Horseman Pouter Counterfeits
A few years before the Horseman Pouter was introduced here in North America from Scotland a few fanciers on our side of the pond attempted to recreate this fantastic breed of pigeon by making crosses of various breeds of Pouters and non-Pouters. The plan was to make them as close as possible in type and temperament to the genuine Horseman from Scotland.
One of the many crosses that was done was Norwich Cropper x Racing Homer, with some Voorburg thrown in. The basic end result of this formula was a bird that was ¾ Norwich and ¼ Racing Homer. Many believe this is the basic original formula for creating the Horseman in Scotland countless years ago.
This cross was very typy and was an excellent flier but lacked the Horseman temperament. Some of these birds were shown at the major shows and could have fooled the experts.
To this day this cross is being used by some Horseman breeders to add better type and flying ability to their birds. They are called “Horseman Project Birds” which I believe is a good name for them as they are not genuine Horseman Pouters. The real Horseman Pouter is a real and distinct breed of Pigeon from Scotland. But since the genuine Horseman has been imported into the North America, this crossbreed is dissipating in the lofts around America. There is no more use for it.
The second major attempt at recreation was done by crossing Brunner Pouters with different Spanish Pouters such as Rafeño and Laudino. The end result was a bird that was 50% Brunner Pouter and 50% Spanish Pouter. These birds have NO Horseman blood in them whatsoever, yet are being offered for sale on the internet as Horseman Pouters.
These birds are of poor Horseman type, looking like skinny Spanish Pouters with long legs. This mongrel continues to misrepresent Horseman Pouters by a very few in spite of condemnation by the North American Horseman Pouter Club. Despite all the genuine Scottish Horseman imported into North America these counterfeit crosses are still being peddled around the states as Horseman Pouters. The NAHPC does not recognize these cross breeds as genuine Horseman.
If you are interested in genuine Horseman Pouters for exhibition or performance, please thourohly research the lineage of the birds offered to you, so you aren’t deceitfully sold these Horseman counterfeits.
I might add that the genuine Scottish Horseman are not just show birds. The main breeders I know put a priority on breeding these birds for temperament, as it’s a big part of the Horseman standard and well should be. Most of the Flyers in Scotland get their working birds from the show breeders because most of the Flyers don’t breed. The genuine Horseman Pouter is both a bird that can be shown and one that can steal other pigeons as good as the best of them.