 The Silver Marten is a wonderful breed whose luster can appear almost as brilliant as a Satin's sheen when in prime condition. Though it's a marked breed, those markings are nowhere near as important as many other factors. Let's take a look now at the various areas of the Silver Marten standard.
First, general type, worth 40 points, is the main area on the Marten. The Silver Marten has commercial body type. The body is to be medium length and have good depth. The body should form a slight taper, gradually getting wider as it travels from the shoulders on back to the hindquarters. The back should gradually rise from the nape of the neck, to a high point over the center of the hips, and then continue down to the base of the tail. Some faults to watch out for...raciness, flat loin, protruding hips, and shoulders wider than the hips. (What is raciness? To simplify it, think long and narrow, not full and well-rounded as desired in a Marten.) Looking at the head, it should be of medium length and rather broad in bucks. The neck should be short. Fault the animal for a long neck or narrow head. When examining the feet and legs, look for medium bone. And remember to disqualify for white or unmatched toenail(s) on the same or corresponding foot.
Worth 22 points, color is the second most important area on a Marten. Think shiny! In all colors, luster is desirable. Though sometimes confused with the Satin's sheen, Martens actually have luster. As I previously stated, when in prime condition, the Marten appears almost as shiny as a Satin...but remember, they have luster! Of the Marten's 4 varieties, the black is normally the most popular followed by the blue. The chocolate and sable varieties are the less popular on most occasions. In blacks, blues, and chocolates, think dark regarding color. The sable is a very interesting, and arguably the most beautiful, variety. It has various shades of sepia brown. When they're in prime, they're beautiful...but when they're not, look out! All 4 varieties are to have silver tipped guard hairs carried well up the sides and rump. These are often referred to as ticking, tipping, or silvering. Stray white hairs in the body color are a fault. When in a molt, the color may appear rusty or uneven, and this is a fault. But should there be an actual foreign color, this would be a disqualification. Wrong colored eyes are also a disqualification. Though not always clearly seen, a white bar at the ear base is permissible.
Fur carries 20 points and is the third most important area on a Silver Marten. This is a fly-back type fur. The Standard states, "Fur is to conform to the ARBA Commercial Normal Fur Standard." Kind of vague, huh? To simplify it somewhat, the texture should be coarse enough to offer resistance when stroked from the back toward the head (checking fly-back), but at the same time it should not be either extreme...harsh and wiry or fine and silky. We should also be able to feel the density or thickness of the coat. The fur should also be of good condition and uniform length. Any fur resembling wool, Satin, or Rex is a disqualification. Some faults listed under the Silver Marten fur are silky texture, extra long coat, and lacking density.
Markings carry 13 points and are the fourth area of consideration. The silvering that we already discussed is worth 4 points. The triangle and collar are worth 4 points. The triangle (sometimes referred to as the "v") is located in the nape of the neck. It should be connected to a silver white collar which runs around the neck. The silver white eye circles carry 2 points as do the nostrils. And belly color carries all of 1 point. Under belly color, it's noted that "undercolor is desirable." Remember to check for mealiness around the nostril. Sometimes the nostril silver white color extends too far from the nostril, mixing with the actual body color, thus producing mealiness. Without markings, the Silver Marten would be just another shiny colored rabbit. But keep in mind, look at the big picture as markings are not the primary area of concern. This was such a concern that a statement in the Standard reads, "NOTE: Silver Martens should not be judged as a marked breed. Markings are to be the final consideration after type, color, and fur."
But wait, let's not forget the 5 points allotted to condition. We want a well finished animal with smooth, firm flesh and a nice coat.
Regarding posing, it is important just like most other breeds. One can make or break an animal on how it's posed. If you can pose a Californian, New Zealand, Mini Rex, Florida White...well, you get the point, you can probably pose a Marten. Don't stretch it out like a Himalayan, and don't over pose by shoving the hind feet up too far.
In this article I've attempted to give a fairly good overview of the Silver Marten, but I've by no means covered every single area in depth. This is a breed that I've raised since the mid-1970's and have enjoyed much over those years. Hopefully this article will help you some in your understanding on how this breed is judged.
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