himalayan Peaks and Troughs

My attraction to the Himalayan began in the early 1950s when I was at a convent school in Brentwood, Essex. The nuns had a normal Himalayan rabbit as a pet and it was my vow to have one of my own some day. I had been keeping rabbits since 1946 when they were looked upon not only as an enjoyable hobby but also as a valuable food source which meant of course that those not good enough for the show table made a very tasty meal. My attitude is somewhat different nowadays, I hasten to add! I kept a small stud of Havana Rex and at that time it was the practise to send rabbits to shows all over the country by train. Dad rigged up special carrying box holders on my bike in order for me to take my potential winners on the three-mile cycle ride to the station. It was always very exciting and I would eagerly await a phone call from the stationmaster later on at night letting me know that my rabbits had arrived home safely. Off I would go again on the 6 mile round mile trip, in all weathers, anxious to discover how well, or how badly my rabbits had performed during the day. They were happy times but the years passed and as a language student I won a scholarship to further my education in Germany. There was still time however to keep rabbits and I soon became involved in a local animal club where anything from rabbits to dogs and horses were bred and shown. After qualifying as a commercial translator I worked my way around the world and did not return to this country until 1972. But then, two years later, when marriage put an end to my Wanderlust, rabbits gradually disappeared from my mind and it was not until my daughter Sarah said that she would like a pet for her birthday that I seriously began thinking of them again. A friend in the village had a pair of Siamese Smoke Netherland Dwarfs and I could not help but think how much prettier they were than their ancestors of 35 years ago. These two just happened to have come from Cliff Graveling and after contacting him we all visited his house in order to choose our pets. We came away with two does, an English marked and a Tortoiseshell, plus an invitation to join the East Anglian Netherland Dwarf Rabbit Club! Then we went our first show and saw the most beautiful rabbit that I had ever seen – a Himalayan Netherland Dwarf. Charlie Gricks said to me “You don’t want one of those, they’re one of those funny colours and you could never win Best in Show with it”. I explained to him that I was not of a highly competitive nature and did not really want to win Best in Show anyway – I just wanted to be the owner of a Himalayan Netherland Dwarf. When I decided to take up the challenge, however, Himalayan Dwarfs were very popular and there were a lot about but stock was nevertheless quite difficult to come by. Anything I was offered I was grateful for and was determined to build on what I could get at the time and years of hard work, numerous disappointments and endless patience followed. The thought of winning Best in Show however had never really crossed my mind until it happened. It was such a proud moment especially when it was conformed that Ken Ashford, the Himalayan Dwarf’s creator, was the only other breeder in the country to have won BiS at a specialist club show with a Himmy. Within the next few years I won 4 more Best in Show awards with different bucks but things began going downhill when I lost two of my very best “boys” at a relatively young age. Years then followed when my parents were both in need of care and interest in my rabbits dwindled. There were of course still loved and well cared for but a lot of enthusiasm was lost and good breeding stock was sold off as my parents needs increased. They have both passed away now but when interest in my rabbits was eventually restored I took a long hard look at my stock, and the youngsters that were being produced, and realised there was an awful lot of work to be done. I have kept a low profile for several years now but have been gradually building up the quality of my stock in the hopes of reaching the same standard that I attained in the 1980’s and 90’s. My current stud consists of 4 breeding does, 6 bucks and 2 geriatrics. The Code of Practice by which my stud is run has been described in various Fur & Feather articles and although written a long time ago still applies today. Selective breeding, strict record keeping and an endless supply of enthusiasm, perseverance and patience are the ingredients for success and when it is finally achieved it is good to look back and feel that it was all worthwhile!

Angela Saunders