Friday, August 19, 2005
Head Mount
Head mount sets Holland lops apart from other compact breeds. A good head mount gives our bunnies their majestic, impressive, showy, and yes, even cocky expression. It's no wonder breeders try so hard to get a high head mount on their bunnies. But there are some bad ideas out there, in my opinion, about head mount.
We do not want a high head mount at all costs. I am referring to long bone. I personally would rather have short, thick bone with a slightly lower (but not low) head mount than to have a bunny on stilts. Long, thin bone ruins the massive appearance of a Holland and massiveness relative to actual size is one of the hallmarks of our breed. Check out Camelot's Merlin and see if you agree that he has short, thick bone.
Training is not the answer either. I'm all for getting rabbits use to being handled and teaching them to pose quickly so a judge doesn't miss them at their best. But training rabbits to pull themselves up to their highest possible height is not attractive. Look at the face of one of these overposed rabbits. They have a distinct "can-I-relax-now?" look. Those rabbits are often standing up on their tippy toes, trying to please their pet person's desire for height (remember, our standard calls for front feet resting lightly on the table). And the back feet come forward, trying to assist the look of height, causing or exacerbating the look of being chopped in the hindquarters.
A properly posed rabbit should look relaxed and perhaps alert, but not stressed and contorted into a position not natural for the bunny, in my opinion. See how relaxed The Nature Trail's May is when she poses.
So what, then, is the answer? Obviously, breed and cull for rabbits whose natural head mount is high on the shoulders. It's a matter of where the head attaches to the body. But the read secret, in my mind, is the chest.
If you have short, stumpy front legs, but you want the head to be high, where is that height coming from? I believe it comes from a deep chest. Look at your rabbits from the front. You should see a little bit of short, fat leg, a lot of chest, and a head atop that chest, rising above the level of the shoulders. Take a look at the chest on The Nature Trail's Liesl.
No, I'm not producing my ideal head mount in every rabbit yet. But having a good internal picture of what I am aiming at will help me reach my goals much quicker. And I hope it helps you reach yours, too.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
"Holland Lops of Distinction"
http://www.thenaturetrail.com/
http://www.thenaturetrail.com/blog/BLOG
¶ 10:27 AM
We do not want a high head mount at all costs. I am referring to long bone. I personally would rather have short, thick bone with a slightly lower (but not low) head mount than to have a bunny on stilts. Long, thin bone ruins the massive appearance of a Holland and massiveness relative to actual size is one of the hallmarks of our breed. Check out Camelot's Merlin and see if you agree that he has short, thick bone.
Training is not the answer either. I'm all for getting rabbits use to being handled and teaching them to pose quickly so a judge doesn't miss them at their best. But training rabbits to pull themselves up to their highest possible height is not attractive. Look at the face of one of these overposed rabbits. They have a distinct "can-I-relax-now?" look. Those rabbits are often standing up on their tippy toes, trying to please their pet person's desire for height (remember, our standard calls for front feet resting lightly on the table). And the back feet come forward, trying to assist the look of height, causing or exacerbating the look of being chopped in the hindquarters.
A properly posed rabbit should look relaxed and perhaps alert, but not stressed and contorted into a position not natural for the bunny, in my opinion. See how relaxed The Nature Trail's May is when she poses.
So what, then, is the answer? Obviously, breed and cull for rabbits whose natural head mount is high on the shoulders. It's a matter of where the head attaches to the body. But the read secret, in my mind, is the chest.
If you have short, stumpy front legs, but you want the head to be high, where is that height coming from? I believe it comes from a deep chest. Look at your rabbits from the front. You should see a little bit of short, fat leg, a lot of chest, and a head atop that chest, rising above the level of the shoulders. Take a look at the chest on The Nature Trail's Liesl.
No, I'm not producing my ideal head mount in every rabbit yet. But having a good internal picture of what I am aiming at will help me reach my goals much quicker. And I hope it helps you reach yours, too.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
"Holland Lops of Distinction"
http://www.thenaturetrail.com/
http://www.thenaturetrail.com/blog/BLOG
¶ 10:27 AM
