Friday, March 23, 2007
That's Deep!
My three most successful rabbits share one very important quality: they're deep. No, I don't mean that they are philosophers who see the real meaning of life (though they may), I mean that they have good depth at the shoulder carried back over the hips.
Proper depth that is carried back over the hindquarter appropriately sets up a beautiful top line for a Holland Lop, or any rabbit, for that matter. But it is possible to have a pretty top line and not have depth. How is that? Well, depth refers to mass while a top line, or any line, is just a demarcation without substance. Some rabbits show a nice topline, but they are tucked up or hollow underneath - there's no depth.
It is possible to have a shoulder that is not low, but is still not deep. It's really easy to tell whether you've got depth at the shoulders. Just put your hands around the rabbit like you were going to eat a hamburger. You may have heard me say this before - you don't want to feel like you are eating a junior hamburger. You want a Quarter Pounder at least, and hopefully a Big Mac. Unfortunately, you can have a junior-hamburger chest and shoulder combination that's perched on long front limbs. It may support a nice top line, but it doesn't meet the Standards criteria for "shoulders should be deep."
For depth over the midsection and hindquarter, be on the alert for a tucked-up tummy. Britannia Petites, Tans, and Checkered Giants are supposed to be tucked up; Hollands aren't.
I think that depth carried out to the hindquarter "of equally or slightly greater depth [than the shoulders]" is often the difference between a nice rabbit and a great rabbit. Depth that fails to be carried out will result either in sloping off, flatness over the hip, or a chopped hindquarter (a sharp turn, especially one that occurs too soon).
Depth is really a harder concept to grasp for new Holland breeders. I still grapple with it myself sometimes. It's so much easier to evaluate bone, ears, head mass, and condition. But understanding depth of body and requiring the rabbits that stay in your barn to have depth of body can make all of the difference to your herd.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design ¶ 2:14 PM
Proper depth that is carried back over the hindquarter appropriately sets up a beautiful top line for a Holland Lop, or any rabbit, for that matter. But it is possible to have a pretty top line and not have depth. How is that? Well, depth refers to mass while a top line, or any line, is just a demarcation without substance. Some rabbits show a nice topline, but they are tucked up or hollow underneath - there's no depth.
It is possible to have a shoulder that is not low, but is still not deep. It's really easy to tell whether you've got depth at the shoulders. Just put your hands around the rabbit like you were going to eat a hamburger. You may have heard me say this before - you don't want to feel like you are eating a junior hamburger. You want a Quarter Pounder at least, and hopefully a Big Mac. Unfortunately, you can have a junior-hamburger chest and shoulder combination that's perched on long front limbs. It may support a nice top line, but it doesn't meet the Standards criteria for "shoulders should be deep."
For depth over the midsection and hindquarter, be on the alert for a tucked-up tummy. Britannia Petites, Tans, and Checkered Giants are supposed to be tucked up; Hollands aren't.
I think that depth carried out to the hindquarter "of equally or slightly greater depth [than the shoulders]" is often the difference between a nice rabbit and a great rabbit. Depth that fails to be carried out will result either in sloping off, flatness over the hip, or a chopped hindquarter (a sharp turn, especially one that occurs too soon).
Depth is really a harder concept to grasp for new Holland breeders. I still grapple with it myself sometimes. It's so much easier to evaluate bone, ears, head mass, and condition. But understanding depth of body and requiring the rabbits that stay in your barn to have depth of body can make all of the difference to your herd.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design ¶ 2:14 PM
