There are currently 7 recognized

colors/varieties.

Black, Blue, Chocolate, Gold,

Gray, Lilac, & Tortoise

General Type - 35

Body - 25

Feet & Legs - 6

Head & ears - 4

Fur - 8

Color - 8

Markings - 44

Butterfly - 4

Eye Circles - 4

Cheek Spots - 4

Ear Markings - 2

Herringbone/Spine - 10

Side Pattern/Sweep - 6

Graduation - 8

Balance - 6

Condition - 5

Total Point - 100

Senior Bucks & Does

Weight 5 to 8 lbs

Ideal weight - buck - 6 lbs

Ideal weight - does - 7lbs

Junior Bucks & Does

Weights - not over 6 lbs

Minimum 3 lbs

Note: Jrs which exceed maximum weight limits may be shown in higher clssifications. No animal may be shown in a lower afe classification than it's true age.

What Body Type does the

English Spot have?

The English Spot has a "Full Arch".

Animals are to have an arch starting at the nape of the neck and continuing in a smooth, unbroken line over the shoulders, loin, hips, and finishing by rounding to the base of the tail. Most breeds will show more depth than width of body. The side profile will taper from the hindquarters through the shoulders.

The breed should be allowed to move natrually to evaluate type.

How is the English Spot to Pose?

The English Spot does NOT pose!

Except for examination for Disquialifications, or to compare certain markings closely, they should be judged without handling. Let the rabbit pose

in it's natrual position. DO NOT DIG, POKE

and TUG AT THE ANIMAL. Above all,

DO NOT FLATTEN THE ANIMAL DOWN

ON THE TABLE WHILE JUDGING.

The best view of the rabbit can be obtained

by STEPPING BACK from the judging table

and allowing the rabbit to move natrually.

Body - Points 25

The body is to be well carried up off the table.

Hips should be of good depth, well rounded,

and should be slightly broader than shoulders,

but not wedged shaped. Bucks will show less

tapering than does. The body is to have balance

and enough length to show a full arch.

General Body

Faults

Faults:

Cut severly for flatness; lack of arch;

short coupled frame; chopped hindquarters.

Feet & Legs - points 6

Legs are to be long and slender, allowing daylight

to appear underneath the body. Legs are to be

medium to fine boned. Hind legs are to be larger,

and carried parallel with the body.

One or more colored toenails permissible.

Feet & Legs

Faults

Faults

Short legs: weak front ankles;

hind legs carried close together,

and not parallel with the body.

Head & Ears - Points 4

The head is to be in proportion to the body,

with the ears carried erect.

Head is to be broader in bucks than does.

Head & Ears

Faults

Faults:

Bulldog type head; narrow;

poor ear carriage.

Fur - points 8

Flyback

Fur is to be short, dense, fine in texture,

and carrying plenty of short guard hairs to give

a very high luster. Coat should be even, in good condition, and free from molt or stains.

Animal should be sleek and smooth in appearance.

Fur

Faults

Faults:

Long, thin coat; guard hairs too long;

slipping coat; lack of density; lack of luster;

dirty coat; dead coat.

Color - points 8

Black, Blue, Chocolate, Gold, Gray, 

Lilac & tortoise

Black

Color is to be an intense, very glossy black,

running deep towards the skin, blending into

a slate-blue undercolor next to the skin.

Eyes - Dark Brown

Black

Faults

Faults:

White hairs: mealiness; rustiness;

brownish or any other tint; undercolor

lighter than called for.

Blue

Color is to be a rich, clear, very glossy, dark blue, running deep towards the skin, blending into a

slate-blue indercolor next to the skin.

Eyes - Blue-gray

Blue

Faults

Faults

Faded or light color; mealy appearance.

Cut severely for brownish tinge or stray white hairs.

Chocolate

Color is to be a glossy, dark chocolate brown,

running deep towards the skin, blending into

a dove undercolor next to the skin.

Eyes - Brown, ruby cast permissible.

Chocolate

Faults

Faults

Faded, mealy, or lighter color than described.

Cut severely for rusty tinge, sunburned tinge,

or stray white hairs.

Gold:

Color is to be a very glossy, bright,

lustrous, clean gold color.

All markings are to be of the same color

(except eye circles, which may be lighter) and

free of smut or shading. Color is to run well down the hair shaft to and off-white undercolor.

Eyes - Brown

Gold

Faults

Faults

Smut on any markings; frosted or washed

out gold color. Cut severely for any shading.

Gray

The color is unique to the english Spot.

The uniqueness combines a dark slate undercolor

in the body markings with a hint of definition

found in the neck area and other head markings.

It is to be a dark, uniform color, consisting of three distinctly colored hairshafts;

1) solid black, 2) black hair shafts with a narrow tan tip, 3) black hair shafts with a narrow tan band near the tip, resulting in a dark ticked color which should not have a ring color or band when blown into.

The undercolor on the body markings is to have

hair shafts with dark slate carried down to the skin. The head markings, consisting of the inner protion

of the ears, eye circles, nostrils, and neck area,

will be a lighter shade of tan, with slight definition, as found in the typical agouti coloration.

Eyes - Brown 

Gray

Faults

Faults

Sandy, brassy, or brownish cast;

ring color in body portion

Gray

Disqualifications

Gray DQ's

Guard hair coloration other than black.

Lilac

Color is to be a medium, dove gray, with an even delicate pink tint on the surface. Color must be carried well down the hair shaft to a slightly paler undercolor.

Eyes - Blue-gray, ruby cast is permissible.

Lilac

Faults

Faults:

Showing definite blueness; mealiness;

white silver tipping; patches of rust.

Tortoise

Color is to be a bright orange on the markings

located on the top line and halfway down the flanks. It is to be a smoky-gray color on the markings on

the lower flank and haunches. The head markings are to have the darkest shading, especially on the butterfly and ears. Eye circles and cheek spots are to be lighter in shading. All shading should permit

the orange undercolor to show through,

so as to avoid intense dark markings.

Eyes - Brown

Tortoise

Faults

Faults:

Shading with no orange color bleeding through.

Faded color on the top line, rather than orange color.

Tortoise

Disqualifications

Tortoise

DQ's

Any shading color other than called for;

lack of shading.

Markings - Points 44

Markings are to be clear, clean, and distinct. they are to be free from color drags into the white section or white runs into the colored sections.

Butterfly - 4

Eye Circles - 4

Cheek Spots - 4

Ear Markings - 2

Herringbone/Spine - 10

Side pattern/Sweep - 6

Graduation - 8

Balance - 6

Total: 44

Markings - Head Markings

Disqualifications

Head Marking - DQ'S

Connection between any head markings. More than on stray spot on head.

Note: Smudge between the ears, or dirty ear base are NOT to be considered spots.

Butterfly - Points 4

The marking is to be the shape of a butterfly.

Wings should be well rounded and circle the nose

from lip to lip. The body of the butterfly,

or the nose fork, is to be in proportion to the wings

and extend about 1/2" toward the forehead.

Markings - Butterfly

Faults

Butterfly - Faults

Irregular shapped wings; drags of color extending

from the wings into the white head color;

runs of white into the color of section of the wings;

nose fork out of proportion to body and wings;

blunt, crooked, or off centered.

Markings - Butterfly

Disqualifications

Butterfly - DQ's

Split butterfly; white spot.

Eye Circles - points 4

The eyes are to be surrounded by an even

marking of color. Both eye circles are to be alike

and in balance with the rest of the head markings. They are to be well seperated from the ears,

check spots, and butterfly. Perfection is to get the

eye circles as round as possible, but the feather

over the eye circle should not be considered a fault. The ideal size of the eye circle is the size of a quarter.

Markings - Eye Circle

Faults

Eye Circle

Faults

Eye Circles too large or too small;

uneven; drags.

Markings - Eye Circles

Disqualifications

Eye Circle - DQ's

Absence of either eye circle.

Cheek Spots - points 4

The cheek spot is a round spot of color on each side

of the head, located below the eye, on the cheek whisker bump. Any other placing of the spot should be considered a missing spot. The idea cheek spot

 is to be 3/8" in diameter. Cheek spots are to

balance with other head markings and be well separated from the eye circles.

Markings - Cheek Spots

Faults

Cheek Spot - Faults

Cheek spots too large; lack of balance;

bars instead of round spots.

Markings - Cheek Spots

Disqualifications

Cheek Spot - DQ's

Double cheek spot or split cheek spot on either side; missing either cheek spot.

Ear markings - points 2

The ears are to be completely colored.

Color is to be sharp cut at the ear base, not ragged.

NOTE: to distinguish a stray head spot from a dirty ear base; hold the ears in the fully upright position, smooth the fur on the head in the direction of the ears, then place a standard, common pencil or similar item (5/16" diameter) on top of the head, against the upright ears. Any spot of color completely surrounded by white showing in front of the pencil is a stray spot.

Markings - Ear Markings

Faults

Ear Marking - Faults

Dirty base of the ear; white hairs running up ears; mealiness, frostiness, or ears to light in color.

Markings - Ear Markings

Disquilifications

Ear Marking - DQ's

White spots in upper 1/2 pf the ear.

Do NOT DQ for white runs up the ear base.

Herringbone/Spine Markings - points 10

The spine marking is to be a strip of color,

starting immediately behind the ear base,

and running in an unbroken line along the top

of the back to the tip of the tail. The spine marking shall broaden out begining at the saddle, with the widdest portion to be just above the point of the hips, then narrow in the direction of the base of the tail. Color is to be carried out to the tip of the tail.

Edges are to show herringbone effects, which are ragged spikes. Width is to be in proportion to the other markings, wider with heavy markings, and narrower in lightly marked animals. While still maintaining balace with the rest of the markings,

the ideal width to strive for, on an adult animal of ideal weight, is 3/4" at the widest part of the spine markings, not including the herringbone spikes.

Markings - Herringbone/Spine

Faults

Herringbone/Spine - Faults

Any break in spine; faded tail;

smooth or even edges of spine markings.

Markings - Herringbone/Spine

Disqualifications

Herringbone/Spine DQ's

More than 1 break, including late start,

but excluding weak tail color.

A break that exceeds 1/4" in length.

Side Markings

The chain, body, and hip markings form the pattern found on the sides. They are more commonly referred to as "side pattern". The chain marking is the group that starts at the nape of the neck with one spot

3/16"  in diameter, and takes a downward course toward the stomach, increasing in number and

size of spots. Largest size spots in this group is to

be 3/8" in diameter.

The body markings are those connecting the end of the chain and hip markings. They are to carry in a line along the stomach, leaving a clear white demarcation line along the stomach. The body marking should sweep up toward the spine marking, joining the hip marking. The size of the spots found

in the body markings should be larger in size than were in the chain, but not as large as those found in the hip markings.

The hip markings furnish the hindquarters of the rabbit. These markings should come up toward the spine markings, but not touch it. The largest spot of this group shall not exceed the size of a penny.

Side Pattern/Sweep - Points 6

Formation of the side pattern is important, and is made up of the chain, body, and hip markings. The side pattern should be an unbroken flow of distinct spots, with no gaps or congested areas, increasing in number of spots as the pattern broadens from the chain through the hip marking. The pattern should have a graceful sweep starting with the chain marking, arcing down to the body marking,

forming a clear demarcation line along the stomach, then sweeps up to the hip marking, swirling around the hip without touching the spine marking.

The pattern should be open and evenly distributed with distinct seperartion between spots.

All spots are to be round and distinct.

Markings - Side Pattern/Sweep

Faults

Side Pattern/Sweep Faults

Side not showing proper formation of side pattern; lack of sweep; stray spots outside of pattern; congested sides; very plain sides; gaps in pattern; congestion in pattern; blotchy, barred, or connected spots. Cut severely for feathered pattern.

Note: Feathered pattern is the result of small

spots thorughout the side pattern, with longer

guard hairs overlying the markings, which gives

the indistinct margins to the spots, and an impression of weaker color.

Graduation - Points 8

The spots of the side pattern should increase in size though the chain marking, the body marking, and

the hip marking, with the largest size found in the

hip marking. The largest spot should be a maximum size of a penny. All spots are to be round and distinct.

Markings - Graduation

Faults

Graduation - Faults

Cut severely for no graduation (spots all the same size); poor graduation.

Balance - points 6

The blance of the side markings is important and should be carefully considered along with side

pattern and graduation.

BOTH SIDES SHOULD BE MARKED ALIKE.

Sides with too many spots are refeared to as "heavy". Sides not having enough spots are refeared to as "Plain".

Marking - Balance

Faults

Balance - Faults

Off balance side markings.

Markings - Balance

Disqualifications

Balance - DQ's

Side markings completely missing on

one or both sides.

Belly or Teat Spots

These 6 spots are desirable, but the absence of these markings does not disqualify. A strip down the center of the belly is permissible, but NOT disirable.

Leg Spots

One spot on the elbow of each front leg

and on the rear leg, at the hock is desirable,

but absence doe not disqualify.

Condition - Points 5

Per ARBA definition.

Condition - the overall physical state of a rabbit in relation to the health, cleanliness, fur, and grooming.

English Spot

Drawing - Depiction

English Spot 

Logo

Tortoise

"Tort"