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THE VRŠAC TUMBLER

STANDARD – HISTORY – TUMBLING – PHOTO

FLYING AND TUMBLING

TRAINING

Vršac Tumbler belongs to a class of «Purzler» tumblers, which means that it makes one or two turns. However, it is not rare to see exemplars that make three or more turns, or even those that fall i.e. tumble all the way down to ground. Such exemplars, if not isolated from the loft, usually kill themselves.

        Vršac Tumbler flies in a small group at the altitudes of up to 200 meters. It flies circular and usually proclaim its tumbling by slamming the wings and by easily decreasing the speed of flight a few moments before the tumbling starts. During mating on the roof, their «loveplay» always ends with a short flight, tumbling and slamming the wings.

        If younger pigeons are trained daily then their flight lasts up to twenty minutes with frequent tumbling. The flight is short for two reasons: the first is a very frequent tumbling (every ten seconds) which makes pigeons exausted quickly. The second reason is physiological: namely, because of a relatively short spout which is also slightly curved at the end, breathing channels are narrowed so for this kind of pigeon it is more difficult to breathe. This accelerates exhaustion of pigeons and shortens the flight time.

        Because it is not in their nature to fly too high, not to go too far and they like to fly circular, it is very suitable to train pigeons using aviary («flight cage»).

        Besides, these pigeons are very tame (meek) so they get easily cought by hand and put into cage after the flight. This is very important when working with cage, because faint-hearted and wild pigeons are not eligible for such training.

        I train my Vršac Tumblers each day using a «flight cage» on the grass field near the town of Vršac. I start the training at the beginning of April, before first youngsters fly out of nest, because they have to start training while they are still not able to fly.

        First trainings consist of just standing on the flight cage about an hour each day. During this time young pigeons are in fact getting used to their new house (flight cage) and new surroundings (grass field, sky, various birds, new sounds).

        After 4-5 days the active training starts: I put a young pigeon on my hand and walk away from cage 1-2 meters. The pigeon instincitively wants to return to others in cage and tries to fly over that distance. I patiently hold him on my palm and wait for him to gain courage and take off. If he won’t fly after 15 to 20 seconds I slowly get closer to the cage and make it easier for it because it is obvious that it does not have enough strength to fly over this distance. It is very important that young pigeon succesfully land on cage, because of self-confidence, and also because it is not good for him to fall on earth. He has to be afraid of grass and ground, and that is attained if he doesn’t land on ground while still young. For it, the only place to land freely should be white board of “flight cage”.

        Day after day, the distance from which I let them go back increases. The distance depends on their strength and capability.

        When they become strong enough to fly 15-20 meters, I don’t take them away from the cage, but throw them in air, having in mind the direction and intensity of the wind. Namely, the goal is to give them “assignments” (flights) which will be hardly but always successfuly realized. It is wrong to throw a young pigeon very far downwind if he hasn’t enough strength to fight the wind and return to the cage. A pigeon must not land beside the cage, i.e. on ground. Therefore I must evaluate its capabilities – its strength and give him “assignments” according to that.

        After about twenty training sessions, pigeons start to take off by themselves when I put them on the board – that is a good sign. It is very important that after these first real flights they successfuly land on cage. These first flights are in fact just a few circles above the cage. These flights are most dangerous for young pigeons because it may happen that a pigeon fly away from the cage and being unexperienced land on ground some 100-200 meters from the cage. For this not to happen, it is necessary only after a few circles to “drop” a pigeon using another pigeon, thrown from hand near the cage. But if this undesirable landing however happens, such pigeon is lost for further training, even if I get him back to the cage, because pigeon that lands only a few times on ground, later does that regularly. Not only that, but it will spoil other pigeons as they will follow him and land on ground.

        Besides them, disobedient pigeons, faint-hearted and lazy pigeons are also suspended from the training. The “flying school” starts with about 50 and successfuly ends with about 25-30 pigeons.

        When they learn to fly above the cage and land successfuly (which is most important) next stage of training starts – flying in a group of three. I put three pigeons of about the same age and strength on the cage and easily actuate them to fly. After few minutes of flight when I notice that they want to land, I throw a “dropper” and they land on the cage. I open the pigeonhole on the cage (which is 10 x 18 centimeters wide) and they slowly hop inside becouse they already learned to get food inside after the flight every day.

        Already during first flights, some pigeons start to “sit” on their tails and fall a few meters. This is the “foresign” of tumbling. From that moment on, after about ten days of everyday flying, such exemplars start to tumble.

        It is very important to train them every day, particulary in the beginning, because if the training sessions are not regular, pigeons are lost.

        The place to do the training needs to be without trees and houses, the best is open grass field. Initially I carry pigeons on the same grass field until they learn to land satisfactorily on the cage. Afterwards I move the cage on that same grassfield to the left or to the right for about 50 to 100 meters, every day. When I am assured that the pigeons are good in locating the cage then the next day I change the grass field – some other place a few kilometers away and do the training there, but watching closely. I must not let pigeons out of sight because if I notice fear and departing in their flight  , I immediately throw droppers to get them down.

        Pigeons that successfuly fly on several different grassfields are ready for flying expositions. Of course, the quality of tumbling is achieved by everyday training and genetic predisposition.

        Like other recreational tumblers, my pigeons also became a prey for hawks, falcons and other raptors. Nevertheless, Vršac tumblers fill my free time and make my days nicer with their acrobatics in the air.

        My pigeons compete through my membership in Serbian Roller Club. This club is since 2002 a member of EFU (European association of tumblers) and beside VRSCHAZER PURZLERS, other world breeds of rollers are present in the club: BIRMINGHAM ROLLER, ORIENTALISCHE ROLLER, MARDIN, DUNEK...

THE HISTORY OF VRŠAC TUMBLER 

        The Vršac Tumbler originates from the town of Vršac (Yugoslavia) and its region, and exists since the beginning of 20th century. It was made by crossbreeding of several breeds of rollers brought from Turkey, Bulgaria, Russia, Poland and Hungary. By crossbreeding these rollers (tumblers), a pigeon was created with small crest (cap), strong wings and tumbling characteristic. These pigeons were popular in Vršac and its surroundings, but the need emerged to better their aesthetics. There was an extensive period of selection work, and about the middle of 20th century, Vršac Tumbler that we know today was created.

        In the year of 1958, the STANDARD of Vršac Tumbler was written, which was accepted and registered the same year by «Union of Yugoslav Small Animal Breeders» in Novi Sad.

        Since that year, Vršac tumbler appears in domestic and foreign printed books and magazines:

        «GOLUBARSTVO» ing. M. Peurača, V. Drinjovski, 1969. Zrenjanin

        «A HAZIGALAMB ES TENYESZTESE» Istvar Pertefi 1970. Bukurešt

        Handbuch der «TAUBENRASSEN» Joachim Schuete

        «GOLUBARSTVO II» ing. Peurača, V. Drinjovski 1976. Beograd

        «GOLUBARENJE U VRŠCU I OKOLINI» prof. Slavko Brankov 1982. Sombor

        «TAUBENRASSEN» Stach, Wolters, Schuete 1994. Bottrop

        «BILDSCHONE TAUBENRASSE» hand 2 Hans-Joachim Schille 2001. Sebnitz

        On the international scene – at expositions and fairs, Vršac tumbler appears the first time in 1970. in Timisoara, Romania then 1975. at European expo in Budapest. After that, in 1978. at 16^th European expo in Wels, Austria, 1985. at European expo in Leipzig, 1990. in Arad, Romania etc. In the later years it was present at several European expositions: 1998. in Brno on 25^th European exposition, 2000^th in Wels on 26^th exposition and 2004. in Prague on 27^th European exposition.

THE STANDARD 

GENERAL APPEREANCE: It is a small, short and dumpy pigeon, with low attitude, stable, very lively and elegant-looking.

HEAD: It has a shape of a walnut with characteristical high and forward-put wide forehead. The cap is full, from ear to ear, separated from the head and at a little lower position. At the ends of a cap, above the ear, on both sides, there are small “rosettes”.

EYES: Eyes are pearl-white. White pigeons have dark eyes. Eye rims have well developed colour ranging from pale yellowish to pale pink.

SPOUT: The spout is short, wide and strong, widely supported by forehead.

CHEST: Chest is wide, full and rounded. Low carried and a little advanced.

BACK: Back is wide, flat and a little inclined, in the plane of tail.

WINGS: Wings have medium length, well developed and feathered, a little shorter than tail and lying on the tail.

TAIL: Tail is short, well assorted with 12 feathers and a little bit longer than wings.

LEGS: Legs are short, stable, little spaced afar and with strongly emphasized red colour. Nails are in corelation with spout, legs are without feathers.

FEATHERS: Feathers are firm, well assorted, nicely adhere to body, shiny.

COLOURS AND PATTERNS: Single coloured are bred in all colours as: white, black, yellow, red, blue, “forged” blue, cinder, coffee (“vuga”). There are exemplars with one of basic colours and white flying feathers and white wings– “white tipped”. All colours are intensive and evenly spread.

FAULTS: A lack of tumbling, rapid falling during the tumbling, “sitting” on the tail, long and clumsy body, long and narrow neck, long legs, narrow head, low and narrow forehead, narrow and straight spout, patchy eyes, red eye rims, narrow and defected cap, adhered cap, a lack of “rosettes”, “hanging” wings, long tail, not enough feathers, uneven spreaded colour.

RING: IV (seven milimeters).

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