Rabbits: What breed?

[RabbitMage]

Quote:
But a Rhinelander sport (with no white) looks a lot like a Harlequin. I know one breeder who has both breeds, and if she gets a Rhinelander with the proper Harlie pattern, she often uses it in her Harlequin breeding program.

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote:
A few years ago, I was one of only 2 Harlie breeders at a show. Someone there had Rhinelanders, and had brought an unbroken sport. We joked that they should put a number in its ear and enter it as a Harlie, so we could have the necessary third breeder to make the wins count!

It's sad to say, but we Harlie breeders can't seem to make up our minds about what we want our rabbits to look like. Some seem to want them more of the commercial type. Others like them to pose sitting up, the better to display that remarkable pattern, so lean more toward the compact or even arch-type body style. Because a lot of the points are given for the pattern, many breeders concentrate on that, and a lot of Harlies wind up having very poor type. A lot of Harlies have very recent outcrosses in their background, as someone else tries to improve body type. I have had several that I thought looked like New Zealands with fancy paint jobs. Just to prove the point (I guess) my Harlies have recently been throwing occasional REW's, which I call "paint-by-number Harlequins!"

 

[Break an Egg]

I agree with the new zealand, rex bunnies have a really different hair texture type, so it could be a rex cross, but I don't see it.