At the stable in Kenilworth a pigeon made her nest in the rafters.
In this particular stable a crack horse Chichester was stabled on his visits to the Cape.
Chichester was a great horse in those days and won many major races...there is a road in Kenilworth that is named after him.
The pigeon cooing had a calming effect on Chichester who was a rather highly strung temperament...the stable saw this messy nest and got it removed.
The result was disasterous....he stopped winning races as a result.
Annette Galbraithe who owned the horse could not fathom what was wrong with him...it baffled the trainer and the vet as they could find nothing wrong.
A while later another pigeon (it could have been the same one) roosted there and cooed away...Annette figured it out...strict orders not remove the pigeon were given. The next race he won again and continued to do so. Amazing really.
It's a very true story, I knew Annette well and she told me this amazing relationship by this odd companionship between a thoroughbred stallion and a nesting pigeon.