English Angora Wool Texture

In the ARBA Standard of Perfection, there are three parts when it comes to wool. For English Angora, density carries 25 points, texture 20 points and length 12 points. It's not that hard to feel the density or to measure the length; texture is a different matter. The concept of texture is more elusive and harder to grasp.

This is a picture of a 5-month-old tort English Angora. It has a very good mix of wool and guard hairs. English Angora guard hairs are very soft, almost as soft as the underwool except they are shiny. The guard hairs are necessary to form a bouncy and protective shield to the underwool.

This is a closer look at the English Angora guard hairs in a junior coat, tort in color. If the junior English Angora does not have or has very limited guard hairs, the senior coat usually does not have a "finished" look. Angora coat goes through three stages: (a) when the coat is building, the guard hairs are longer than the underwool, it is in a pre-prime stage. (b) when the guard hairs and the underwool are similar length, the coat is at the peak of the prime. (c) when the guard hairs start to fall off, the underwool lose the support of the guard hairs, the coat becomes past prime. In stage (a) and (b), the coat is free flowing while in stage (c) the coat becomes stiff and lumpy.

This is a senior English Angora wool with visible crimp, the rabbit is a chocolate tort.

This is a white English Angora senior coat. The guard hairs are still very visible but about the same length as the underwool, the guard hairs form a finished outer shield to the underwool.