#I do want to point out - im not saying the breeders of the US rabbits pictured here are bad

[bunposting]

Oh frith ok so... This is gonna be long because I have Thoughts and Feelings and Opinions about it.

To understand why this is a problem, first you need to understand the breed.

Silvers are an extremely rare breed, currently listed as critically endangered by the Livestock Conservancy, and there's estimated to only be maybe just over 1000 left in the entire world (if even that). The breed as it exists today is only found in the UK and the USA.

The Silver was also one of the first, if not the first, breeds of rabbit. They date back to at least the 1500s, likely even further back. One of the reasons we can confidently say they were likely the first breed is because of the unique body type they possess (or rather... Should possess. We'll get to that bit). When I first got interested in the breed, some avid fans of the breed called this the 'renaissance' type. If I had to describe it, I'd say it's exactly like a wild European rabbit, just slightly more densely muscled. They also have a unique fur type that is shorter, more sleek, more glossy, and more 'snappy' (will instantly fall back into place if brushed in the opposite direction). These are traits that exist only in this breed. There is no other domestic breed alive right now that carries this body type or this coat type. There is no way that, if these things should ever be lost, we could somehow recreate this body type or fur type with breeds that exist today.

In comes the ARBA. The ARBA likes to put breeds in neat categories. All breeds must fit into the categories of compact, commercial, semi-arch, full arch, or cylindrical. And lucky enough, almost every breed fits into one of those categories, so the system works! The only exception... Is the Silver. But since the Silver is the only breed of the world with its body type, it's not worth giving it its own separate category because there will never be another breed to add to that category. Unfortunately, because all breeds must fit into one of these categories, they just chose the one they thought might make the most sense, so they slapped the 'compact' label onto it and called it a day.

Problem is... Most people - especially most judges - will see the word 'compact' and think they know exactly what the breed should look like. Compact breeds are short, small rabbits with thick heads and round little bodies. It doesn't help that the original standard, despite deviating slightly from the compact norms, still didn't reflect what the actual type of the breed is supposed to look like. The breed club tried to mitigate this by simply reducing the amount of points that should be given to type and putting more of the focus on fur and silvering.

But nobody actually cares. In literally every other breed, type is king. Any good breeder knows you breed for type first, coat and color second. Any good judge would agree. So even though the standard says "hey, don't focus on type, focus on coat and color," it'll be the rabbits that fit the written type best that still end up winning.

Now, we're currently going through the process of trying to change the standard. The changes being proposed would make the actual descriptions of ideal type more accurate to what the ideal type really is. They also are trying to reduce the points awarded for type and increase the ones awarded for coat and color even more but... As already mentioned... This isn't going to do much to help anything.

And, sadly enough, neither is the updated literature. Why? Because do you really think a judge that doesn't already work with the breed is actually going to read and memorize that standard? Hell no! They're going to see the word "Compact" and immediately judge it like every other normal compact type rabbit. That means the rabbits that actually fit the type they are supposed to be, are going to be the ones that lose in shows.

In fact, judges would even call them cull worthy because the actual ideal Silver type really is nothing at all like any compact rabbit that currently exists. They should be somewhat long in body, have enough shoulder that there is plenty of taper from the hindquarters to the head. The head itself should be refined and not at all blocky or heavy - not quite snipey, but more slender and angular than the typical domestic rabbit. Truth is, a Silver that actually has the correct, historical typing, should not be able to be posed like a normal compact rabbit at all. Its body and shoulders should be too long to make that sort of half-basketball type shape. When put in a pose, it should look more like a gentle curve from the side and should look almost triangular when viewed from above.

The type of the proper Silver is not only (in my opinion) one of the best looking body types to exist in domestic rabbits, but it also is one that is literally a living part of history. They should look like the ancestors of all domestic rabbits because in some ways, they are. And as I mentioned before, this is the only breed that has this type. It's already enough of a fear that the breed will die out and therefore the type will die with it... But the breed doesn't even have to die for the type to be lost forever. So long as the type is still listed as 'compact,' breeders and judges will select more and more toward rabbits that look like literally any other domestic rabbit breed rather than the completely unique thing it should be.

We're seeing the dying of this type happen in real time. Many of the top breeders (as in - those who have won a lot of shows) have stock that have been crossbred to compact and commercial breeds specifically to enhance that standard type.

And what a hell of a loss it is. Because here's the thing - the UK doesn't have this problem. Since their breeds aren't constrained to specific categories, each breed has its own unique standard and the judges and breeders are expected to follow each individual standard. As far as I can tell, the UK is now the only place where Silvers are consistently being bred to their true typing. Here in the USA, breeders that strive for the true type are extremely few and far between.

This pisses me off to no end because one of the things that instantly drew me to the breed was that, when I saw one at a show for the first time, it didn't look like any other breed I had ever seen before. And that's the way it should be.

Now that I've ranted, let's see what this actually looks like. (NOTE: these pictures do not belong to me)

UK BRED SILVERS

USA BRED SILVERS

(wanted to use all blacks again but could only find the one, so I've also included a brown [chestnut/agouti in most breeds] and a fawn)

Every time I see the comparisons I want to scream.

I will never not be angry about what the ARBA and American breeders have done to the Silver breed