Their history can be traced back with some degree of certainly to at least the 17th Century, possibly earlier. At one time a 'working thief pigeon' in and around areas of Old London. For the past 80 - 100 years, their stronghold has been based in and around the Glasgow region. Now considered by many to be a true Scottish breed. Believed to be an ancestor of the English Pouter.

Overall Impression:

Cheery and lively, responsive to chat.

Height 9" - 1 0" Length 1 2" - 1 3", tip of beak to end of tail.

Head: Ova and neat, beak resting on crop.

Eye: Red/orange/yellow.

Beak: Dark in Selfs. Fleshy in Dilutes and Whites accepted. Medium Wattle.

Neck: Crop rounded, well sprung from waist and to be in relation to body.

Body: Strong, firm.

Wings: Tight to body, slightly parted approximately %" from end to tai

Feathers: Strong and hard in good flying condition.

Legs: Strong appearance, free of feathers, proportionate to body.

All colours accepted, including all Grizzles and Self-White.

Too tall and too upright.

Too low and too long.

Bull eyes. Marked or odd eyes. Stained in solids.

Small Wattle, Long Beak. Small Crop, overblown.

Distorted and crop-bound.

Skinny, Prominent keel. Too heavy and wide. Too long, crossed flights.

Droopy wings. Dirty, dull and broken.

Height/Length: 10

Head/Eye: 5

Beak: 5

Crop/Neck: 20

Body: 10

Wings: 10

Feathers: 5

Legs: 5

Colour: 20

Nature: 10

Total: 100

The NPA Standard from the U.S.

Horseman Thief Pouter Standard

The history of the Horseman Thief Pouter can be traced back with some degree of certainty to the 17^th century, possibly earlier. At one time a ‘working thief pigeon’ in and around areas of London. For the past 100 + years, their stronghold has been based in and around Glasgow, Scotland. They are now considered to be a Scottish breed by fanciers around the world. They were first imported into North America in 2004.

An alert and lively breed, responsive to human chat as well as to other birds in the loft or judging pens. One could call a good working Horseman ‘pushy’ for the way they keep cooing, bowing and working at other birds or people.

HEIGHT: From the high spot of the skull to ball of foot the ideal is 10 inches. The actual height range will vary from 9 inches to 11 inches. Taller than 12 inches is a serious fault even if the bird is proportionate in over all size. Shorter than nine inches is a serious fault.

LENGTH/STATION: Not to be more than 12 to 13 inches long from the tip of beak to the end of tail. The Horseman can be broken down into three parts. First part being the head to the waist, which is at the top of the wing butts/shoulder where the globe hits the body. Second part being from the waist down to the vent area where the back of the thighs join the lower body. Lastly from this vent area to the tip of the tail. In a well balanced bird the first part will be slightly more than either parts two or three, which should be roughly the same length. When stationing the eyes should be roughly perpendicular to the end of the toe nails. Eyes over any part of the toes or foot mean they are too erect.

HEAD: Oval and neat with a slight forehead rising from the wattle in a flowing line.

EYES & CERES: Eyes to be bright and vibrant with a noticeable shine. All varieties to have the same red/orange colored eyes with the exception of pure white birds [absolutely no color including on the beak] can have either orange or bull eyes. Brown pattern birds have a ‘false pearl’ eye and shall not be cut points based on their eye color alone. The eye ceres shall be small, smooth and fine in texture.

BEAK & WATTLE: Medium wattle size, to be smooth and without coarseness. Medium beak length with color to match feather color (Black, Horn, Fleshy).

NECK, CROP /GLOBE: Length of neck/crop/globe starting at the top of the shoulders to be in proportion with the birds over all size. The crop/globe shall be well sprung from the waist and be well balanced with the rest of the bird. There should be enough back globe for an over all round crop/globe. The crop/globe must be under complete control at all times, neither too small nor too large, with the beak resting on the crop/globe. Birds close to the ideal height will often times have a less distinct break at the waist. While this is a fault it is minor in comparison to a bird that is considerably taller even with a good break at the waist.

BODY: Body to be wedge shaped, smooth and hard in the hand, but not overly large or wide. Back to be full but not round [AKA roach backed] to avoid side boarding with the cover feathers over the back. Keel to be straight and flow smoothly from the waist to the hip/leg joint, without extending much past the edge of the wings on a side view, carrying through in a smooth flowing line to the vent area. See side view for proper look. Brunner Pouter size and shape and type are a serious fault for being too small and thin. Norwich Cropper body size and type is a serious fault. The Horseman must be handled by the judge in order to feel the shape and condition of the body and keel.

WINGS: Held tight to the body with the flights resting on the tail and ending ½ to ¾ inch from the end of the tail. See side view drawing for better understanding. Flight tips should not cross over each other.

TAIL: Flows smoothly from the body and is held tightly together roughly one and a half feathers wide.

FEATHER: Hard and tight feathering, in good flying condition. Hock, thigh and vent feathering can be slightly looser than the body feathering.

LEGS: Strong, straight and free of feathers below the hocks; set wide on the body. See front view for better understanding. Thighs are visible with no noticeable hinge at the body junction. Length must be balanced with the over all bird. Legs that are too long or too short for the birds size are faults.

COLORS: All known colors (normal and rare) are recognized, including Self White. Any white markings, flights or pied markings are a fault.

NATURE: Alert and lively while performing constantly in the judging pen. They must be responsive to the judge, as well as to other birds when being judged.

Too tall in height; Too upright [perpendicular]; Stained beak; Very small wattle; Small crop/globe that does not balance with the birds size; Body too thin (Brunner body); Large or flat head; Very narrow leg set; No waist (break of globe at waist); Worn feathers (sign of ‘working’ and to be a slight deduction and not a serious fault); Colored or stained beak or a few scattered colored feathers on Orange Eyed Whites.

Too low slung in station; Too long in length; Too short in height; Long length of beak; Very coarse wattle; Out of control globe; Over blowing or too large of a globe [should not be Norwich Cropper globe size]; Too short of neck/crop/globe; Pear shaped globe; No back globe; Too thick in body; Prominent or deep keel; Roached or severe ‘V’ shaped backed; Long or crossed flights; Drooping wings and flights; Side boarding; Wild, nervous or not performing; Length of leg too long or short for proper proportion/balance; Norwich Cropper size or type; Too erect in station; Feathered feet; Pigmy legs [AKA cow hocked]; Hinged legs at the body [obvious signs of hip joint]; White or pied markings or flights; Dirty, broken or missing feathers [other than feathers worn from ‘working’ as a thief Pouter should]; Body mites or feather lice.　

Any sign of sickness; Obvious sign of crossbreeding; Crooked toes; Colored or stained beak on Bull Eyed (Recessive) White [colored beak means they are some pied combination and not recessive white].　

Height/Length 10

Head/Eye 5

Beak/Wattle 5

Neck/Crop/Globe 20

Body 10

Wings/Tail 10

Feathers 5

Legs 5

Color 20

Nature 10

TOTAL: 100

Band/Ring size: 8