added below the current address and website to which I heartily recommend a visit and where you can be sure of a friendly welcome, good contacts and full support from the fanciers involved. Friedel, I wish you and your family good health and all the best and hope that you have many years as a successful pigeon fancier in front of you. Address: Friedel Bossmeyer, Darmstädter Strasse, 64407 Fränkisch-Crumbach, Germany. Tel.: 06164/2193, e-mail: racerbos@gmx.de Website: www.show-racer.com Left: The pigeons office from Friedel, with Winner bands and paintings by Volker Lortz. Copyright 2014 All rights reserved by the Aviculture-Europe Foundation This is a publication by the online magazine www.aviculture-europe.nl You are not allowed to copy, distribute, send or publish these texts or photos without our prior permission in writing.