In order to breed a Holland Lop with correct type it must have good bone. The Standard of Perfection assigns 10 points to Bone, Feet and Legs. Although it’s only 10% of the points, it’s a very important 10%. It
is described as “short, thick, straight and heavily boned.” When you think about the entire rabbit, Bone is the underlying structure and a very visual part of the structure, in the front legs and feet alone.
From the moment a Holland is developing in the nest box good bone is visible. You can start learning to identify it by holding babies on their backs and looking at the width and length of the bottoms of their back
feet, along with the thickness of their front legs. You want to see short, wide back feet, almost looking square in a baby.
As a Holland matures you should continue to check their hind feet and also feel the front legs for massive bone. Sometimes a Holland with fluffy fur can have the appearance of having good bone, when in fact it’s just longer fur hiding medium or refined bone.
To get a “short, massive, and thick set” body, as the Standard describes, they must have good bone. You can have a “short” Holland that has refined bone, but to get the desired “massive, and thick set” they must have
good heavy bone. It’s the dwarf gene that allows them to have massive, yet short bone.
One severe fault to watch out for when evaluating the front legs is a weak front ankle. The front legs should look short and thick with no bend at the ankle. They should appear like what is frequently described as “tree
trunks”, short, thick and straight.