Animals that travel by land are also more prone to danger, especially during warfare. One famous incident in history where racing pigeons proved their worth was when Napoleon was defeated in Waterloo. No other person knew about this event right away, except for Count Rothschild, who got this first-hand information through a racing pigeon. Or maybe the thought of taking care of pigeons is not their idea of being "cool". Here's what I think. If we want to spark interest about pigeon racing as a hobby and a sport, an effort has to be made in regards to reaching out to kids. After all, the fascination with pigeons is in its truest form in the eyes of a child. A Quick Look at Pigeon Racing In this sport race, there is a single starting gate where the birds bred specifically for this are to start off. However, there are about a thousand finish lines. Simply put, the competing birds are then taken out of their lofts. The point is they must race home. The travel rate and the distance are put on record and the fastest to be able to race home is declared as the winner. There are lofts that are too big that they can cost you a lot to purchase one while others are small and some are even simply made of scrap materials. For some people, the loft can be a small wooden box that is about the size of the orange crate. But take note that we are not debating on the size or the cost of the loft. A racer needs to provide proofs that he is, indeed, the owner of the pigeon. Each competing pigeon must be healthy and should wear a racing band. Each pigeon must return to its loft at the end of the race. Otherwise, it is disqualified. The shortest distance possible for each official race is no shorter than 75 miles. Each stage then requires a particular diet and feeding scheme. This fully applies especially when you prefer for it to succeed in sports. These stages require a balance of energy (carbohydrates and fats), protein, minerals and vitamins. Other important considerations to take are the sex and age of the bird, heavy training, long or short distance race, and the likes.