Belgian Hares, Britannia Petites, Checkered Giants, English Spots, Rhinelanders, Tans. What do all of these breeds have in common? They are the small portion of the 48 breeds of rabbits recognized by the ARBA, known as the “Full Arch breeds”. These breeds are special because they have a very unique body type. Their spine looks like that of a wild hares. As the name suggests, forming a arched shape.
Because of their body type, these breeds are excellent runners. Earning some of them the nickname “Running breeds” meaning that when shown, they do not pose, like many of the breeds, but instead they are judged as they run down a table. As the rabbit runs, the judge is looking at how the rabbit tracks on his feet, and his type (and in some breeds, their markings) to decide what rabbit will win the class.
Lets take a look at each breed of rabbit with a full arch body type:
Belgian Hares are considered one of the most intelligent, and active breeds of rabbit, giving them the nickname “The poor man’s racehorse”. These rabbits were originated in (you guessed it) Belgium, due to breedings between domestic, and wild European Hares, with the intent of creating the ideal meat rabbit. When imported to England, and given their name “Belgian Hares” the English bred them into a more spirited animal, like the English Hares. in 1877 the Belgian Hares were imported to the USA, and immediately jumped in popularity, sometimes being sold for as much as $1,000.
Britannia Petites are by far the smallest of the full arch breeds. They originated in England, and are known there as polish. When brought to the USA, they were given the name Britannia Petite because there was already a breed recognized as Polish. These spunky little rabbits are a very old breed, that once faced extinction. But thanks to a few dedicated breeders, they were saved.These rabbits have a reputation for being nasty, but when handled regularly, can be very sweet. Since they are a high energy breed, without handling, they can get rather aggressive.
Checkered Giants are the largest full arch breeds, weighing in at 11+ lbs. These rabbits are one of the 11 breeds that are characterized by their markings. Checkered Giants are to have a spine marking (A strip of black fur going down the spine), eye circles (A circle of black around each eye), Side Markings (2 spots on each side of the rabbit, near the Hindquarters) and a few other, smaller markings. These rabbits have a reputation for being nasty (I actually have a scar on my nose where one attacked me) but there are a few very friendly ones out there.
English Spots are my favorite of the full arch breeds. Along with the Checkered Giants, these to are known for their markings. they have a pattern of small spots, starting at the back of the shoulder, and slowly getting wider, as it goes down to the hindquarters. No one really knows when, or where these rabbits were originated, but they have been popular in England since the 1850’s. In France they are known as “Lapin Papillon Anglais” meaning “The English Butterfly Rabbit” due to the “Butterfly” marking on their noses. They were imported to America in 1910 and have been here ever since.
Rhinelanders originated in germany, first being shown in 1902. They grew in popularity, and spread throughout more countries, before due to changes in the standard, they fell out of favor. The changes made it so that more skill was required to breed the rabbits, and most breeders did not possess that skill. After World War II however, the breed started to gain popularity again, until they were the most popular spotted rabbit in Germany. Rhinelanders are the only running breed that can be shown in the tri color. They, like the Checkered Giants, and English spots, are judged heavily on their markings. Each side is to consist of 6-8 medium sized spots. They are also to have ear markings, a spine marking, a butterfly (the coloring on the nose) and eye circles. The markings alone contribute to 27 of the breeds points (each breed has a total of 100 points, when judging, the rabbit with the highest point count, wins the class)
Tans originated in a wild colony of rabbits in England in the late 1880’s. As soon as they were found, people began to domesticate them. In the early days of domestic tans, the breed looked much different than it does today. They were very cobby in type, almost like a polish. When the Tan rabbit breeders specialty club was chartered in 1960 (There were 2 clubs before this, but this is the club that still exists today) the tan breed was becoming a well known breed. They were even blessed with the honor of winning Best In Show, at the ARBA convention in 2003, with exhibitor Joe Kim.
The full arch breeds are all so different and unique. they have captured the hearts of many people throughout history. These graceful animals are a large part of the rabbit world, and we are glad to have them.