DENNIS FORD of BLAENAVON.
THE MASTER STRIKES AGAIN!
1st Welsh South Road National Flying Club Messac2011
Dennis Ford is a fancier who has been winning long distance races into Wales for more than forty years. The win from Messac on 4th June brings Dennis’s total number of National wins to TWELVE and he has also been in the runner up spot at second Open on nine further occasions, Amongst the 12 x 1st National wins is a 1st Open BICC Tarbes International at 608 miles .
I will outline here Dennis’s wins at National level with old birds this season and let the reader judge just how good a fancier this man is:-
Carentan :- 1st Section 3rd Open.
Messac:- 1st,7th, 19th,25th, 26th, 38th section; 1st, 9th, 28th, 36th, 37th& 53rd Open.
Cholet:- 4th & 29th Section;5th & 51st Open.
Niort:- 29th section;73rd Open.
Add to the above a number of 1st prizes and other positions competing with the ultracompetitive Gwent Greater Distance Club and you have a pretty good season’s winnings. However the reader should be aware that the above list of wins has been achieved in the face of great adversity.
For some time now Dennis has been battling with a very serious illness which has necessitated regular attendance at local hospitals to undergo a course of treatment that causes severe debilitation as one of its side effects. Because of the illness Dennis has had great difficulty with his mobility and as a result his wife Ann has had to carry out much of the day to day management of the birds supervised of course by Dennis! Ann, I know just how much Dennis has appreciated your help and support in these troubled times so take a bow Ann Ford – Dennis reckons you’re his little treasure!
Right, let’s get back to the reason for this loft report – the latest National winner for the Ford loft from Messac. She is a yearling grizzle hen that has also won 14th National Littlehampton as a young bird. The grizzle colour comes through her dam which is also a grizzle hen containing all the best of the ultra successful Lambert & Davies Grizzle family. The dam is a top class performer in her own right for Dennis as she has won in 2011 alone 1st Gwent GDC; 3rd West section BICC Falaise; 1st Gwent GDC 1st West section BICC Tours. Another sister has won 1st section 3rd Open National Carentan to name just two of this highly successful family.
Perhaps now would be an appropriate time to give some background details of the man himself. Dennis retired from his job with British Aerospace some time ago and is now a “professional pigeon fancier” spending most of each day with his pigeons in and around the well appointed cabin on the allotments. Quietly spoken and deep thinking he has been a successful fancier for more than forty years. I can remember highlighting the superb long distance performances of the then T.Ford & son partnership when I began writing for the Gazette in the early 1970’s. Performances that included 1st New North Road Fed Open Lerwick 1971 plus 7th Open National when only 12 birds were recorded in race time in the whole of Wales. This was the race won by the legendary “Jeannette” raced by the Fear Brothers of Pontypridd. In 1973 the partners won 1st Open Elgin and 1st Open Lerwick, 3rd National to confirm their status as top class long distance fanciers. Dennis’s father Tom passed away in the early 1990’s and for a number of years Denis kept his father’s name on the partnership in the hope that he could win a National race in his honour. However in 1997 Dennis’s mother convinced him to compete simply as Dennis Ford and guess what - the very next year 1998, he gained the first of his twelve National wins to date, this from Messac. Since that initial National win Denis has gone on to win National races from Crieff on the north road in 2002; Chale with young birds in 2006 ; Picauville 2007 when the loft was 1st , 2nd ,4th & 6th Open and Lessay again in 2007 plus Messac, Saintes, Picauville Young birds and Tarbes BICC in 2008. Both the Tarbes and Bergerac Nationals were won in 2009 and a further two second Open National wins were achieved in 2010. Dennis also bred the winner of 1st National Thurso for Mr & Mrs Webber & Davies of Six Bells, a pretty impressive record by anyone’s standards.
The Ford lofts are only a stone’s throw from the Big Pit site which is designated a World Heritage site. They are situated on an allotment high on the hillside facing down the valley to the south. I say allotments in the loosest sense as in reality the site is a well maintained scenic garden with all manner of flowers bordering an immaculately maintained lawn. In addition to the range of lofts Dennis has also set up a well stocked hidey hole complete with microwave oven, refrigerator [plus beer] ,television and telephone – a real home from home. When you consider that Dennis is at the loft at five o’clock each morning and spends most of each day there throughout the racing season, then these creature comforts can be regarded as essentials and not luxuries!! Many are the times that Denis has shared his early morning toast with the resident robins.
There are two main racing lofts one a 32 ft x 9ft structure with 5 sections and the other 28 ft x 8 ft two sectioned affair, these house the 19 pairs flown on the roundabout system plus the young bird team of approximately 50 – 60 babies. The youngsters are raced on the darkness system and Dennis’s results would seem to indicate that this has had no adverse effects on their long term racing performances. The youngsters also have access to a large aviary and spend most of the day in this when not at exercise.
Ten pairs of stock birds are housed in a separate loft with aviary attached and these are mated along with the race birds in early February. The racers are allowed to rear a nest of youngsters before being put on the roundabout system and if fit every pigeon is raced weekly throughout the season. The old bird race team, both cocks and hens, are exercised twice daily for one hour on each occasion. With this home exercise there is no need to resort to the training basket once racing is underway. The cocks and hens are allowed together for a short time on basketting night and Dennis is not worried if some of the pairs tread. On their return from a race the pairs are allowed to remain together for an hour or so before being separated until the following week’s race.
The racers have access at all times to a hopper filled with beans and peas. These are purchased in bulk from a farm in Herefordshire. The only addition to this high protein staple diet is a high carbohydrate and fat mixture that Dennis feeds by hand after each exercise period. NO TREATMENTS WHATSOEVER ARE GIVEN, the only thing the birds receive is some glucose added to the drinking water on the racers return. Good pigeons with strong constitutions and natural vitality keep themselves well and rarely go wrong. The main bloodlines housed are a combination of Janssens. Lambert & Davies Grizzles, Tuplin Barkers and Westcotts. The Ford policy is to mate winner to winner irrespective of bloodlines, to hopefully breed more winners. When all is said and done that’s all most of us want and so far he hasn’t gone far wrong. The resultant team of racers produced by these simple common sense methods do the business from 60 to 600 miles, on all routes in all weathers at all velocities. What more could anyone want?
It has been a pleasure once more for me to highlight the wins of one of the sport’s great fanciers and just as importantly thoroughly decent and good men. Congratulations Dennis you and Ann deserve it.
Gareth Watkins
THE MASTER STRIKES AGAIN!
1st Welsh South Road National Flying Club Messac2011
Dennis Ford is a fancier who has been winning long distance races into Wales for more than forty years. The win from Messac on 4th June brings Dennis’s total number of National wins to TWELVE and he has also been in the runner up spot at second Open on nine further occasions, Amongst the 12 x 1st National wins is a 1st Open BICC Tarbes International at 608 miles .
I will outline here Dennis’s wins at National level with old birds this season and let the reader judge just how good a fancier this man is:-
Carentan :- 1st Section 3rd Open.
Messac:- 1st,7th, 19th,25th, 26th, 38th section; 1st, 9th, 28th, 36th, 37th& 53rd Open.
Cholet:- 4th & 29th Section;5th & 51st Open.
Niort:- 29th section;73rd Open.
Add to the above a number of 1st prizes and other positions competing with the ultracompetitive Gwent Greater Distance Club and you have a pretty good season’s winnings. However the reader should be aware that the above list of wins has been achieved in the face of great adversity.
For some time now Dennis has been battling with a very serious illness which has necessitated regular attendance at local hospitals to undergo a course of treatment that causes severe debilitation as one of its side effects. Because of the illness Dennis has had great difficulty with his mobility and as a result his wife Ann has had to carry out much of the day to day management of the birds supervised of course by Dennis! Ann, I know just how much Dennis has appreciated your help and support in these troubled times so take a bow Ann Ford – Dennis reckons you’re his little treasure!
Right, let’s get back to the reason for this loft report – the latest National winner for the Ford loft from Messac. She is a yearling grizzle hen that has also won 14th National Littlehampton as a young bird. The grizzle colour comes through her dam which is also a grizzle hen containing all the best of the ultra successful Lambert & Davies Grizzle family. The dam is a top class performer in her own right for Dennis as she has won in 2011 alone 1st Gwent GDC; 3rd West section BICC Falaise; 1st Gwent GDC 1st West section BICC Tours. Another sister has won 1st section 3rd Open National Carentan to name just two of this highly successful family.
Perhaps now would be an appropriate time to give some background details of the man himself. Dennis retired from his job with British Aerospace some time ago and is now a “professional pigeon fancier” spending most of each day with his pigeons in and around the well appointed cabin on the allotments. Quietly spoken and deep thinking he has been a successful fancier for more than forty years. I can remember highlighting the superb long distance performances of the then T.Ford & son partnership when I began writing for the Gazette in the early 1970’s. Performances that included 1st New North Road Fed Open Lerwick 1971 plus 7th Open National when only 12 birds were recorded in race time in the whole of Wales. This was the race won by the legendary “Jeannette” raced by the Fear Brothers of Pontypridd. In 1973 the partners won 1st Open Elgin and 1st Open Lerwick, 3rd National to confirm their status as top class long distance fanciers. Dennis’s father Tom passed away in the early 1990’s and for a number of years Denis kept his father’s name on the partnership in the hope that he could win a National race in his honour. However in 1997 Dennis’s mother convinced him to compete simply as Dennis Ford and guess what - the very next year 1998, he gained the first of his twelve National wins to date, this from Messac. Since that initial National win Denis has gone on to win National races from Crieff on the north road in 2002; Chale with young birds in 2006 ; Picauville 2007 when the loft was 1st , 2nd ,4th & 6th Open and Lessay again in 2007 plus Messac, Saintes, Picauville Young birds and Tarbes BICC in 2008. Both the Tarbes and Bergerac Nationals were won in 2009 and a further two second Open National wins were achieved in 2010. Dennis also bred the winner of 1st National Thurso for Mr & Mrs Webber & Davies of Six Bells, a pretty impressive record by anyone’s standards.
The Ford lofts are only a stone’s throw from the Big Pit site which is designated a World Heritage site. They are situated on an allotment high on the hillside facing down the valley to the south. I say allotments in the loosest sense as in reality the site is a well maintained scenic garden with all manner of flowers bordering an immaculately maintained lawn. In addition to the range of lofts Dennis has also set up a well stocked hidey hole complete with microwave oven, refrigerator [plus beer] ,television and telephone – a real home from home. When you consider that Dennis is at the loft at five o’clock each morning and spends most of each day there throughout the racing season, then these creature comforts can be regarded as essentials and not luxuries!! Many are the times that Denis has shared his early morning toast with the resident robins.
There are two main racing lofts one a 32 ft x 9ft structure with 5 sections and the other 28 ft x 8 ft two sectioned affair, these house the 19 pairs flown on the roundabout system plus the young bird team of approximately 50 – 60 babies. The youngsters are raced on the darkness system and Dennis’s results would seem to indicate that this has had no adverse effects on their long term racing performances. The youngsters also have access to a large aviary and spend most of the day in this when not at exercise.
Ten pairs of stock birds are housed in a separate loft with aviary attached and these are mated along with the race birds in early February. The racers are allowed to rear a nest of youngsters before being put on the roundabout system and if fit every pigeon is raced weekly throughout the season. The old bird race team, both cocks and hens, are exercised twice daily for one hour on each occasion. With this home exercise there is no need to resort to the training basket once racing is underway. The cocks and hens are allowed together for a short time on basketting night and Dennis is not worried if some of the pairs tread. On their return from a race the pairs are allowed to remain together for an hour or so before being separated until the following week’s race.
The racers have access at all times to a hopper filled with beans and peas. These are purchased in bulk from a farm in Herefordshire. The only addition to this high protein staple diet is a high carbohydrate and fat mixture that Dennis feeds by hand after each exercise period. NO TREATMENTS WHATSOEVER ARE GIVEN, the only thing the birds receive is some glucose added to the drinking water on the racers return. Good pigeons with strong constitutions and natural vitality keep themselves well and rarely go wrong. The main bloodlines housed are a combination of Janssens. Lambert & Davies Grizzles, Tuplin Barkers and Westcotts. The Ford policy is to mate winner to winner irrespective of bloodlines, to hopefully breed more winners. When all is said and done that’s all most of us want and so far he hasn’t gone far wrong. The resultant team of racers produced by these simple common sense methods do the business from 60 to 600 miles, on all routes in all weathers at all velocities. What more could anyone want?
It has been a pleasure once more for me to highlight the wins of one of the sport’s great fanciers and just as importantly thoroughly decent and good men. Congratulations Dennis you and Ann deserve it.
Gareth Watkins