Rabbit Showing 101- part 1 Prep., Entries, and Quality 4H
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."-Confucius
For some the show season is over, for some it is beginning, and for some a new year is starting. No matter where you are one thing is clear that rabbit showing is in the hearts and minds of thousand, even millions and it is one of the few hobbies shared by the world. We connect through this hobby through showing, breeding, and raising rabbits, and through chatting online we learn from each other, so we may all become better.
My name is Crystal Siegmann and I have been showing rabbits for 3 years now. That's not a lot of time compared to many others but in those 3 years I have gone from an unknowledgeable novice to thriving Advanced senior, and knowledgeable breeder and owner. I came into the rabbit world after receiving a surprise from my parents an Opal Netherland Dwarf/Mini Rex crossbred buck named Peanutt. I fell in love with rabbits and along came my first purebred Mini Rex Buck, a Broken Black named Rhett. These two rabbits made me fall in love with this hobby and went with me to the fairs that year and we did well ending up with many awards including a RIS. We learned alot since then, working hard through the year, learning, teaching, breeding, raising, and showing. We took that knowledge and hard work and went on to the shows this year winning many awards, including earning a leg, and getting to compete in round robin. I am going to teach you what I have learned through these 2 years so that you may hopefully have the same wonderful experiences I did and still do have showing Rabbits.
Since there is soooooo much on the topic of showing I am breaking this article into 3 pieces: Prep., entries, quality showing and more; Showmanship; and ARBA.
Many see rabbits as one of the easiest species to show. However for those of us who have ever showed rabbits we know this is not true.
The First step to showing is doing your research and through this choosing the breed and color of rabbit you want to show. Why research you may ask. Well owning and caring for a rabbit is no easy task. You need to decide where the rabbit will be kept: inside, outside, garage, shed, or barn. What will your rabbit be kept in? Will it stay in a hutch, wire cage, a plastic bottomed cage, or a pen, this will vary depending on where it will be kept and your environment, and maybe even on its purpose. I can not tell you which way is wrong or right because its a preference and what works for one rabbitry may not work for another, you must decide this for yourself.
Rabbits also have to be fed and watered so you need to decide what containers you will use and what feed you will feed. There are many brands of pellets, hay, treats, etc. You have to find what brand works for you and your rabbits. A good feed company can help you with this step.
You've got you're rabbit, feed, and equipment, and you're ready to start learning to show. You need to prepare for your show. This includes: cleaning and examining your carriers, you want to be sure that your carriers are clean and presentable and that they are safe for your rabbit to be in; cleaning your rabbit, this can include: dry shampooing, brushing, blowing (with a hairdryer; Woolly breeds), toe nail clipping, ear brushing, and more depending on your breed be sure to research the specifics for your breed; ENTRIES, you need to know which show you will be attending, which rabbits you will be taking, when your entry deadlines are, and how much it is going to cost; the day of show you need to be up early enough to make sure all of your rabbits have remained clean put them in the carriers (be sure to bring feed and water containers and feed and water, you will be in line for a while and you will either be there the whole day or multiple days so make sure you have enough to last) and depending on temps you need to supply either coolness or warmth. If it is a cooped show make sure to bring something for the rabbit to rest on, sore hock is a common occurrence at multi day shows. Bring your equipment; this could be: a grooming table, a hairdryer, brushes, dry shampoo, wire, ties, markers, cage cards,cups, extra feed, extra water, dry shampoo, food and drinks for you, other stuff for you, money, copy of your entries, comment cards, notebook and pen, first aid kit, or more depending on you and your rabbits.
I want to talk a little more about entries. They can be confusing at times, so I want to help out with that. Be sure you know how your show wants the entries done, this can be by email, phone, paperwork, or online; so check your books or catalogs they should tell you how they are to be done, if you have any questions you can always call or email the show superintendent, the show secretary, or if it is a fair show the fair extension office, there are always people to help. Now if it is a fair show then most likely it will be done by paperwork or online. You will probably have to have a leaders signature,and you will have to turn it into your leader or your fair office. this will be well in advance to your show. The easiest ways to do these is to do it as a group or do it with your leader or go to the extension office and do it. They are pretty simple, basically, it is just the: name, birth date, sex, breed, and tattoo, as well as class and division numbers, which can be found in your book. If it is an Open show then it is usually: breed, sex, age (Jr. or Sr.), variety, tattoo.
So now you have all your entries in your packed and ready to go to your show (make sure you have plenty of gas, your car is in working order, and the road conditions and weather are good). Since we will be talking about ARBA in a later article, we are going to talk about 4H shows and use our local shows as an example. I attend Canyon County and Western Idaho 4H shows (Western Idaho has an open but will be talked about later) and both shows are summer shows. I always make sure to stick ice bottles in the carriers with the rabbits to help keep them cool while traveling and have either the windows rolled down or the air conditioner going. When we get to the fair there is usually a long line either outside for Canyon or inside for Western. You should know what environment you rabbit is going to be in. Canyon does not have an air conditioned barn at this time, they do have swamp coolers and fans but it is still pretty warm so a fan is a good idea as well as ice bottles and maybe ice in the water or nice cool water changed at least twice a day, cool tiles also are a good idea. This will not only be hot but it will be stressful to your rabbit, some things to have on hand would be a treat (I like carrots)as well as plenty of hay, pedialyte or something like it, and a pro bio like benebac, these things will help to keep your rabbit eating and in good condition. Also bring anything your rabbit is used to (radio, toys, etc). Western is air conditioned but they can break down so be prepared for that event. Be prepared to clean under and in your cages and do not for get something for your rabbit to rest on, don't forget your brooms and shovels.
Your rabbit has settled in and they day of quality show has arrived. you want to prepare your rabbit to make it the best it can be. You want to brush, or blow, or dry shampoo your rabbit, whatever your breed calls for, as well as check and clip nails (be careful of the quick, not fun to take care a cut quick the day of show), make sure if your rabbit is molting you get as much as the hair as possible, you want your rabbit to be show quality and catchy to the eye of the judge. You put your rabbit on the table and either stand there or sit down, your judge will let you know, the judge will go through the rabbits and choose his BOVs, BOSVs, BOBs, BOSBs, and BIS, RIS, and maybe 1 or 2 more runners up. If you get one of these places don't forget to get a pic of you, your rabbit, and your awards, so don't forget your camera (If you get BIS or RIS a pic with the judge would be a good idea.) This will be a long day or short day depending on your judge and how many rabbits there are so I recommend food, drinks, and something to do.
As you can already tell there is alot to showing rabbits and we have only covered part of it. This part is much simpler than showmanship which will be covered in the next article. It does not come without its nerves and pressures though. You want your rabbit to do well, one tip I will give is work with your rabbit setting up (poses can be found on the ARBA site) before the show, a rabbit that does not want to cooperate and set up could be placed low or DQed because the judge isn't able to get a good look at the rabbit. A rabbit that cooperates and sets up will place high or win 9 times out of 10. So get those engines revin' and get involved in the wonderful world of rabbit showing.
By: Crystal Siegmann
For some the show season is over, for some it is beginning, and for some a new year is starting. No matter where you are one thing is clear that rabbit showing is in the hearts and minds of thousand, even millions and it is one of the few hobbies shared by the world. We connect through this hobby through showing, breeding, and raising rabbits, and through chatting online we learn from each other, so we may all become better.
My name is Crystal Siegmann and I have been showing rabbits for 3 years now. That's not a lot of time compared to many others but in those 3 years I have gone from an unknowledgeable novice to thriving Advanced senior, and knowledgeable breeder and owner. I came into the rabbit world after receiving a surprise from my parents an Opal Netherland Dwarf/Mini Rex crossbred buck named Peanutt. I fell in love with rabbits and along came my first purebred Mini Rex Buck, a Broken Black named Rhett. These two rabbits made me fall in love with this hobby and went with me to the fairs that year and we did well ending up with many awards including a RIS. We learned alot since then, working hard through the year, learning, teaching, breeding, raising, and showing. We took that knowledge and hard work and went on to the shows this year winning many awards, including earning a leg, and getting to compete in round robin. I am going to teach you what I have learned through these 2 years so that you may hopefully have the same wonderful experiences I did and still do have showing Rabbits.
Since there is soooooo much on the topic of showing I am breaking this article into 3 pieces: Prep., entries, quality showing and more; Showmanship; and ARBA.
Many see rabbits as one of the easiest species to show. However for those of us who have ever showed rabbits we know this is not true.
The First step to showing is doing your research and through this choosing the breed and color of rabbit you want to show. Why research you may ask. Well owning and caring for a rabbit is no easy task. You need to decide where the rabbit will be kept: inside, outside, garage, shed, or barn. What will your rabbit be kept in? Will it stay in a hutch, wire cage, a plastic bottomed cage, or a pen, this will vary depending on where it will be kept and your environment, and maybe even on its purpose. I can not tell you which way is wrong or right because its a preference and what works for one rabbitry may not work for another, you must decide this for yourself.
Rabbits also have to be fed and watered so you need to decide what containers you will use and what feed you will feed. There are many brands of pellets, hay, treats, etc. You have to find what brand works for you and your rabbits. A good feed company can help you with this step.
You've got you're rabbit, feed, and equipment, and you're ready to start learning to show. You need to prepare for your show. This includes: cleaning and examining your carriers, you want to be sure that your carriers are clean and presentable and that they are safe for your rabbit to be in; cleaning your rabbit, this can include: dry shampooing, brushing, blowing (with a hairdryer; Woolly breeds), toe nail clipping, ear brushing, and more depending on your breed be sure to research the specifics for your breed; ENTRIES, you need to know which show you will be attending, which rabbits you will be taking, when your entry deadlines are, and how much it is going to cost; the day of show you need to be up early enough to make sure all of your rabbits have remained clean put them in the carriers (be sure to bring feed and water containers and feed and water, you will be in line for a while and you will either be there the whole day or multiple days so make sure you have enough to last) and depending on temps you need to supply either coolness or warmth. If it is a cooped show make sure to bring something for the rabbit to rest on, sore hock is a common occurrence at multi day shows. Bring your equipment; this could be: a grooming table, a hairdryer, brushes, dry shampoo, wire, ties, markers, cage cards,cups, extra feed, extra water, dry shampoo, food and drinks for you, other stuff for you, money, copy of your entries, comment cards, notebook and pen, first aid kit, or more depending on you and your rabbits.
I want to talk a little more about entries. They can be confusing at times, so I want to help out with that. Be sure you know how your show wants the entries done, this can be by email, phone, paperwork, or online; so check your books or catalogs they should tell you how they are to be done, if you have any questions you can always call or email the show superintendent, the show secretary, or if it is a fair show the fair extension office, there are always people to help. Now if it is a fair show then most likely it will be done by paperwork or online. You will probably have to have a leaders signature,and you will have to turn it into your leader or your fair office. this will be well in advance to your show. The easiest ways to do these is to do it as a group or do it with your leader or go to the extension office and do it. They are pretty simple, basically, it is just the: name, birth date, sex, breed, and tattoo, as well as class and division numbers, which can be found in your book. If it is an Open show then it is usually: breed, sex, age (Jr. or Sr.), variety, tattoo.
So now you have all your entries in your packed and ready to go to your show (make sure you have plenty of gas, your car is in working order, and the road conditions and weather are good). Since we will be talking about ARBA in a later article, we are going to talk about 4H shows and use our local shows as an example. I attend Canyon County and Western Idaho 4H shows (Western Idaho has an open but will be talked about later) and both shows are summer shows. I always make sure to stick ice bottles in the carriers with the rabbits to help keep them cool while traveling and have either the windows rolled down or the air conditioner going. When we get to the fair there is usually a long line either outside for Canyon or inside for Western. You should know what environment you rabbit is going to be in. Canyon does not have an air conditioned barn at this time, they do have swamp coolers and fans but it is still pretty warm so a fan is a good idea as well as ice bottles and maybe ice in the water or nice cool water changed at least twice a day, cool tiles also are a good idea. This will not only be hot but it will be stressful to your rabbit, some things to have on hand would be a treat (I like carrots)as well as plenty of hay, pedialyte or something like it, and a pro bio like benebac, these things will help to keep your rabbit eating and in good condition. Also bring anything your rabbit is used to (radio, toys, etc). Western is air conditioned but they can break down so be prepared for that event. Be prepared to clean under and in your cages and do not for get something for your rabbit to rest on, don't forget your brooms and shovels.
Your rabbit has settled in and they day of quality show has arrived. you want to prepare your rabbit to make it the best it can be. You want to brush, or blow, or dry shampoo your rabbit, whatever your breed calls for, as well as check and clip nails (be careful of the quick, not fun to take care a cut quick the day of show), make sure if your rabbit is molting you get as much as the hair as possible, you want your rabbit to be show quality and catchy to the eye of the judge. You put your rabbit on the table and either stand there or sit down, your judge will let you know, the judge will go through the rabbits and choose his BOVs, BOSVs, BOBs, BOSBs, and BIS, RIS, and maybe 1 or 2 more runners up. If you get one of these places don't forget to get a pic of you, your rabbit, and your awards, so don't forget your camera (If you get BIS or RIS a pic with the judge would be a good idea.) This will be a long day or short day depending on your judge and how many rabbits there are so I recommend food, drinks, and something to do.
As you can already tell there is alot to showing rabbits and we have only covered part of it. This part is much simpler than showmanship which will be covered in the next article. It does not come without its nerves and pressures though. You want your rabbit to do well, one tip I will give is work with your rabbit setting up (poses can be found on the ARBA site) before the show, a rabbit that does not want to cooperate and set up could be placed low or DQed because the judge isn't able to get a good look at the rabbit. A rabbit that cooperates and sets up will place high or win 9 times out of 10. So get those engines revin' and get involved in the wonderful world of rabbit showing.
By: Crystal Siegmann