Article Spoor about Arnold Paalman The Best Grandmaster East Division

04/05/2026

Article Spoor about Arnold Paalman The Best Grandmaster East Division

Arnold Paalman The Best Grandmaster – East Division

With the winner of Best Grandmaster on the opening race of the East Division, we are immediately dealing with one of the absolute standouts in racing, namely Arnold Paalman, competing under the name Eijerkamp-Paalman. On Saturday, April 18, the East Division with its various regions released pigeons from Reusel, Duffel, Velden, and Kerkrade. The Central Flying Area South Region had 5,685 pigeons in Kerkrade. In this region, where Arnold competes, he achieved a fantastic result, earning him the title of Best Grandmaster of the East Division.

Arnold entered 87 pigeons, of which no fewer than 76 won prizes. Against 5,685 pigeons, this resulted in the following rankings (only top 100 prizes): 8-9-10-11-21-23-24-26-27-28-30-32-35-37-42-45-46-47-48-49-51-52-53-87-88-92-93-95-96-98-99, etc.
Total result: 23 x 1:100, 62 x 1:10, and 76 x 1:3.

Eijerkamp-Paalman

Arnold Paalman is 36 years old and lives independently on his parents’ farm. Despite being nearly 70, his parents still run a dairy farm. Arnold, as he puts it himself, has "the most beautiful profession in the world": professional pigeon fancier.

He has been working for the Eijerkamp family for over 13 years and has competed in partnership with them since 2022. He started there caring for breeding pigeons and still works primarily with breeders, where he is now the right-hand man of Hans and Evert-Jan Eijerkamp at Greenfield Stud in Brummen. He also supervises top caretakers Rick and Nick.

His work at Eijerkamp and his own loft complement each other well, with everyone showing flexibility when needed. Besides his daily work, Arnold also takes responsibility in the sport and serves as chairman of his club Pax Snelpost in Lochem.

How it all started

Growing up on a farm, Arnold was always surrounded by animals, especially rabbits. Around age 11, he received a few ornamental pigeons by chance. Eventually, this grew to about 150 pigeons housed at his parents’ property.

In 2003, the local pigeon club noticed him and saw potential in him as a youth member. With support from his parents, he got his first loft and became a youth member in 2004.

No one else in his family raced pigeons, so he had to figure out much himself, though he received great support from Gerrit Eggink.

A fun anecdote: in 2005, Arnold didn’t dare participate in races and was even afraid to release pigeons at the end of the street. In 2006, he entered his first race and immediately won 1st prize in his club.

Arnold handles all care for his pigeons himself, with occasional help from his parents. He describes himself as very dedicated, emphasizing precision, structure, and cleanliness. For example, he cleans his loft about four times a day so clean you could eat off the floor.

The loft and racing system

The lofts are located on his parents’ property. There are two racing lofts for old pigeons:

One loft (5.5 meters, 2 sections) houses 25 males and about 55 females, raced under total widowhood. Each male is paired with two females.
Another loft (4.5 meters) houses 25 males and 25 females, where only males are raced under traditional widowhood.

Additionally:

A 10-meter loft houses 150 young pigeons.
A 4-meter loft houses about 60 pigeons for late-season races.

All lofts have aviaries. Females stay in them during the day, while males use them mainly for bathing and in winter.

Arnold competes in all disciplines except marathon races. Old pigeons race from April to late September. Young pigeons are less pressured—if they don’t show negative traits, they get a chance as yearlings.

Old pigeons train twice daily for about one hour.

The pigeons

Most pigeons come from the Eijerkamp family. Arnold firmly believes in their quality. He especially favors Leo Heremans pigeons, which he has successfully crossed with birds from Willem de Bruijn and the Leideman brothers.

All breeding is done at Eijerkamp. Top-performing pigeons return there after their racing careers. This system allows pigeons to be tested in multiple locations, including Belgium.

Care during the season

Arnold recently switched to Vanrobaeys feed, always seeking the best quality. He uses supplements like Vydex (including probiotics) and a mineral mix developed with DHP.

Medically, he is very strict:

Vaccinations against paratyphoid, salmonella, and pox
Young pigeons receive paramyxovirus vaccinations

He prefers vaccination over medication to build natural resistance.

Top pigeons of the weekend

Lady Quanto (NL24-8189663NL24-8189663): 8th place. A 2-year-old female with strong lineage (Heremans-Ceusters / W.A. de Bruijn).
James Bor (NL25-1095007NL25-1095007): 9th place. A promising yearling male.
Dynamic Vasili (NL24-8189639NL24-8189639): 10th place, with multiple strong prior results.

Many highlights

Since partnering with Eijerkamp in 2022, Arnold has achieved many top results, including:

* Olympic pigeons in Dortmund
* World Best Pigeon title (vitesse category)
* Multiple major race wins and top series results

Top 10 Grandmasters – East Division

1. Eijerkamp-Paalman – 722.917 points (87 entered, 76 prizes)
2. Johan Loos – 668.973 points
3. Lucas Boogaerdt – 650.748 points
4. Maaike Petrie – 637.669 points
5. S. Mekkelholt – 628.900 points
6. J.H. Kroondijk – 626.605 points
7. W. Knuth – 587.606 points
8. B. van Dijk – 582.576 points
9. G. van de Aast – 573.672 points
10. H. Rozendal – 565.938 points

Published in the Dutch "Spoor" April 2026

Lady Quanto

James Bor

Dynamic Vasili