# Lionhead Mane



## StoneyCreekRabbits (Aug 21, 2013)

Hi, I wanted to see what you think about my Lionhead doe. She is going on 5 months old and does not have a break of mane on her back. Is this a serious fault? Will her babies all have too much hair? 

Thanks


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## woahlookitsme (Aug 21, 2013)

I really hope someone else can help you answer whether or not you should use this doe. In my opinion you shouldn't but i do not work with lionheads. Lack of rollback fur on the saddle is a Disqualification from show (molting the back fur I believe is supposed to be finished by 4mos). I also wouldn't because the Broken variety does not even have a COD which means it won't be showable in the upcoming years until a COD is issued. 

As far as her quality she isn't posed right. She should be higher on her front feet to show her chest and the topline. Also when you're posing make sure the back feet are squared with the hips. Her head looks bold but the ears look a touch long. She almost has the face of a holland. I dont know if this is a good thing or not.
I hope someone else can help but she sure is cute


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## StoneyCreekRabbits (Aug 21, 2013)

Thanks. I actually wasn't trying to pose her in that picture because I really don't know how. I don't think her ears are that long, maybe about two inches. But all of her hair could be making them look shorter to me than they really are. I would definitely sell her babies as pet quality.


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## StoneyCreekRabbits (Aug 21, 2013)

Just a couple more. The first picture is older.


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## BunnyBabyboo (Aug 22, 2013)

Wow fluffy.  Lol. Funny binoos head and but is really fluffy his back is not so much. Sometimes I wonder if he has a tail. You cannot see it cause there's so much fur. xD


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Aug 23, 2013)

It's probably best to seek and contact other Lionhead breeders through the national club's website: http://www.lionhead.us/aboutlionheads/standards.htm

Lionheads are not recognized and are still "under construction." Those who breed them may have a better idea of how manes grow and develop. Anything I'd say here would be a guess because manes seem very inconsistent. But someone who has been working them for awhile has probably seen more predictability in breeding them.


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## Nancy McClelland (Aug 23, 2013)

We just got a rescue, Hopscotch, and he has what looks like a top knot and muttton chop whiskers---not fluffy all over like your bunny. Don't know if it makes a difference, so contacting the association is a good thing.


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## StoneyCreekRabbits (Aug 23, 2013)

Thanks! I personally think she's adorable with all the hair, but of course I want to breed quality rabbits too.


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## RoyalLions18 (Sep 3, 2013)

Her ears are def long and thin. You want more of a short round ear. Her head looks decent. I would give her until she is 6-8 months old to shed out if she does not shed out i wouldn't breed her. If she sheds out she could be a nice brood doe, if matched with a nice solid color buck.


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## TinysMom (Sep 13, 2013)

Hi! I'm a former lionhead breeder with ... 7 years experience maybe? I've been out of lionheads for a bit but I still enjoy reading up on them and keeping up with the breed. I can hardly wait for them to pass.

Your rabbit is what is called a "teddy" lionhead. Personally, with the current standards, I would never use a teddy lionhead for breeding unless I was only breeding pets. The problem with this is - if you do get into breeding lionheads for show and to sell to other breeders - if they see you have teddy lionheads or have bred them - they will want to make sure that the rabbits they are getting are free from those lines (on the pedigree) and it may make them hesitant to work with you.

I'm just giving you a heads up - in the lionhead world many people start with lionheads like yours and then decide to move into breeding for show and sell their stock to a new breeder and get better quality. So I'm not saying you can't keep her. I hope you know that.

A few years ago, the trend in the lionhead breeding was to work towards more of a "catlike" ear which was more triangular and small than the ears on your doe. 

However, I am wondering if that is changing because I just went to look at las year's winners at the lionhead show and the ears are...wow..huge (compared to what they were 2-3 ears ago).

http://www.lionhead.us/showinfoandphoto/13nationalopenshowreport.html

When I looked at "Sugar Camp Farm's Caesaro" on that page - I was like "Wow...that would have been laughed at years ago". 

So perhaps the breed is going back to larger ears. 

You can find the lionhead standards here:
http://www.lionhead.us/aboutlionheads/standards.htm

I would pick the "active Mueller standard" with two colors since she is the one currently presenting before ARBA.

To understand lionheads - it really helps if you spend time going to lionhead breeder website and examining the photos of their rabbits (especially if they show their winners) and also if you know a bit about lionhead history.

If you to to the page I'm listing below - partway down the page you'll see two rabbits that won in 2003. Now - these rabbits would NEVER win or even place. Take a look at their ears and their body (how wide they are - how they set, etc) and the go back and look at the pictures I linked to up above of current winners. If you notice, the current lionheads sit up naturally - they don't just sit their butt on the floor. They are "short-boned" compared to the old lionheads. (This came from breeding in netherland dwarfs and holland lops). You want a lionhead that will naturally want to sit up as part of its posture...

http://www.lionhead.us/aboutlionheads/index.htm

from my herd - here is an example of a doe that sat up naturally due to her breeding, etc:












This is the posed look you are looking for in your rabbits. 

I hope this helps a bit.

Somewhere in the rabbitry section - if you search - years ago - I did two or three (or more) posts on lionheads and their history and how the breed was changing and developing.

Peg


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## StoneyCreekRabbits (Sep 14, 2013)

It's actually really interesting. Right after I posted this she actually started shedding out a bunch of her fur on her back. Still doesn't look great, but I will try and get a pic. I haven't measured her ears, but there's no way they exceed 3 inches. I'm sure they aren't shaped right though. 
I'm already starting to move towards show quality. To be honest I was uneducated about lionheads when I bought her! Thanks for all the info! I was thinking she was a teddy.


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