Some Horseman Pouter Pics

[Guest ljb107]

Hi

 

Here's some 2010 horseman pouters:-

 

Dilute Blue Cheq Hen

 

Dilute Blue Cheq Hen

 

Yellow Cheq Male

 

Red Cheq Male

 

Thanks

 

Lloyd

[Guest spin cycle]

very nice....always fancied some but i think they'd distract me from my racing

[Glassfeather]

very nice....always fancied some but i think they'd distract me from my racing

 

Have a look at what Mike Van der Jagt has to say about them:

 

There are many different breeds of pouters, 30 or 40 at least, maybe more. The Horseman is a Scottish breed that has been developed for the sport of thiefing. There are several Spanish breeds that are also used for the sport of “thiefing†and so these are all loosely referred to as the thiefing breeds.

 

I have had Spanish thiefs since 1993. The birds I had were crosses and used strictly as an aid in managing my homers. I say managing the homers because they are often referred to by the racing folk as droppers. They are definitely not droppers. Thiefing and dropping are very different activities. Droppers are trained to ignore the returning racer and simply beeline for the trap and enter the loft, with the idea that the returning race bird will simply follow it through the hole and in theory trap quicker. I have seen this technique honed to a fine art in Florida and where they will throw as many as a dozen droppers creating a steady chain to the trap. The homer enters the chain and follows the bird in front of him and has another right on his tail. It is very effective.

 

The art of thiefing is quite different. A good thief has to be free flying around the loft prior to the arrival of the birds. Once he knows his job, he will be expecting race birds and select a good vantage point to sit and wait. Once he jumps into the air, you can be sure a bird is arriving. The thief will beeline for the bird, or flock, and literately herd them toward the trap in the shortest route possible. I had one that was so good, he knew every individual bird in my flock and if a kit flew past that did not contain one of my birds, he would sit still and not chase after them. As soon as one of my birds was in the vicinity, he would be in the air like a shot.

 

The thief pouters are also great for settling youngsters the first time out. Harr Richardson was my pouter partner in Fergus. He lived on a large dairy farm. His top thief was named Romeo. He once let a kit of homer squeakers out for their first time and one spooked off the loft. They could barely fly, but this little fellow managed to climb all the way up to the top of the dairy barn, too scared to do anything but sit frozen on the very peak. It sat there all day, not moving. An hour as so before dark, Harr released Romeo to fetch it in. Romeo spotted the squeaker and was up on the barn in a flash. At first the squeaker ignored Romeo. Romeo started to fly back and forth between the peak of the barn and the landing board. Harr said he counted 50 trips before he lost track. Finally, right at dark, the squeaker followed Romeo to the board and ran in. The thiefs never give up.

 

A dropper is a lure, a thief is a sheep dog.

 

To me the key to a good thief for the purposes of managing a flock of homers is to get a breed that is compatible with homers. Some breeds are too aggressive and keep the loft too stirred up, will disrupt nests and constantly bother the homers. The Spanish I had were very compatible. They were active and spirited but subservient to the homers. They just knew their place in the overall operation. That is what is key in my mind.

 

A couple of years ago I decided that I would like to try showing a few birds in the winter. Since by Spanish thiefs were crosses, they would not serve that purpose. I decided to get the Horseman as they are a pure strain and therefore can be shown. Since the breed is actively flown in the thiefing sport in Great Britain, I have no doubt that they will work well for me in that capacity as well. This was my first year breeding them and I now know that they are also very compatible when housed with the homers. They are a very scarce breed in Canada however, so I am being cautious as I build up a breeding team and therefore I have not flown any out yet. That is next year’s project.

 

I can state with great confidence that the Spanish birds I had won me more than one race, averted the loss of many youngsters off the loft and added a great deal of entertainment to my time in the backyard with the birds. Watching their antics while awaiting the arrival of the race birds often had me laughing out loud. As to how effective the Horseman will be in comparison, I will have to defer until next year, but I have no doubt, based on everything I have seen so far, that I will not be disappointed.

 

Mike

[Guest spin cycle]

Have a look at what Mike Van der Jagt has to say about them:

 

 

very interesting...i reckon i'll have a pair one day ....i don't need much more encouragement ....there was an add few weeks ago in bhw ...someone in suffolk??