In Sweden, the landrace breed called the Gotland Rabbit, although rare, was admired for it's good temperament and strong bodies. The Gotland rabbit also comes in all colors with many individuals possessing an athletic arched body type. With these qualities in mind, good jumpers were bred to the European Polish (like the Britannia Petite in the US), the Belgian Hare and other breeds that were good jumpers and easy to handle. The Swedish Hare is usually larger than the Elfin.
In the United States several breeds are used in developing the Elfin rabbit. All breeds were considered, using an outgoing temperament and an arched, athletic body type as a guide to individual selection. Rhinelanders were breed to Polish to reduce the size. Tans, Harlequin, Mini Satins, and Britannia Petites were other instrumental breeds. Almost all the breeds have individuals that excel in rabbit sports, but not all rabbits like to hop in public.
Selection for the Elfin in the USA and the Swedish Hare in Sweden is based on criteria directly related to the ability to jump and compete in jumping competitions. Color does not affect jumping ability, so there are NO disqualifications for color or markings. Color does help to tell the competitors apart, so wild and unusual colors are encouraged. The standard selects for the ability to jump in competition and avoids animals that might be hindered by extreme body type, coat, or ear length.
