Midlands & Northern Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
The First Rhodesian Ridgeback Club to Gain Championship Status in the UK
The First Rhodesian Ridgeback Club to Gain Championship Status in the UK
Years ago, when the Ridgeback (Lion Dog) was used for hunting big game in Africa, it didn't matter if it had a long ridge, short ridge, mis-shaped ridge, or even if it had a ridge at all. It never stopped the dogs doing their jobs as hunters.
However, when the Standard for the Rhodesian Ridgeback was laid down in
1922, it was a Standard for the show ring, and a dog show is a beauty
competition.
The ridge was made the escutcheon of the breed and it is the most important
part of the Standard. It should be clearly defined, tapering and
symmetrical, start immediately behind the shoulders and continue to a point
between the prominence of the hips (haunch bones) and contain two identical
crowns opposite each other.
If there are more than two crowns, half a crown, or a break anywhere in
the ridge, the dog should never appear in the show ring. A Ridgeback with
offset crowns, however slight, should not be considered for a top honour.
Major T C Hawley, author of "THE RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK. The Origin, History
and Standard" (considered to be the original Ridgeback Bible), stated: "Even
if a dog merits first place despite a defective ridge, the judge would be
quite justified in withholding the C.C."
With the number of registrations now reaching record proportions, if we cannot find a well constructed dog with a good ridge, then somewhere along the line we have gone wrong. As Major Hawley said "Experience has proved that we can have the best of ridgebacks with perfect ridges. Breeding from stock with anything but the best ridges is a retrograde step." "The standard is a wise and practical one and is attainable in a much higher percentage...................."