Horseman Thief Pouters from the Loft of Will Brown, USA

The photos on this page depict  Horseman in action as opposed to the classic Horseman pose taken from the side of the bird.  When breeding working birds, it's not enough for the birds to just look good.

Here is a young '05 bronze necked, smoky blue bar cock (in the middle of his first molt) reacting to a hen presented to him.

"Cortez", a black cock working a red hen on the roof.

The two photos below show the reaction of my Horseman when presented with a hen.  Mated and unmated cocks should react this way.  If not, they don't have what I require of my breeding stock.  When presented with a hen they should instantly be in action working the hen, even when she is in your hand.  The lower photo shows five cocks trying to get to the hen and more were working her from below on the floor.  In Scotland it's a serious offense in the sport of thieving to hold out a hen this way to capture a doo as it climbs onto her back to breed with her.  It's called "pochlin" and anyone caught doing it could be in for a serious beating!