Miniature Lop Type & Balance article updated * 25/01/2019 click here to go to the article

also English Lop updates - click here

and check out the NEW PAGE for the Luxmore Mini Satin's of Leigh Marstons & Phil Batey's here

The World Famous Ruskin Miniature Lop Stable

Now Including English Lops

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The Rabbit Breeders Prayer

by William Jerry Ayers

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Keep up-to-date with all the latest news below

by reading the new RUSKIN SHOW RABBITS Blog

18.02.2019

PHIL BATEY

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Only Steels born so far for 2019 But we're not complaining, especially when they look like this young lady Magnetta - First time table training (at 11 weeks) at 5 Weeks at 7 weeks at 9 weeks RUSKIN'S STEEL MAGNETTA at 11 weeks (Upton's Pablo at Ruskin ex Ruskin's Sandrya) Sandyra is once again mated, this time to The LAST MG, and we have 4 other does also expecting at the minute. Steels & REW's Ruskin's Kayleigh (JAN Imp ex Ruskin's Steel Magnolia) She is mated to Pablo Ruskin's Nobella (100% the OLD Dutch lines,although bred in the UK) We're looking forward to a little from this girl to R.STRAUSS very son as well. Ruskin's Thelma (Ethelwolf Ducth Imp ex R.Steel Magnolia) is mated to a REW Buck called Toms Tin Tim of Ruskin and this little tot is Ruskin's Janettele - just over 10 months old and weighing 2lb 4oz BUT she is mated , also to R.STRAUSS and its looking very hopeful she is going to produce as well

The last outing of 2018

RUNNER UP BEST IN SHOW (Ruskin's Paularama - Ad Sooty Doe) & BEST IN SHOW U/5 (Ruskin's Bradley - Sooty BFly)

From DURHAM RCs 100th ANNIVERSARY SHOW 29/12/2018

(judges Roy Wearmouth & Howard Marshall)

This means we are finishing the Year with 17 BIS awards

(open show and stock show)

and 10 Ru BIS wins

BEST IN SHOW

Northern Lop Christmas Show

judged by NLC Life Member and Life Judge

STEPHEN SMITH

Soulbywoods Walter ar Ruskin

We also won the u/5 Grand Challenge with a young Sooty English and he took 3rd BIS

Paularama was 2nd in the Intermediate Grand Challenge and

5th overall BIS

The week before at Darlinigton & Yarm

RUSKIN'S PAULARMA

Won Betst Lop & BEST IN SHOW under David Brophy and Albert Aldred

giving Ruskin its 16th BIS for the year

Our new youngster - Ruskins Bradley (Sooty Butterfly was Best U/5 and then Ru BIS overall - so a very good day out for us

Sat. 8th Nov 2018

17 Best In Show Wins this year since MAY for our English Lops. This makes the English the TOP LOP for 2018 and also us

Top Breeder/Exhibtor.

This also means that after many many years The English Lop has regained its rightful crown as

THE KING OF THE FANCY

BEST LOP AND BEST IN SHOW 18/11/18 East Lancs RC under Lisa Morris, Paul Morris

and Tommy Halfpenny

RUSKIN's PAULARAMA - u5 English Lop doe

18H00855

Paularama

winning Ruskins

FIFTEENTH

BEST IN SHOW

for our English Lops so far this 2018

best Adult rabbit in show going to Lucy Wheal and her beautiful Marten Smoke Pearl Normal Fur (and her also winning Best Rex with another Marten Smoke)

CONGRATS LUCY x

The next one to come out to the show benches

Ruskin's Bradley

18H00440

(S.Ginger Thomas at R ex S.Primrose at R)

Setting the trend in Miniature Lops for the last 30 yrs

The Hobby (and moreso) The Most Amazing 37 Years that has been - Breeding and Showing Rabbits

Over the years the name RUSKIN has become synonymous with top quality REW Miniature Lops. Right from the first white import - Ch. Thor, who was a ground breaking rabbit, being the first Miniature Lop to take a Best In Show win at any show in the UK, to the first BRC Supreme Champion Ruskin's Gucci, to the first Miniature Lop to take BIS at the UK's premiere show - Bradford Champ Show, right through to the present day young hopeful,

Ruskin's THE LAST MG - 8 month old REW Buck

Ruskin is the only Lop Stud to have won the coveted group, BEST LOP at Bradford Championship Show (The Rabbit Fancy equivilent of CRUFTS)

Three Times - 2005 - 2010 - 2012

in 2012 where we also Won

BEST IN SHOW.

Ruskin has also won more Best Lop & Best In Shows at UK General Championship shows than any other Miniature Lop Stud. A record we are very proud of!

Right from the very start of our association with this breed, the breeding line has been firmly based on European blood and it still plays a large part in our lines today, although the imports are less frequently sort to widen our gene pool, we still, from time to time find a little gem which will fit in with the breeding program and bring something to the family that might be lacking. Striving to improve the breed and and nurture it forward, sympathetically within the standard has always been our aim, and always will. We have never been stud blind and always look for fault before good and with this in mind, find it easier to make progress and improve all the time, instead of standing still and in some cases, going backwards

The main colour at Ruskin is the Red Eyed White, but we now also work with Steels and occasionally Butterflies (in a few different colours) but all the non REW's do play their part in the REW breeding program and therefore are generally always split for white.. The Steels have bred consistently well, right from out first Champion Ruskin's Remington.right through to our current Steel Collecion - Headed by Ruskin's Strauss

Remington was an Edam son and produced some outstanding stock. The most famous of course being

Supreme Champion Ruskin's OMG

There were a couple of new Steel imports in 2016 with a lovely young male arriving from Holland. We've called him 'Gladston'

and another beautiful buck, only being used for Stud, called Kingston

We strive to maintain all round balance in our Miniature Lops and have worked for many years on improving the coat quality and the crown. I wrote an article on slipped crowns a couple of years back which has been a guide to many lop breeders around the world after it was translated into numerous different languages and published in multiple magazines and news letters globally. To read the full article (with diagrams) click the 'crowns' link in the navigation panel to the left.

In 2009 we ended the year by winning Best In Show at the NMLRC Adult Stock Show and also won Best In Show in the Young Support Show. Doing the double was the highlight of the year, for sure. And on top of that, the young Butterfly which took BiS in the YSSS is the first Butterfly to take BIS at a NMLRC stock show in about 10 years, which pleased us greatly too. It is a very difficult colour to get right and you breed soo many which are not quite there and when you do get one good enough, they often get overlooked. The 'double' also meant that the title of NMLRC TOP BREEDER/EXHIBITOR of the Year was in the bag, following on from our previous BIS win at the Young Stock Show in August and a runner up BIS win at the Summer Show.

AND THE STUDS HIGHEST AWARD TO DATE

Best In Show Bradford Championship Show 2012

In March 2016 I went across the water once again to Holland and brought in a couple of Imports who I thought would send my breeding program in the dirsction I was looking to go. New blood was needed, but nothing too far removed from what I have always based the Ruskin lines around. I was very lucky indeed to acquire the bucks I did (along with a couple of does as well) in REW ... I have also managed to acquire an extremely lovely Steel Buck to further our program

Above is one of the Bucks who made the journey - Meet 'Jan'