The Jacobin standard allows 15 points for the ideal mane. The structure of the mane has changed over the years as we have developed more upright stretchy Jacobins. The manes have become thinner and breaks in the mane are a common fault. The ideal mane should be full and thick. Made up of relatively long smooth stay feathers that gently roll inward at the ends with the feathers from each side meeting directly in the middle of the birds back, forming a perfect line in the center, sweeping up to where the mane becomes the hood directly behind the head. Ideally the mane should be as thick as possible but not so thick that the bird cannot carry it properly. When viewed from the side in profile the mane should begin at the base of the back of the neck above the shoulders at its narrowest point ( the whip-in) and from there radiate upwards and outwards to its widest point at the eye-line. From there the mane sweeps forward in a circular arch until it becomes part of the hood. The mane must be carried up off of the shoulders and should not fall down on the back. An ideal mane with proper feather structure and mass, when carried properly with feathers that pull together, will gently bounce and sway as the bird moves presenting a wonderful sight. It is a common misconception of breeders to think that in order to have a big mane a Jacobin must have a big body. It is true that it is easier to breed thick manes on coarse, thick bodied, short necked Jacobins but this is not at all what the standard calls for and we must strive for thicker manes on more refined Jacobins. Today we demand that our best show Jacobins must have long necks and stretch to show their refinement and height. In doing this the feathers of the mane become stretched over a larger area giving an otherwise acceptable mane a thin appearance. It has therefore become necessary to breed even more feathers on the stretchy birds to give the appearance of a thick mane. This becomes a great challenge but hats off to the breeders who have accomplished this. Common faults of the mane are: 1) Feathers that are too straight which always give the appearance of a thin mane. 2) Feathers that droop down rather than roll in. 3) Manes that have breaks in them which is a result of not enough feather mass. 4) Manes that rest down on the back. 5) “Swing manes” which occur when the entire mane slithers off to one side rather than sitting directly above the center of the back. 6) Stay feathers which cross over to the opposite side breaking through stay feathers of the opposing side creating a rough jagged appearance rather than maintaining the tidy center meeting line we desire. 7) Poor quality feather such as dull or hairy feather which not only takes away from the nice shiny, smooth, tidy appearance we want but also takes away from the beauty of the entire head formation. Again you want the mane as thick and as long as possible but not to a fault. It is easy to breed nice, tidy, thick manes on shorter feathered Jacobins but these birds will never be able to compete against the bigger feathered birds at more competitive shows.
Clint Robertson Email: clint@jacobins.ca
