The Britannia Petite by Deb Kaiser

Body type is the most important factor in the Britannia Petite breed. There is, I think, a
tendency to judge Britannia Petites as if they were miniature Belgian Hares; nothing, however, could be further from the truth. A good Britannia Petite is a bit more compact in body type than a Belgian Hare, with a wedge-shaped head and a shorter, rounder ear. These two breeds should resemble each other only in their fineness of bone and their striking pose.
Britannia Petites are a full-arched breed. When properly posed, the arch should start at the base of the neck--not behind the shoulders--and continue down, in a smooth, unbroken line, to the base of the tail. The arch should not be spoiled by protruding hip or pin bones. In other words, when viewed in profile, the back should be round, like a quarter circle. The belly of the Britannia Petite should be well tucked up. This means that, when properly posed, the "line of the abdomen" should start where the front legs join the body and form another smaller
quarter circle from the chest to the pelvis. A properly posed Britannia Petite, when viewed from the front, should display a somewhat narrow chest that broadens gradually down the flanks to a well-rounded hindquarter. A good Britannia Petite should NOT be undercut, and this is a very prominent breed fault that is seldom commented on.
Eyes carry 15 points, and so are the second most important factor when judging a Britannia Petite. The eyes should be round and VERY bold, almost to the point where they seem to bulge right out of the head. Many of the whites that I have judged are much too pale in eye color. Their eyes should be a deep ruby-red all over, not pale pink.
Head, ears, and feet and legs carry 10 points each. The head of a good Britannia Petite should be wedge-shaped! When judging Britannia Petites, be sure to note the length of the head
between the eyes and the nose. Many Britannia Petites are too long in head and too snipey through the muzzle. A wedge-shaped head is a bit short and nicely tapered. It should not
resemble that of a Netherland Dwarf, but should have enough width between the eyes and through the muzzle to give it a more balanced look.
The ears should balance with the head, body, and legs. The tips of the ears should be nicely rounded, not pointed. Remember that pointed tips can make the ears look longer than they actually are. The ears should not be paper-thin; rather, they should have some substance to them. They should be well set on top of the head and should have a strong ear base. The ears should touch all the way up from the ear base to the tip of the ear. There should be no
scissoring at the tips and no bowing! This will only be achieved if the ears are of the correct shape and substance. The ARBA Standard of Perfection calls for the ears to be well-furred. This means that if you are judging a ruby-eyed white, the ears will be white, not pink. Ears poorly covered with fur are a fault, and a very common one at that.
The feet and legs of the Britannia Petite are to be STRAIGHT, SLENDER, and FINE-BONED. This holds true for the hind feet as well as the front feet. If the hind feet appear to be splayed
outward, then the animal is either undercut or improperly posed. The front legs should be
perfectly straight; they should not bow AT ALL, but especially at the ankle. Be sure to stand back and evaluate the animal's straightness of limb both from the front and in profile. The front legs should be fine in bone. Many times, they are not. On a good Britannia Petite, the front feet will be nearly indistinguishable from the front leg. This is as it should be. These
animals display proper bone and straightness of leg. A Britannia Petite should NOT appear to be wearing cowboy boots on its front feet.
Fur is worth 15 points. The fur of the Britannia Petite is "to be sleek and smooth in
appearance." It will only appear this way if it is SHORT, about 1/2 inch in length. It should be very dense and somewhat fine in texture. A longer guard hair will give the coat a harsher
texture. This is very undesirable. A good Britannia Petite coat will display a quick, snappy flyback; a rollback coat is a disqualification.
Condition is worth 5 points. Britannia Petites should feel solid when handled and should be firm in flesh. Although slender by nature, a good Britannia Petite will appear to "feel"
well-muscled. Protruding bones and soft, flabby flesh will do nothing for the physical
appearance of this striking little rabbit.
Note: Portions of this article were taken from the "Britannia Petite Rabbit Fanciers" official guidebook and a very good standard analysis written by Ron Doughty and Ed Slater.